Navigating For Non Profits is a non-profit that transformed out of a road trip. We met in September of 2011 through AmeriCorps NCCC in Sacramento and decided that even though the program would end, the volunteer work wasn’t done. We had an idea for a road trip which  quickly transformed from just wanting to get across the country into something much bigger.

We had initially just wanted to get across the country and use service as a way for us to get free housing. It was at that point when we realized that we were much more excited about the non-profits than about reaching a destination. Our idea of a road trip with volunteering became a road trip of volunteerism. Volunteering became the main reason why we travel. But to understand what drives us you first need a chance to get to know us. So here’s a little bit on who we are and how we ended up in the car.

My name is Maggie and I am originally from Muncie, Indiana. I graduated college with an accounting degree in December of 2009. Without a passion for my business path I chose to sign up for AmeriCorps NCCC and if that didn’t work out I was going to move to Colorado and figure it out along the way. Lucky for me I found out a few months later that I was accepted to AmeriCorps NCCC at the Vinton, IA campus starting in two weeks. I was so overwhelmed by having to make a quick decision that I actually cried! Not my typical reaction. I accepted and life has been a whirlwind of non-profits and life experiences ever since. I spent time in the Midwest and then after being accepted to be a team leader I moved out to the Western region to serve the Sacramento campus. That’s where I met the one and only, Jenna Lamoreaux.

As the other half of the road trip, my story is not much different. I had always been raised to believe that it is important to help out your neighbor in whatever way you can. After finishing two terms in AmeriCorps NCCC and living in 8 states in 2.5 years, I didn’t really have a specific neighborhood to call mine and I definitely didn’t have neighbors. I just lived in America. When Maggie and I came up with the idea to do a road trip of volunteerism, it let me give back to my neighbors without having to actually pick a neighborhood to live in! It seemed to be a perfect idea and now one month into the road trip, it seems to be working out pretty well.

So there we were, in California with an idea and the possibility of doing something amazing; some might even say life changing.  During the course of our term of service in the Northwest we took the time to turn ourselves into a non-profit.  We filled out all the paperwork to become a 501(c)3 and began planning the first leg of the trip. That portion of the project stretches from California to Maine over the course of 45 days and 16 cities. We are just over halfway through it and preparing for the second leg which goes along the eastern coastline down to Florida, back up to Detroit via Kentucky and Indiana, loops back around going through St. Louis into Texas and New Orleans back up to Indiana before Christmas.

To help us out on our journey check out our website www.navigatingfornonprofits.org, volunteer for one of our events on GoVoluntr, and if you believe in what we do then like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@Navig4NonProfs).  As we always say, spread the word and safe travels!

Well, what would you expect? Carl Guardino and the CEO Show loved Young so much from the last Startup Roundtable he was part of, that they just had to have him back! This time, he got his own show!

Listen to the show here.

A few weeks ago I got the amazing opportunity to be part of a panel discussion on millennials in the workforce at Cisco’s IT Executive Symposium in San Diego. One of the questions I continually was asked was how do corporate social values affect the new generation as a workforce and, more importantly, what should we as a company be doing about it. The collection of 110 CIOs and other IT executives knew that without preparing for the millennials coming in they were going to be left behind. So I thought I would share my response here:

Millennials seek fulfilling work. The question many Millennials are now asking when considering where to take their career is ‘How does this company support its community and our society?” In fact, the factor of social impact is, in some cases, more important than the question of pay. A recent study from Net Impact shows that 45% of Millennials are willing to take a pay cut in order to make a social and environmental impact via their work. The case for meaningful work in the form of social impact extends further; the benefits to employers are equally clear. When you look at companies like Salesforce with a triple-bottom-line mission, you can see the positive externalities. Employees who volunteer are not only building team culture, but are happier, more engaged, and more consistently present. Data continues to indicate that businesses do well by doing good and that genuine cause related marketing is a winning strategy for engaging Millennials both as employees and as consumers. What’s not to like?

So I pose the question to you. What is your company doing about it? Tell us in the comments.

- Kevin

This week’s post is a recording for you all. Young got the chance to be part of a startup roundtable on the CEO Show, hosted by Carl Guardino. Learn more about the show here, or play the recording to hear Young’s thoughts on the future of startups.

Listen

This coming weekend is a pretty special weekend for volunteering. On April 20-22, 2012, millions of people ages 5-25, and their adult allies and champions in over 100 countries on 6 continents will change the world, addressing critical issues including health, education, environment, hunger, poverty, disaster preparedness and response, and human rights.

April 20-22nd is Global Youth Service Day. According to Youth Service America, the hosting organization, “Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest and longest-running service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth.”

Students—Join in! This is a great way for you to work towards any required service hours needed to graduate. Volunteering also provides a great place for networking and meeting new people. Plus, who said volunteering has to be boring – get some of your friends and go volunteer together!

Parents—Encourage your child to get involved in volunteering. Volunteering can not only be used for teaching your children great life lessons, it can also help in school. A Davila and Mora study showed that “Students who performed voluntary community service were 19 percentage points more likely to graduate from college than those that did not.”

Oh, and did we mention there’s free stuff involved? Remember, whenever you volunteer with GoVoluntr, you earn VPins that get you free goodies. Plus, this week is extra special, as it’s National Volunteer Week. That means bonus points and more awesome prizes (like the chance to win movie tickets and lunch with the GoVoluntr team!).

You can find out more information about Youth Service Day here and be sure to check out the great events going on around you on GoVoluntr.com!

Hello Do Goodrs! We’re coming up on National Volunteer Week, and here at GoVoluntr, we like to celebrate.

So, what are we celebrating? Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week is put together by the Points of Light Institute. It’s is all about “about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, in unison, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. National Volunteer Week is about taking action, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change—discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation.”

Remember how we told you we like to celebrate? GoVoluntr has created a cool new VPin in honor of National Volunteer Week, April 15 – 21, 2012. On top of that, we’re giving away GoVoluntr shirts to the top five Do Goodrs (by volunteer hours) that week. What happens if you’re the number one Do Goodr by hours that week? The GoVo team wants to say thanks by taking you to lunch. So, join the thousands of other volunteers in the nation and get out, volunteer, and celebrate!

Don’t forget to share your National Volunteer Week stories in the comments!