YLNI is an VOLUNTEER-BASED organization. In fact, the best way to be part of YLNI is to volunteer on one of our committees. We offer many opportunities for young professionals to help realize our mission to attract, develop, and retain emerging leaders. We encourage our members to demonstrate and foster leadership traits by serving on our committees. YLNI allows its volunteers to really get involved and make an impact.

There are many areas within YLNI to volunteer, either with the programs or events we host or within our internal organizational needs:

Leadership Development

Help develop your own leadership skills while executing programs.  Our community is fortunate to have community leaders at the highest levels of private, public, and not-for-profit organizations who are willing to engage with emerging leaders.  Our Leadership Development committees get to intimately interact with these leaders while providing our network with opportunities for great leadership development programming like YLNI’s Leadership Institute, YLNI’s View From The Top, and YLNI’s Power Lunches. For information on how to get involved, email development@ylni.org.

Community Impact

Make a difference in northeast Indiana by learning the ins and outs about the many organizations in our community pulling in the same direction to make our community a place where all want to work, play, and live.  We engage the broader community through all of our programming, but community impact provides a focused attention by allowing volunteering on committees like the YLNI Farmers Market, YLNI the Vote, and the Community Engagement & Advocacy Committee. Contact impact@ylni.org to learn how you can get started.

YLNI Farmers Market - If you are interested in helping with the YLNI Farmers Market, you can sign up directly online for a 2 hour shift or more. We are always looking for support getting the market set up, working with our vendors and breaking thing down at the end of the day. No prior experience required. Our friendly market team, manager and leaders can help guide you once you show up. 

Still interested? Simply check out our sign up page here to get started


Social

YLNI hosts many events to allow our members and network to make connections with other leaders and the broader community. Many of these events are attended by individuals seeking to see what YLNI is all about, but the programming is also planned to bring the community together in a unique way. If you are interested in helping plan events like Hot Spots, Living Fort Wayne Concert Series, and other YLNI events, or are interested in welcoming Transplants to the area, email social@ylni.org.

Communications

YLNI strives to make the community aware of the successes of our mission and also to connect our network to the broader community. We need talented volunteers to help spread the word through many media channels. From issuing our newsletter, copy editing, photography, social media, graphic design, website upkeep and more, this committee is the voice of YLNI. Please email communications@ylni.org to learn how you can help.

Mission Advancement

YLNI prides itself on making a difference primarily through private funding, but also with grants, and both are directly tied to our programming. The Mission Advancement Team is the support structure for the committee volunteers to help them responsibly run their programming. Working with all of the committees to create custom sponsorship packages, meeting with our largest repeat sponsors and foundations to create long term relationships, writing, tracking and reporting grants, the Mission Advancement committee is not only responsible for securing the funds, they are about actively ensuring that our volunteers are educated and our funders are appreciated. If you are passionate about creating a lasting legacy for YLNI, email missionadvancement@ylni.org.

Membership

YLNI would not be successful without our members. We are constantly aiming to reach as many young leaders as possible and to provide benefit to our members. From planning our annual General Membership Meeting, maintaining member benefit cards, reaching out to new and prospective members, surveying the Membership to create the foundation for programming decisions and advocacy positions, and actively presenting to major employers through our Ambassadors program, the Membership team is tying direct benefit to our membership dues.  Please email membership@ylni.org to learn how you can help.

Living Fort Wayne

Living Fort Wayne is your go-to resource for information on all things that keep our vibrant city buzzing. We strive to offer so much more than what a place is called and where it's located. We want you to know about the atmosphere, the history, and the people that run our local businesses and events.  Whether you already live in the city, are planning to make the move soon, or just love to visit, bring LivingFortWayne.com along for the ride as we share the experiences we've had around town and keep you posted on the latest major updates in terms of Fort Wayne's people, places, and happenings. 

Living Fort Wayne is the leading destination for everything great about living, playing, and working in our community.  By providing a forum to showcase all of the positive things happening in our city, we engage the citizens of our community and encourage an optimistic outlook for Fort Wayne, creating a sense of pride and attachment to the city we call home. 

We are the digital gateway to your vibrant life in Fort Wayne. E-Mail lfw@ylni.org