Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience, PULSE, cultivates a community of young servant leaders to transform Pittsburgh. In 2018 alone, 43 fellows served, lived, and grew together with 40 nonprofit organizations. As that agent for change, PULSE looked internally to determine where they as an organization could strengthen their operations and board governance to better serve their partners and fellows. PULSE reached out for assistance through BoardsWork! and our SkillShare programs.
Kristian Penn, Sustainability Project Manager at FedEx Ground, was matched to PULSE after attending our BoardsWork! training in April 2018. Her desire to serve young adults and college students was a great fit, and she had professional experience in program management, sustainability, and student affairs.
She said:
As the newest board member who is still finding my footing, I seek guidance from other board members who have served longer than I have. These members have helped to shape the organization and lay the ground work for future successes. Our professional backgrounds and life experiences are diverse, but the commonality among us is our shared willingness to serve others. Do BoardsWork! Leading with purpose is so fulfilling and rewarding. The positive impacts to self and community are limitless.
Additionally, PULSE wanted to ensure the safety of their fellows. SkillShare paired PULSE with a diverse team of Covestro employees — with expertise in employment law, HSEQ and health. Over 12 weeks, this team improved on the safety manual, created an interactive fellow training program for each house, and recommended changes to the nonprofit contracts to include physical and employee safety. Chris Hazen, VP of Health, Safety, Environment & Quality (HSEQ) at Covestro, was an integral member of that team.
PULSE’s Executive Director Chris Cooke reflected:
Boardswork! increases the capacity of nonprofit organizations to govern with great effectiveness. We’ve loved the numerous board members we’ve been matched with through the Boardswork! program. They are bright, engaged, dedicated, and committed to the mission and work of our organization.
Working with the Covestro team on emergency and safety protocol through SkillShare made us aware of many of the challenges PULSE and other nonprofits face as it relates to ensuring safety. The team provided tremendous expertise with highly talented individuals in creating specific solutions to address our concerns in our unique residential and nonprofit partner environment. The work was above and beyond my expectations.
