LEADing in 2010

2010 was a new beginning for LEAD. It was the start of an entirely new group of young professionals (Bridget Ulrich, Elizabeth Larson, Jason Lima, Jon Applebaum, Lan Freitag, Mansi Bhandari, Michelle Sotak, Peter Prudden) that were tasked from the founding board members to carry on LEAD’s mission of engaging young professionals in the charitable and philanthropic communities of the Twin Cities. Click here to watch a short video on LEAD.

One of the first tasks as a newly formed board was to increase the group’s online presence. With the help of Martin Ashal, LEAD launched a new website in March. With the new look, latest features and fresh information on what LEAD does, there was an increase of 300% in web traffic. LEAD also increased its Facebook presence to 964 fans and over 400 Twitter followers.

In April, LEAD had the first charitable benefit of the year. LEAD proudly hosted The Green Party – a benefit for Great River Greening, the first private event at the newly minted Metropolitan Club at Target Field. More than 400 attendees helped to raise $7,000 to help double Great River Greening’s work this year.

In June, LEAD hosted the first event of its kind. PhilanthroFair – a volunteer fair catered for young professionals looking for volunteer opportunities (board positions or skill based volunteering). It featured over 30 volunteer opportunities from nine Twin Cities nonprofits (pictured right). Prior to the event, MAP for Nonprofits had a 30-minute Mini Board Boot Camp to explain board expectations and helped individuals formulate questions to ask the nonprofits. The attendance goal was surpassed with over 130 individuals.

Later in July, LEAD hosted a BOOM Benefit for Smile Network International. Held at a private residence with a spacious terrace overlooking the Mississippi River, it offered a spectacular view of the Aquatennial Fireworks show. The 150 attendees, helped to raise over $8,000 to improve the lives of 16 children in need of a healthier and happier smile.

During the month of July, LEAD welcomed five new directors to their board – Ellora Batacharya, Jonathan Wilson, Kristin Gast, Mara Hughes, Michael Will, and Peter Wagner. The positions were added to help expand the capacity and work of LEAD.

In September, LEAD partnered with the Citizen’s League and BringMeTheNews to host Candidate Conversation- live, interactive debate between Minnesota gubernatorial candidates Mark Dayton, Tom Emmer and Tom Horner. Attendees filled the Pantages Theater to hear about issues like the economy, education, and how the MN Candidate’s planned to address them as Governor. Attendees also were encouraged to tweet throughout the night resulting in #debateMN as the #1 Twitter trend.

Following the success of PhilanthroFair, LEAD hosted PhilanthoFair II in October. This event featured 45 volunteer opportunities at 11 Twin Cities nonprofit to over 150 attendees.

In November, LEAD partnered with United Way Emerging Leaders to co-sponsor a Board Boot Camp. Over 50 attendees took the first step in creating a meaningful relationship within their community and learned about some of the elements it takes to becoming a board member.

The holiday season tends to be a time of giving thanks. We at LEAD are thankful for many things, including your interest and support for our organization. We hope that you had a wonderful year and look forward to seeing you in 2011.

Warm Wishes,

The LEAD Project Board of Directors

A special thank you to all our generous partners and friends that helped us make 2010 successful:

• Best Buy – Sponsor
• BringMeTheNews – Candidate’s Conversation Partner
• CRAVE – BOOM Benefit Sponsor
• General Mills – Sponsor
• George Family Foundation – Sponsor
• Janel Klein – LEAD Video
• Kim Supple – Event Planner
• Matt Hemsley and the LEAD Founding Board of Directors
• Mansi Bhandari – 2009/10 LEAD Board Member
• MAP for Nonprofits – Board Boot Camp Partner
• Martin Ashal – Website/Interactive Marketing Consulting
• Michelle Sotak – 2009/10 LEAD Board Member
• Mike Feltault – Event Photographer
• Parrel Caplan – BOOM Benefit Sponsor/Host
• Prairie Vodka – Sponsor
• SEVEN – PhilanthroFair Sponsor
• Thom Pham’s Wondrous Azian Kitchen – PhilanthroFair II Sponsor