In many nonprofit organizations, members join to selflessly give back to their community with little to no expectation of receiving anything in return. What makes the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) different is the alignment of what members give with what they get. Throughout its 94-year history, the JLC has been dedicated to investing in each, individual member not only as volunteers, but as leaders within the community. It is through this exchange of giving and getting that makes the JLC one-of-a-kind organization. The women of the JLC not only give back to the community, but they get a great deal in return.
The women of the JLC give a lot, for example… • • • • • • •
They give their time to fostering the JLC mission through organizational placements and the community partners They give their passion to projects and initiatives critical to the development of young children in the community They give vaccinations to children to make sure they can go to school They give meals to families who do not otherwise have the means to put food on the table They give clothes to newborn children of underprivileged mothers in need They give Charlotte students the opportunity to grow and develop with digital education programs They give confidence and support to less fortunate parents and children
It’s easy to see what they give, but it may not be as obvious to see what they get. Through the dedicated investment that the JLC provides each woman, members get just as much as they give.
So what are a few things that members get? • They get leadership training coordinated by a dedicated team of members who host programs, such as the Leadership Development Institute • They get specialized education and development geared towards bolstering their personal and professional skills • They get opportunities to lead other women and drive change throughout the Charlotte community • They get connected to additional areas and organizations where they can best leverage their expertise and strengths to further value the community through programs such as Get On Board and Public Policy Institute • They get life-long friendships and support from like-minded women, with the added ability to mentor or be mentored “Community volunteerism” does not traditionally go hand-in-hand with “female empowerment”, “leadership development”, or “professional training”, but the JLC isn’t quite a traditional organization. At the JLC, they give and they get.
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