Veronica Nolan

Executive Director
Urban Alliance Foundation
http://www.urbanalliancefoundation.org/

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with Meyer's 2008 Exponent Award recipients.

Q. What does Urban Alliance do?

A. Urban Alliance coordinates year-long paid, professional internships for high school youth from under-resourced neighborhoods. We provide both interns and corporate partners with substantial support and training throughout the program. Urban Alliance interns work Monday-Thursday during their senior year of high school and then come to us every Friday for professional development trainings. This work experience, together with the support and mentoring, empowers youth to develop the professional and personal skills they need to ultimately lead a life of self-sufficiency.

Q. You came in as executive director after Urban Alliance's first executive director. What recommendations do you have for other executive directors facing the same situation that can help them be successful in this transition?

A. I was so fortunate to come in after Christine Gregory, Urban Alliance's first executive director. She did a tremendous job giving Urban Alliance its first foundation and she continues to be a professional mentor to me. Christine was very smart in how she prepared me for this role. Some of the lessons learned from this transition are:

• Create and implement an orientation that outlines in detail the leadership role, the projects which occur throughout the calendar year, and the history of key relationships.
• Have the exiting executive director introduce the new executive director to the organization's funders so that funders gain an understanding of the new person's vision and qualifications for running the organization.
• Invite the new executive director to sit in on board meetings before they officially take over.
• Consider inviting the exiting executive director to become a formal board member. While some new executive directors might be wary of this set up, it worked for us since Christine and I had a strong working relationship. It's been a huge plus to have her on our board.
• Reflect on the weaknesses of the organization and what can be improved upon before a new ED starts.
• Provide the new executive director with all necessary documents (financials, annual reports, board minutes) and answer any questions he/she may have before you leave your position; then, make yourself available after the new executive director begins for questions/clarification.

Q. Cultivation of sponsor for profit partners is critical to your work. What is the key to the growing and cultivation of these relationships?

A. Cultivation of relationships is a key strategy in the work we all do in the nonprofit world. Our Corporate Job Partners host our interns and make a financial contribution that affords our interns their wages and training, so their participation is critical for our mission. We have open and transparent dialogue with all of our stakeholders and work to make participating in the internship program as easy as possible for our Job Partners. We train all interns' supervisors before they participate, provide them with a role manual, weekly e-mails, and three annual site visits. We also make ourselves available 24/7 should they have any questions throughout the program year and send quarterly updates on individual interns so that participating organizations are aware of the return on their investment. We have a dedicated staff person—a Director of Corporate Partnerships—whose sole responsibility is to cultivate and grow these relationships and pay attention to our Job Partners' needs. Overall, we have the attitude that our quality and follow through has to be better than a Fortune 500 company because we have more at stake.

Q. You've been asked to replicate your work in Baltimore city schools. What are the opportunities/challenges of bringing your work to an additional site?

A. It was exciting when Baltimore City Schools approached us to replicate our model for Baltimore youth. We've learned that our model is replicable with very minimal tweaking; the staff was well-qualified and did an incredible job. The project allowed staff professional growth opportunities which, in the long run, will help build strong staff retention. It has also been an honor to work with committed Baltimore stakeholders from the city schools, the business community, and the funding community, all of whom have a sincere interest in serving their city. The biggest challenge—as it is in Washington, DC—is acquiring enough Job Partners to meet the overwhelming demand of the youth who wish to participate.

Q. How is the economic downturn impacting your work?

A. The economic downturn has absolutely impacted our work. The number one impact it has had is that many of our Corporate Job Partners, who not only provide internships but also provide significant financial support, are either struggling financially or are in danger of shutting down. Since corporations are not doing as well as in years past, we have been forced to remain steady with the number of internships we provide instead of expanding our services as we originally hoped. This past August over 400 youth contacted our offices asking to participate in our program this school year and it was heartbreaking to all of us to only be able to serve 150 of them. The experience has been a teachable moment for our youth regarding the importance of savings, that no job is ever a guarantee, and that you must work hard everyday to keep a job.

Q. How are you turning challenge into opportunity?

A. We have increased the number of youth for whom we provide professional development trainings. We are taking this time to work on our marketing strategy and improve our communications. We are also humbled by the numerous supporters who have continued to invest in Urban Alliance interns during these trying economic times.

Q. How do you keep staff morale up and keep them informed and involved — particularly during a period of heightened anxiety?

A. I'm a huge believer in transparency. Especially during difficult times, it is important to let stakeholders know where we stand. We always ran operations with a lean budget but we have made additional cuts in response to the economy while ensuring that the quality of our services is not compromised. Any time a cut is made in the budget I not only share verbally with staff the reasons for these cuts, but also follow up with a written memo to ensure we're all on the same page. Weekly staff meetings and an open door policy also allow for further discussion. While the economy has absolutely affected Urban Alliance, we're moving forward with a positive attitude and continue to have high standards for our work performance. The economy may have affected our income, but we have not let it affect our high standard of work. We still find reasons to celebrate our work and be motivated by the results.

Q. What do you hope the Exponent Award will be able to do for your own personal/professional development?

A. I am extremely grateful for this Exponent Award. We have not only appreciated the opportunities this investment will afford us but also the exposure it has provided Urban Alliance. Specifically, I will use this award to create a Director of Operations position to support me with all of the demands of my role. I will also use the funds to invest in professional development and to prepare for the next level of leadership.

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Symbol of Hope Award

The American Journal of Health Promotion is seeking nominations for its 2009 Robert F. Allen Symbol of Hope Award. The award honors outstanding individuals who have demonstrated achievement in serving the health promotion needs of underserved populations. Learn more.