Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program Application Instructions and Prep Guide Spring 2015

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Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program Application Instructions and Prep Guide

Spring 2015

About The Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program

The Next Generation Nonprofit Leadership Program (NextGen) is a program of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance that provides internship stipends to students seeking the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential.

The NextGen program works to support the completion of the CNP by eliminating the barrier of an unpaid internship. The program will produce high quality internship experiences for nonprofit partners, students and campus partners. By fostering a culture of partnership and buy-in with internship sites, NextGen will build stronger relationships with our national and local partners. It is also designed to promote diversity of CNPs in the workforce.

The NextGen stipend is shared by both the Alliance (at $1,500) and the internship site (with a match of at least $500). Each internship site is encouraged to match the stipend at $1,500 to support a 300-hour internship with a total of $3,000.

The Alliance portion of the stipend is provided in two checks to the student, one at the beginning of the internship, and one at the completion of the internship. The internship site will choose how the stipend match is disbursed to the student.

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

Student Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for the NextGen Program, you must be:

 Enrolled in an affiliated Nonprofit Leadership Alliance campus program

 With an active online CNP Profile including:

o Student Enrollment fee paid

o Profile approval from your campus (status as Actively Seeking Certification)

 A junior, senior, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student

 Prepared to begin a nonprofit internship that meets the requirements of both the Certified Nonprofit Professional credential and those of your individual campus

*This stipulation means that you have not yet conducted an internship that meets the 300 hour Alliance certification internship requirement. The NextGen internship must be at least 300 hours starting after the day the internship contract is signed

**Please see Internship Site Eligibility below for information regarding acceptable internship locations

 Committed to completing all CNP certification requirements and earning your CNP immediately upon graduation from your Bachelor’s program or program completion. All five CNP requirements must be met:

o Completion of CNP Competencies through Coursework o 300 Hour Internship

o Attendance at AMI (Alliance Management Institute) o Leadership/Service Activities

o Completion of Bachelors Degree

 Able to complete the entire required 300-hour internship experience at one organization

 Willing to participate in a program evaluation and longitudinal study in which you will complete a brief survey upon completion of your internship and annually for five years after graduation

Internship Site Eligibility Requirements

Internship sites that are utilized for NextGen Leaders must:

 Be classified as a 501(c) (3) organization

 Be willing to match the NextGen stipend at a minimum of $500

 Not be a part of the student’s college or university

*Organizations that are affiliated with the campus are acceptable, as long as they do not share the same tax ID as the campus itself.

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

Application Review and Scoring Factors

The scoring of a NextGen application is divided into 3 parts.

1. Review of application by NextGen Selection Committee 2. Addition of weighting factors

3. Addition of Campus Director recommendations

1. Review of application by NextGen Selection Committee

Eligible applications are forwarded to the NextGen Selection Committee for a blind review. All identifying information is removed from the student application. This includes the student’s name, campus affiliate, etc. The committee is comprised of Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Campus Directors, National Board Members, and National Workforce Affiliate Executives.

Reviewers are expected to avoid any conflicts of interest and abstain from scoring an applicant with which there is (or appears to be) a conflict.

The Selection Committee scores each eligible application on the basis of four (4) factors:

Civic Leadership and Engagement Experience: This portion of the application requests the student demonstrate an overall commitment to improving their community. Students are asked to list up to three leadership experiences (which are encouraged to be in the Alliance Student Association), and respond to an essay question prompting the student to explain how those experiences factor into the student’s professional development.

5 points possible.

Diversity and Inclusion: This essay question requests students to identify traits that make them diverse and explain how they will contribute to a culture of diversity and inclusion in the nonprofit sector. 5 points possible.

Future Plans and Internship Utilization: This essay explores the applicant’s future plans and how they propose the internship will impact those plans. 5 points possible.

Overall professionalism of application: This section scores applications based on proper grammar, spelling, clarity, neatness, and organization of ideas. 5 points possible.

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

2. Additional weighting factors included in the final score

Weighting factors are added after the NextGen Selection Committee submits their scores. These items are not required for your application.

Financial Need: In order to help more students for whom an unpaid internship would be a barrier to CNP completion, students are requested to provide their FAFSA Estimated Family Contribution number (EFC). The submitted EFC will be weighted appropriately to assess financial need. Students who do not provide an EFC will be assumed to be in the top financial percentile and will not receive weighting. A weight of up to 2 points is added to the overall score.

Internship with Alliance Nonprofit Partner: Preference will be given to students who have acquired internships with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance’s National Nonprofit

Partners. For a list of current partners please visit www.nonprofitleadershipalliance.org.

