Young Professionals for Acumen Fund just hosted an exciting reading and speaking event featuring Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund and author of the bestselling memoir The Blue Sweater. Even though I work at Acumen Fund, this was a can’t-miss opportunity not only to enjoy the company of Jacqueline but to get to know other enthusiastic young professionals. In spite of the crowd (there were upwards of 100 people), an intimacy reverberated throughout The Bubble Lounge, a fitting venue given that the room seemed to bubble over with chatter and connections.
As I looked around the room at the twenty and thirty somethings who, collectively, cover a wide spectrum of NYC professions ranging from non-profits to multinational banks and corporations, I couldn’t help but think about how Jacqueline had immersed herself in both ends of the spectrum at different junctures of her career path. Jacqueline started her career as an investment banker on Wall Street before becoming the CEO of a global nonprofit social venture fund. The Blue Sweater describes this journey and the personal discovery that we - the rich and the poor - live in an interconnected world.
Since the event, I have reflected on ways in which we young professionals are also connecting with each other while drawing from our diverse backgrounds and resources to achieve the shared mission of making social impact. A network that has impressively grown to over 500 members since its conception about a year ago, YP for Acumen Fund has the potential to harness all this talent and willingness to make positive change in the world. The recurring question of the evening was: “Now that I’m involved with YP, what can I do to help further the cause?” Here are my take-aways:
1. Fundraising - The most direct impact we can make is to support Acumen Fund’s mission by raising funds. During the event, a young professional asked Jacqueline if Acumen Fund ever planned on expanding its investments to other countries (other than its existing portfolio work in East Africa, Pakistan, and India). The answer: it’s part of the vision, but a level of committed funds is needed to do so. With 500+ members in the network, YP can set a goal of raising $50,000 (who doesn’t like goal-setting?) if everyone sets out to donate or raise $100 each. Additionally, there are many opportunities to find creative ways of fundraising (events, more book readings, auctions). If you’re ready, donate here.
2. Voice for Acumen Fund - Jacqueline said it herself: “Being a non-profit allows us to exercise patient capital and focus on changing minds, not just lives, and to experiment.” As a growing network, YP can really make an impact at spreading the message and changing the minds of existing, unproductive assumptions on poverty and poverty alleviation. Acumen’s market-based, bottom-up approach to lifting people out of poverty is a powerful and compelling story that can and should be shared with others.
3. Power of the Acumen Fund Network - Repetition hits it home: we are a network of 500+ members, and this really means something. Whether you are looking for ways to individually connect with others who share your interests or you want to combine resources and exchange ideas to further the Acumen Fund cause, the YP network is tremendously resourceful and can be leveraged to enable these goals. I have always found it invigorating to meet others who share the common goal of working collaboratively to make social impact - big or small - and the YP continues to make this possible.
