Last night, Suzanne and I attended Common Good Ventures Springboard event. Springboard is a program that brings together local business leaders to contribute their expertise to benefit nonprofit organizations in an energetic brainstorming session. Selected nonprofits present a specific challenge to the Springboard participants. Following the presentation, participants engage in a facilitated interactive brainstorming session to develop and promote solutions.
About 40 business professionals spanning every discipline from banking to venture capital to marketing to operations and everything in between listened to employees from Jobs for Maine’s Grads present. JMG Maine’s affiliate of the national organization Jobs for America’s Graduates. They identify middle and high school students that exhibit at least 4 barriers to higher education and help them develop core competencies in areas such as leadership, communications, job attainment and career development. JMG spent about 10 minutes giving an overview of their organization including mission, population served, and program impact before proposing the following question: How can JMG cost-effectively reach more youth through additional products/programs and/or distribution partnerships?
Attendees then spent 25 minutes brainstorming ideas. Craig Larrabee, JMG’s CEO and seen in the photo below, said that Springboard events not only produce great ideas for the nonprofit involved but when the business volunteers come up with ideas the nonprofit is already pursuing, it validates that effort for the nonprofit. I also found out that many of the business volunteers like attending Springboards for the networking opportunity. So Springboards seem to be a win for everyone involved.
