Deena Mirow Epstein

Looking for a Fellowship? Become a Gund Fellow

Posted by Deena Mirow Epstein, Apr 05, 2010 0 comments


Deena Mirow Epstein

It’s been six years since the George Gund Foundation started its Fellows Program, and the benefits for both the fellows and the foundation have far exceeded our expectations.

Each fellow is with us for two years (we just selected the seventh who will start this summer) and rotates through all our program areas, getting a real overview of the nonprofit community and the foundation world. They are not interns, relegated to tangential projects, but integral members of our staff. The fellows review proposals, participate in all staff discussions and decisions, manage special assignments, staff community committees and taskforces and represent the foundation at meetings and events. Scheduled bi-weekly meetings with our executive director and informal meetings with staff members provide ongoing mentoring opportunities.

The obvious benefit for the foundation has been assistance with handling what seems to be an ever-growing workload. However, perhaps even more valuable, particularly at a foundation with a small staff (only six professionals) and low turn-over, have been the fresh energy and insights the fellows have provided. Not only have they learned from us; we have also learned from them.

The Gund Fellows—who have ranged in age from mid-20s to mid-30s—have been an impressive group. Each year we receive more than 100 applications, most of them quite strong, for the position—so we know there is lots of potential leadership out there that could benefit from programs like ours. We encourage other organizations to think about launching similar efforts, not just to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders but also to bring new thinking into their organizations. Additional information about the Gund Fellows is available at www.gundfdn.org.

TAGGED WITH:
Please login to post comments.