The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the launch of the Non-Profit Consortium Leadership Fellows Institute with its first class of 24 recruits from local non-profit organizations. The program is a partnership with the Union County Non-Profit Consortium, with the goal of developing the next generation of informed, effective executives in the non-profit sector.
“The Non-Profit Leadership Fellows Institute is one of my Chairman’s Initiatives for 2017, and we all have high hopes that its impact will ripple out to benefit the Union County community for many years to come,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “I’d like to thank my colleagues on the Board, the Non-Profit Consortium and our private sector supporters for shepherding this program from the drawing board to its launch today.”
The Non-Profit Leadership Fellows Institute represents the first, focused investment that County government has made to support skills and training for the next generation of non-profit executive leaders. The program builds on the Freeholder Board’s workforce development initiatives, aimed at ensuring that important economic sectors can draw from a rich pool of talent.
“It is difficult to overstate how important it is to ensure that our non-profits continue to benefit from informed, effective and seasoned leadership,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, who is the Freeholder Board liaison to the Human Services Advisory Board. “As we are all very much aware, non-profits are one of the bedrock foundations of the Union County community, especially so for those that provide the essential services that sustain our social safety net.”
Bergen noted that, the contributions that non-profits make to communal well-being, they also provide unique, high quality employment opportunities and volunteer experiences that enrich life throughout Union County.
“Although it is a commonplace to define the non-profit and private sectors by their differences, with this program we hope to bring the best of both together: the passion for social justice and human empathy, and the confidence, know-how and management skills that enable an organization to grow and thrive,” he said.
The Union County Non-Profit Leadership Fellows Institute is a public-private partnership, and it is made possible by a commitment of $5,000 in seed money from County government, $500 contributions made by the non-profits for each candidate they send to the Institute, and the generosity of private sector sponsors.
Each of the 24 participants will attend 11 skill-building sessions based on a dynamic, interactive model. Peer learning is also an important element of the development program.
For more information about participating in or supporting the Non-Profit Leadership Fellows Institute, contact Pamela Capaci, CEO, Prevention Links, 121-125 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor, Roselle (office phone: 732-381-4100, cell: 908-307-9080, email pcapaci@preventionlinks.org)
