About Young Professionals of America |
| Young Professionals of America was established in 2006 as an outgrowth of the hugely successful Young Professionals of Portland social networking club, YPOP. The goal of the club is to provide a place for young professionals to connect, network, and socialize. |
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| Each club of the YPOA has a monthly meeting in a local hotspot for social networking. These are not structured events and everyone is invited. Since there is no fee to be a member of a club, all one has to do is come to a monthly gathering and have a good time. The monthly meetings are not seminars, they are not pitches, they are not boring lead exchanges. This is open, friendly, straight forward networking with young professionals that are passionate about what they do. |
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| Each club may also hold other types of events: social, educational, and community. The structure and format of these events will vary. If you have ideas or suggestions, mention them to one of the club's officers or send it to one of the YPOA officers. The individual club and the national group work well because we are all building this together. Rock on! |
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Who Runs YPOA |
| The YPOA is a national organization based in Portland, Oregon and has evolved out of the wildly successful Young Professionals of Portland club. Just like each club, YPOA is administered by a set of elected officers, the presidents of each member club and other committee members selected from the excellent pool of young professionals. |
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| It is the mission of the YPOA officers and team to manage and support the member clubs as well as help new clubs get started all over the country. |
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Goals and Ideas for YPOA |
| The YPOA's ultimate goal is to help create a revitalization of the American economy and society based on the principles that people are at the heart of what makes businesses and communities work well. By helping young professionals learn to network, connect with others, and develop their own skills, the YP clubs across the country will have a significant impact. |
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| The YP clubs are "mission agnostic", meaning that we don't have a particular social or political agenda or axe to grind. The monthly meetings are a vehicle for individuals to network and socialize for the good of all involved. |
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| Young Professionals do tend to be movers and shakers in their communities and therefore the clubs will often provide some exposure for worthy non-profits that have a direct member connection to the club. We have found that intelligent, successful and connected young professionals tend to be involved not only in business, but help to guide the efforts of all sorts of organizations. Giving back to the community through leadership is always important for a passionate young professional. |
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| It is not a new idea. It is not a complex idea. It is simply people getting together and getting to know each other in a relaxed and unstructured environment. It is the organizational tools and infrastructure provided by the YPOA that allows the clubs to grow quickly and become a fun and sustainable presence in their respective communities. |
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How to Start a Club |
| We have met small groups of young professionals from all over the country already meeting with friends for drinks. Now the YPOA can help make those small groups grow and build great networks without having to spend so much time and effort. |
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| If you are interested in possibly starting a club in your city, please contact the YPOA president. The YPOA will guide you through the application process and help your club get up and running. The core items you need to bring to the table include: |
- 3-5 young professionals willing and able to fulfill club officer rolls
- a small financial commitment to pay for initial club branding, website and materials
- a preliminary list of possible venues for monthly meetings
- a preliminary list of possible event sponsors in the local community
| | | The YPOA will produce all the initial materials for the club and help support the club's initial meetings. Documentation of procedures, strategies, planning and other operations are also provided to make it quicker and easier for new club officers to get up to speed and develop a thriving membership. | | | | To get more information and/or to get started, please contact the YPOA president. | | | Contacting YPOA | | The YPOA officers can be contacted directly by email. |
| Your key contacts with YPOA: |
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Mark Hutchinson, VisionSite mark@visionsite.com |
| Andrew Frazier, Frazier Hunnicutt Financial andrew.frazier@frazierhunnicutt.com |
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