Don’t Overlook the Crop of Young Leaders at Old-Line Charities

To the Editor:

Every one of the emerging non-profit leaders profiled in your January 14 issue deserves to be there (“A New Guard Emerges”). They are all planting seeds of hope that are sure to take root in their communities over the next few years.

Having said that, I am troubled by The Chronicle’s implicit message about taking leadership in the non-profit world. Almost all of the leaders profiled had founded a non-profit group.

There are hundreds of us 20- and 30-somethings out there who have taken over established non-profit agencies with the capacity to have a positive effect on a substantial number of people today, not at some theoretical point in the future. By bringing our generation’s values — entrepreneurship, pragmatism, technological capacity, and marketing savvy — to these old-line agencies, we are insuring that they will continue to serve hundreds of thousands of Americans.

In the long run, I believe that this changeover in leadership of established agencies, and the changes in management style and priorities that accompany it, represents the real story of our generation’s impact upon the non-profit world.

Stephen M. Pratt
Executive Director
Horizons for Youth
Sharon, Mass.

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To the Editor:

The energy, commitment, and enthusiasm of the non-profit leaders profiled by The Chronicle reflect the belief of my generation that we can make a difference, and my generation’s perspective that each of us must take action in the way that we believe we can be most effective.

While I am inspired by those who have created new systems and organizations to improve their communities, I believe we need to give equal billing to those who are working through some of our country’s long-standing non-profits to create change and hope.

I am a 31-year-old director of a local United Way. During my eight years of work in the non-profit sector, I have had the good fortune of meeting and working with many young non-profit entrepreneurs. Their diligence, inventiveness, and commitment has been incredible to experience.

Importantly, I have been just as amazed and inspired by young professionals working with organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Salvation Army, Girl Scouts, and Boys & Girls Club, among others. In addition, my counterparts at other United Ways are some of the most creative and forward-thinking individuals in the non-profit arena today.

Many of us believe and take pride in the traditions and histories of our institutions, but we are not resting upon our past success. Instead, we are bringing new energy and ideas to great organizations that continue to do greater things in our communities.

Eric A. Aft
President
United Way of Central Virginia
Lynchburg, Va.

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To the Editor:

The perspectives of the young leaders you covered reflect those of the next generation as documented in a recent national poll conducted for Public Allies by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, “New Leadership for a New Century.”

The study found that 18- to 30-year-olds have a stronger belief in change happening locally through direct involvement of individuals and groups, rather than by more sweeping political or social means. Many of the young adults you featured are indeed providing new leadership to the non-profit sector by creating new agencies that translate this belief into tangible practices in local communities.

However, the “ivy league” class of young people portrayed in the article does not fully represent this vanguard. Our experience at Public Allies is that young adults from diverse backgrounds are bringing this new brand of community-strengthening leadership to the non-profit world, and are bringing it to existing non-profit agencies as well as to new ones.

A recent independent study of over 100 agencies that had provided apprenticeship opportunities for most of the 500 young adults involved in Public Allies over the past six years found positive and lasting influences on the majority of those organizations. Agency representatives indicated that part of what they had gained was a broader organizational perspective.

One agency representative stated that the young leader “helped us look at programs and service delivery from a different perspective.” In particular, agencies indicated that they had broadened their views of what was required for community development, and were better able to relate to youths that they served at the youths’ own level. In many instances, this led to much more effective outreach and greater and more-diverse involvement of local community members in the work of the agency, particularly the involvement of the community’s youth in the assessment, direction, and governance of services intended on their behalf.

As we approach the next century, when problems will be addressed in an atmosphere of devolution and dramatic demographic change, we need to listen to and learn from the approaches and ideas this next generation of leadership brings. This means not only championing their new organizations but also recognizing and facilitating the change that members of the generation are helping to bring about in existing agencies.

Chuck J. Supple
President
Public Allies
Washington