Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders was launched in 2010 by the Institute for Civic Leadership as Young Emerging Leaders and was seed-funded by Norton Insurance and Financial with WEX sponsorship. After eight years with Institute for Civic Leadership (which became part of Lift360), the Emerging Leaders Program moved to MANP when Lift360 closed its doors.

This interactive and innovative program that connected more than 200 young professionals with more than 100 community organizations in Maine!

It was always part of the program’s DNA to iterate and evolve to stay responsive and relevant. In 2023, MANP completed a 6 month reflection and discovery phase which involved listening sessions with alumni, program prospects, and other stakeholders. The clear message was that there is enormous value in programs like Emerging Leaders, and also that the world—and nonprofit boards—are changing at a rapid pace and programming is ripe to shift and expand, too.
 
With those learnings in mind, MANP has decided to sunset the Emerging Leaders Program, and direct energy and resources to develop new program models to meet the evolving needs of nonprofit boards and the individuals interested in serving them. 

We extend gratitude to all the individuals, participants and partners who helped shape and deliver the program over the years! MANP remains deeply committed to providing support to nonprofits for board leadership and recruitment challenges, and to connecting individuals interested in community engagement with these opportunities, and we are excited for what will come next.

“The Emerging Leaders program reshaped the way I contribute to my community and to my workplace. The program not only showed me how I could make a difference as a board member of a nonprofit organization, but it also connected me with a network of inspiring, civic-minded peers. I am so grateful for the knowledge I gained, the leadership skills I built, and the friends I made during this program.” - Emerging Leaders Graduate, 2019

Other Resources

• Check event listings for our “All Aboard” lunch & learns for an introduction to board service.
• Board Explorer is a free space for MANP member organizations to post their board and committee service opportunities.