2011 ProInspire Fellows Graduate, Celebrating a Year of Accomplishments
On June 19th the 2011 cohort of ProInspire Fellows gathered at Busboys and Poets in DC with family, friends, colleagues, supporters and even a few 2012 Fellows to celebrate the completion of thier fellowship.
The evening started with Monisha Kapila welcoming everyone and a recapping the last year for the organization. She thanked all of the supporters of ProInspire’s first fundraising efforts on Give to the Max Day, which raised funds that were critical for the expansion of the Fellowship Program in the Bay Area. She also shared news of the success of Bay Area program which has started making placements at partner organizations for the 2012 cohort.
One of the major highlights of the evening was 2011 ProInspire Fellow Camiel Irving’s speech. Known for her gift of public speaking, Camiel spoke to her captive audience about the power of investing in an idea. She challenged us to be inspired by Monisha, who had a big idea to improve the nonprofit sector, deeply believed in it and then made it happen.
And just as Facebook was bold enough to acquire Instagram for one billion dollars despite the fact it has yet to generate any revenues, hiring partners have invested in Monisha’s idea, making it possible for dozens of Fellows to transition into the nonprofit sector. She then wrapped up by encouraging the rest of her cohort to continue to find meaning in their work and take chances with their careers.
The program wrapped up with Lucila Crena sharing stories about each Fellow’s experience over the last year and presenting individual gifts. Some of the accomplishments of this cohort include:
- Working on an ROI analysis which documented lessons learned from special investments directed to 12 countries
- Holding a quarter million dollar check in the elevator, a grant which had taken considerable hard work to get!
- Managing the strategic planning process and facilitating a 4 hour meeting with top leadership
- Growing the real estate mission finance portfolio from 3 projects to 10+ and investing close to $7MM to provide affordable, green housing in the DC-metro area
Several of the 2011 Fellows will remain in their current positions while others are either pursuing new career opportunities inspired by their experience or headed off to MBA programs at Yale, Kellogg, and MIT Sloan.
Much thanks to all of you who came out to celebrate with us, and much thanks to everyone else who supported from afar!