On behalf of HOPE Toronto’s Executive Board and its members, we would like to welcome Christian Ferraro to the Board. Christian will fill the inaugural Director position created specifically targeting a Young Professional. Christian brings exciting energy, leadership, event planning, and an entrepreneurial spirit to HOPE. He is currently a JD/MBA candidate at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business.
Why hire a “Young Professional”?
The simple answer is that we wanted to better reflect the demographics of our event participants and volunteers. The Young Professional can provide HOPE with insight from the perspective of the primary age group who we are trying to target. It just makes sense. Christian also brings a lot of fresh ideas and a “let’s do it” attitude that will be a valuable asset to HOPE.
There’s no doubt that there are many very talented young professionals who would gain professionally and personally from the experience as a board member. They’ll possess the drive and energy as they seek the opportunity to supplement their career development. As they develop passion for giving back and experience working in the not-for-profit space, they will gain skills in leadership, policy and governance, decision making, management, and strategy. It really is a win-win for both the individual and for the organization.
I’m sure many not-for-profits, especially smaller organizations, would benefit from targeting young and talented, career-minded individuals to join their board. But young professionals may not realize such roles are available to them or they feel intimidated or too inexperienced to apply for a board position. That’s why we carved out a specific position and title to alleviate that fear. It worked! From HOPE’s experience, advertising specifically for a “Young Professional” attracted a number of applications and excellent candidates, well beyond our expectations. We may even open a second position for a Young Professional Board Member next year.
For now, we are delighted to welcome Christian to HOPE and look forward to an exciting year! Congratulations.
Ricky
