Fellows: Professional Development
ProInspire provides Fellows a robust professional development program to support the Fellows transition into the social sector.
Professional Development Objectives
The objectives of the professional development program are to help Fellows:
• Excel in their roles
• Build competencies that are valuable in the social sector
• Learn and explore career paths
• Develop as social sector leaders
• Establish a network that will support their professional growth
Activities
These professional development objectives are achieved through six key activities:
• Training: Fellows participate in orientation at the start of the program and a full-day workshop each month. Workshops feature guest speakers, competency focused sessions, group discussions, and team learning.
• Coaching: Fellows work with a ProInspire coach to discuss progress on their objectives and development.
• Mentoring: ProInspire maintains a mentorship network that Fellows can leverage based on their personal development needs (e.g. advice on graduate school, work projects, etc.).
• Leadership Development: Fellows take a leadership role in the Inspire Fellows Program Board, present a topic related to their role at one of the training sessions, contribute to the ProInspire blog, and present a knowledge object at the end of the Fellowship.
• Feedback: ProInspire gathers feedback from the Fellows’ managers at 6 and 12 months.
Training sessions from the 2009 program include:
Guest Speakers: Catalytic exposure to thought leaders
- Rick Moyers, Director of Programs, Meyer Foundation: Role of philanthropy
- John Nelson, Managing Partner, Wall Street Without Walls: Innovations in community development finance
- Beth Rhyne, Managing Director, Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International: Innovations in microfinance
- Bethany Robertson, Co-founder, I Do Foundation: Social entrepreneurship
Competency-Focused Sessions: Building skills to enhance effectiveness
- Goal setting
- Facilitating meetings
- Project management
- Communicating with teams
Group Discussions: Planting the seeds for future leaders
- Case studies on Year Up, Kiva
- Book review of Forces for Good
- Implications of tax exemption in the nonprofit sector
- Decision-making behavior and social change
Team Learning: Leveraging knowledge of the group
- Fellow presentations
