Thanksgiving: a time to give thanks, feast, and – network? While your professional life may not be on the forefront of your mind during the holiday, Thanksgiving can be a great opportunity to nurture your network.

This summer, YNPN Boston surveyed over 400 young nonprofit professionals in the Greater Boston Area about their professional development needs. We’re here to share the top five professional development needs of the survey participants and while we’re at it, provide a few resources to help get you started with addressing these needs.

When Jodi Benenson joined YNPN Boston at its first-ever Knowledge Manager, she found the all-volunteer organization in a position many organizations find themselves in: They knew that data was important, but they didn't know how to strategically collect & use it.

Jodi is now the Director of Research at YNPN Boston and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. She facilitated a Lunch & Learn Oct. 15 about Creating a Data-Positive Culture at Nonprofit Organizations. Here's what we learned:

By: Alyson Weiss, YNPN Boston Communications & Marketing Ambassador | Young Professional Outreach Coordinator & Social Media Specialist at Career Moves – a division of JVS

Does this scenario sound familiar: It’s 4 PM and all of a sudden you realize you haven’t posted anything to your nonprofit’s social media channels. “Hey!” you bellow to your unpaid intern. “Do you have time to find something related to [insert cause here] to post before you go?”

Meet Alicia Ridenour, Associate Director of Sole Train: Boston Runs Together at Trinity Boston Foundation. Alicia is also a YNPN Boston ambassador on our Partnerships & Fundraising team!