You can guess it from the name: the Bush Foundation’s annual bushCONNECT event centers on building connections. A day spent learning from and networking with people plugged into their communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota is all but guaranteed to leave bushCON goers feeling inspired. But it’s easy to let that spark of inspiration fizzle as days, weeks, months pass by.
Whether that describes the end result of your bushCONNECT experience or not, we want you to be re-inspired by the story of a couple of bushCON-goers who tipped their inspiration into action.
Sam Kundinger and Ken Story were invited by YNPN Twin Cities to attend bushCON in 2014 and 2015. The bushCON connections they made spurred the founding of the first ever Fargo chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.
Sam and Ken took time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions about the nonprofit and young professional scene in Fargo and how bushCON influenced their decision to start a YNPN chapter in their community.
What was your bushCONNECT experience like?
Sam: Overwhelming—but in all the best and most challenging ways. “Randomly chosen” sessions challenged my thinking in ways I hadn’t encountered before. I came back deep in thought about what I might actually be capable of, which was more than I’d ever dreamed (like getting a YNPN Fargo chapter going!).
Ken: bushCONNECT would have been an overwhelming experience if it wasn’t for the YNPN-TC folks. I think it made it easier for me to socialize and feel comfortable in the setting knowing a few of the people that were in my sector from around the area. Otherwise, my bushCONNECT experience was fantastic. I got to experience a dynamic learning and collaborative experience in some of my sessions that I can take back to my community. I would call bushCONNECT the anti-conference conference. It is not stuffy and the environment predicates a positive environment for growth.
What is the state of nonprofits and philanthropy in Fargo?
Sam: Blossoming. It’s beautiful. Not only does there seem to be a reinvigorated feeling from established organizations, there are also new initiatives and ideas coming to the forefront to both address new issues and change the way we might handle old ones. It feels like nonprofits are being taken more and more seriously as key players in important community decisions.
Ken: It is growing. Right now there seems to be more of an emphasis on the startup and entrepreneurial/technological community. I really want the nonprofit and philanthropic sector to not only be in the front of the public’s attention, but more specifically important to Millennials.
What’s the energy of emerging professionals in Fargo?
Sam: Full speed ahead. We make mistakes, for better or for worse, and we make some headway, at the same time. We’re charged up and have been pretty vocal about it.
Ken: Scattered. I think that with the huge push for entrepreneurship and startups in Fargo, some people are losing sight of what is not only sustainable but important in our community. I like to call it the “shiny object” problem—sometimes new ideas and projects come to our community and people are excited about them for a while and then it falls to the wayside. People here need to get connected to and stay with causes that really matter to them.
What role did bushCONNECT have in starting YNPN in Fargo?
Sam: I was figuring out my own career, so who was I to help others with theirs? It wasn’t just the sessions or speakers that nudged me along—it was also a combination of small side conversations I had with people I’d never met. They didn’t have assumptions about my experiences because bushCONNECT wasn’t about people who had a jam-packed CV. It was full of people who’d pulled off something wonderful, and those somethings come in all shapes and sizes. I realized that YNPN could be our something.
Ken: bushCONNECT acted as a catalyst to do more and get going at a more accelerated speed as a chapter. It also opened our eyes up to a diverse amount of programming that we could offer our community based on the sessions we experienced. Some of the most enlightening and engaging sessions wouldn’t be ones we would think of instantaneously. I hope we can offer the same type of experience locally.
Why does Fargo need a YNPN chapter?
Sam: We have a lot of work to do in Fargo. And hard work takes support. We rely on each other for connections to decision makers.
Ken: Whether it is being a volunteer, board member, or employee of a nonprofit, there are ways to be involved in this sector. Our community doesn’t necessarily have an organization that is advocating for that, more specifically in young professionals, so I am hoping we can serve as that entity. It’s super cool to be a “nonprofiteer,” people just need to know it.
How do you connect with other YNPN chapters?
Sam: We attended the last two national conferences and connected with great folks who are learning along the way, too. Some challenges we work through together. Some challenges others have overcome and can share best practices.
YNPN-Twin Cities has been an open, welcoming door for us to share and ask and relate to. TC goals of helping other chapters establish themselves is important for others to know about. They didn’t have to do it. They don’t have to answer our emails or phone calls. But they do—and they know the value of having us grow and the experience they have in that process. I’m inspired now to act on my dream of nonprofits working together, better.
Why is bushCONNECT important?
Ken: bushCONNECT is important because it allows us to see all ideas and experiences regardless of the size and location of the community. We saw how small ideas grow in big places and we saw how big ideas grow in small places. Coming from a community that isn’t as large as Minneapolis, that was a great thing to experience.