A weight of 2 points is added to the overall score.

3. Addition of Campus Director Recommendations

Your Campus Director’s recommendation of 1) your application and 2) of your likelihood of finishing the CNP is held in high regard throughout the application process. Campus Director recommendations are considered before any awards are issued. For the top scoring applicants; if a Campus Director does not recommend a student for the award (or has reservations regarding the award), staff will speak with the Campus Director before a final decision is made.

The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance reserves the right to change any component of the NextGen Program and application process at any time. This includes scoring criteria, terms, and conditions.

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

Student Prep Guide for NextGen Application

All applications are submitted online. Please note that you WILL NOT be able to save your work and come back to it later in the online application. We highly advise you complete your responses beforehand and copy/paste them into the application.

NextGen stipends require a match of $500 from your internship host site. To validate this match and be considered for the scholarship, you must email the completed and signed Letter of Intent to [email protected]. Alternatively, a postmarked Letter of Intent will be accepted until the application deadline. If you do not have an internship site selected, you may search for a NextGen-eligible site through CNP Launch.

Section 1: General Information: This section asks general demographic information including but not limited to:

 Name

 Phone Number and Email

 College or University

Section 2: Student Eligibility: This section includes information directly related to the eligibility of the applicant including but not limited to:

 Academic Level

 Internship Information

 Certification Information

Section 3: Weighting Factors:

 Financial Need: Applicant may submit their FAFSA Estimated Family Contribution number (EFC). To retrieve this information log into your account through fafsa.ed.gov.

The EFC number is included on your confirmation page, please create a PDF of this page and email to [email protected] by the application deadline.

Section 4: Civic Leadership and Engagement Experience: This portion of the application requests the student demonstrate an overall commitment to improving their community. This section asks the applicant to provide the following information:

 Civic Leadership and Engagement Experiences: List up to three (3) leadership and service experiences within the community or on campus (which are encouraged to be in your Alliance Student Association). You must include the name of each activity, YOUR impact (75 word limit), and approximate start and end dates.

 Essay Question: In 250 words or less, please describe how your leadership and service experiences within your campus and community factor into your career plans. Include how those experiences have inspired and encouraged you, and which do you see as the most valuable to your career goals and why.

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

Section 5: Diversity and Inclusion:

 In 250 words or less, please describe how you will contribute to a culture of inclusion in the nonprofit sector. Be as specific as possible.

Section 6: Future Plans:

 In 250 words or less, explain how your internship will help you achieve your career goals.

All essay answers will be cut off at 250 words before being submitted to the NextGen Selection Committee.

Section 7: Application Certification: At the end of the application, the online application form will ask you to verify the information contained in your application and your understanding of the terms of the award.

Campus/Executive Director Reference

Shortly after the application deadline, your CED will receive a recommendation form via email for each student from his/her campus who has submitted a NextGen application.

NextGen Due Dates

Application Deadline: April 17, 2015

Award Notices: May 1, 2015

Internships must be completed between: May 1, 2015 – May 1, 2016

NextGen Staff

Please contact the national office with any questions about NextGen.

[email protected]

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NextGen Application Instructions and Preparation

Letter of Intent

Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Internship Program

This letter serves as a commitment to participate as an internship host site for a Nonprofit Leadership Alliance student. For the student to receive full consideration in the Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program (NextGen) please complete this form for submission in their application. The student must then submit this form to the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.

(Nonprofit Organization) expresses an interest in

hosting student intern (First, Last Name).

This interest is supported by a commitment to provide at least $500 in payment to the student as a part of the NextGen matching requirements. The nonprofit internship site understands that the NextGen program stipend is provided directly to the student. The funding from the nonprofit organization is provided to the student directly, in an agreed upon timeframe, between both parties. If requested, the Alliance is willing to provide guidance in the payment process.

The nonprofit organization understands that the internship must be for a minimum of 300 hours.

In some cases, the nonprofit and student may agree to more hours.

This letter does not bind either the nonprofit organization or the student to an employment contract, but grants the student the opportunity for consideration in NextGen.

____

Student Date

____

Nonprofit Organization Supervisor Date

____

Organization Address Phone

____

Organization Supervisor Email Address

*If your organization is an affiliated partner and does not have an interested student but would like to participate in the program, please complete your section of the document and send to [email protected].

Please return to:

Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, NextGen Administration 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1900 l Kansas City, MO 64106

Office: (816) 561-6415

Email: [email protected]

Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program Application Instructions and Prep Guide Spring 2015