Philanthropy New York is excited to launch our 2016 – 2017 Young Leaders Breakfast Club, a nine-month cohort-based program for philanthropic leaders in their twenties and thirties. This cycle will run from October 2016 to June 2017.
Are you looking for an opportunity to bring more focus to your leadership development? Are you eager to build relationships with similarly motivated peers? Do you have professional goals that you’d like to explore with the support of peers and a mentor?
You’ll find value in joining PNY’s Young Leaders Breakfast Club - whether you’re early in your career or have more than a decade worth of experience under your belt.
Register to learn more. If you cannot attend one of our two information sessions but are still interested in applying, please contact Allyson Goldhagen.
Members: To register yourself and/or a colleague at your organization, please log in and click the Register Now link to the right. Online registration is available until July 7. Contact register@philanthropynewyork.org with any registration-related questions.
About the Young Leaders Breakfast Club
The program is designed to build community among younger professionals in philanthropy and support participants’ leadership development.
YLBC carves out a space for early and mid-career PNY members to build relationships across the sector, work on individual learning goals, and expand their capacity as professionals.
Young leaders meet monthly in small “breakfast clubs”. Each breakfast club is comprised of three young leaders (of similar levels of experience but across philanthropic focus areas and roles) and a seasoned leader who serves as the group’s mentor. Breakfast clubs use their monthly meetings to navigate professional challenges, strategize about short-term and long-term professional goals, learn about the sector, and build deeper relationships with colleagues across the field.
Beyond the structured breakfast clubs, YLBC creates a vibrant network of relationships. This peer mentorship community builds the foundation for effective, collaborative philanthropy. Please join an information session if you would like to apply for the program. We will cover critical information about the program goals, structure, time commitment, participant responsibilities and application process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who participates in YLBC?
The Young Leaders Breakfast Club is designed for early and mid-career Philanthropy New York members. Participants are usually in their twenties and thirties and past cohorts have included professionals early in their career to experienced managers.
We encourage professionals across the organization to apply (i.e., program, communications, grants management, finance, administration, executive support, research, etc) and aim to ensure the cohort is reflective of the philanthropic community in terms of varying types of organizations, roles, and capacities.
This year, we will accept between 30 – 40 young leaders depending on mentor availability. We look for participants who will be highly engaged and are eager to direct their own learning. Our goal is for the cohort to reflect PNY’s membership; as such, we may need to limit the number of participants from any one member organization.
Who are mentors?
YLBC mentors are seasoned professionals who are actively engaged in the sector. Mentors serve as facilitators, sounding boards, resources, and coaches for their group. They help to create a productive space for confidential conversation and offer personal reflection and constructive feedback. Mentors are life-long learners and eager to explore a range of topics with their group.
Know someone who would be a wonderful mentor? Email Kristen Ruff to nominate them.
What is the time commitment?
Participation in the program requires a significant time commitment between October 2016 and June 2017. Each breakfast club meets monthly with their group. Often breakfast club meetings take place during regular business hours, but depending on the availability of each group member, some clubs opt to meet before or after work for their monthly meetings.
Applicants must be able to commit to the following:
- Kick-off program (3-4 hours, during workday): week of October 17th 2016, exact date TBD
- Monthly group meetings (1.5 - 2 hours each, schedule determined by group): November 2016 through June 2017
- Two one-on-one meetings with mentor (1 hour each): date and times TBD with mentor
- Closing session (3-4 hours, during workday): June 2017, date TBD
Additionally, we plan 4 - 5 YLBC events for the entire cohort that range from informal networking to skills-based workshops. Past participants note that carving out time to attend these events adds tremendous value to their experience by providing more opportunities to build relationships across the full cohort.
How are groups assigned?
Young leaders do not select their mentor and peer group. We organize breakfast clubs based on themes from your application around topics, goals, and where you are in your career.
How do groups use their breakfast club time?
Each breakfast club develops their own meeting agendas. Participants used their time together to strategize about short-term and long-term professional and leadership goals, gain support and advice for navigating professional challenges, learn from one another about the sector, and build relationships with colleagues across the field.
Participants identify at least one professional goal they want to work on with peer-feedback and support. The breakfast clubs provide a confidential space to get support and objective feedback from your peer group and mentor, and a helpful structure for holding yourself accountable to your goal.
What opportunities exist to meet people outside my breakfast club?
Beyond your monthly meeting with your breakfast club, we encourage all young leaders to reach out to one another to grow your personal network. In order to facilitate the community building, young leaders with support from Philanthropy New York staff organize YLBC-themed events focused on leadership development, skills trainings, and networking. YLBC is what you make of it, and we look for applicants that are willing to put in as much as they take out of the cohort.
Who is eligible to apply?
YLBC is open to staff and trustees of PNY member organizations. (For corporate members, you must work for the company’s corporate giving program or corporate foundation.) In keeping with PNY’s membership policies, YLBC is not open to fundraising and development professionals. Participants must be affiliated with a PNY member organization for the entirety of the program. Please do not apply if you are seeking employment elsewhere. You will not be able to continue in the program if you are no longer affiliated with a PNY member organization.
What is the application process?
- Applications will be accepted from July 15, 2016 to August 19, 2016.
- In order to apply, you must meet all eligibility requirements and attend an information session.
- Additionally, to be considered for the program a sponsor (either your supervisor or a senior leader) within your organization must submit a brief statement of support. Instructions for submitting a statement of support will be included in the application.
- Applications and statements of support must be received no later than 5pm on Friday, August 19, 2016.
- We will follow-up with all applicants regarding participation in the program by Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
How often does PNY offer the Young Leaders Breakfast Club?
We launch a new cohort of YLBC every 18 - 24 months. If you can't participate in this cycle but want to keep it in mind for the future, we plan to lauch our next cycle early spring 2018.
Additional questions?
For questions regarding YLBC and other professional development programming at Philanthropy New York, please contact Allyson Goldhagen or Kristen Ruff.
Philanthropy New York would like to thank American Express and Taconic Foundation for their critical support to develop and expand this program.