Statements

Mission

Founded in 1921, the NJC continues to stand firm on our core purpose which is to develop our members personally, professionally, and philanthropically by maximizing our individual and collective potential.

Background

We can attribute much of where the NJC is today to four members of the Commercial Club, now the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, who in 1921 had a vision for a new organization in this city. This is an organization that would top the incredible energy, creativity and potential of young people for the betterment of the community and an organization that would create leaders. Today, the Nashville Junior Chamber counts among its alumni the real movers and shakers in this community. For instance, our alumni played a key role in the development and on-going work of the Nashville Sports Council. We've made a tremendous impact and it's safe to say that Nashville would be a very different city today if not for the NJC. Our organization has created key Nashville traditions like the Clinic Bowl and helped found Buddies of Nashville, while donating millions of dollars to Nashville's worthy causes. As a result, we have attracted national attention for our organization and helped shape the city, as we know it. The economic impact of this organization is arguably unmatched by any other YP organization. Our alumnae stretch across a wide array of public and private industries, ranging from U.S. Ambassadors and Senators to local and national CEO's. Notable Alum include: Senator Lamar Alexander Joe M. Rodgers: Former US Ambassador to France Nelson Andrews: Founder, Leadership Nashville & Davidson Group Howard Gentry: Former Vice-Mayor Bob Clement: Former US Congressman

Impact

NJC Charities, a 501c3 charity, exists along the NJC Membership Organization which is governed by the NJC Board and led by the Membership President. NJC Charities provides young professionals the opportunity to reinvest in their community and access to community-based events. Funds raised in the efforts of NJC Charities are provided for redistribution into the local community through a GRANT WRITING process. All 501c3 charities are eligible for redistribution of funds and are encouraged to submit grant proposals to the Board of Governors. NJC Charities Fundraisers and Events include: Ragin' Cajun Crawfish Boil Wine and DineSpecial Olympics TournamentsJoy of Giving benefiting Kirkpatrick Elementary

Needs

1. Alumni Engagement2. Implementation of Corporate Co-Sponsorship Program

CEO Statement

The NJC, our Board, Officers, Executive Director, and all facets of our activities operate under a guiding member-centric philosophy. Events and programs fall under three main focus areas of membership services, each of which is aligned to our core values.

Board Chair Statement

Our challenge is to ensure everyone is plugged in from the bottom up. Some members are not as outgoing and vibrant as others, which can allow them to "slip through the cracks". This is the drawback of having such a diverse group. We have members that like to step to the plate for numerous activities, which we welcome, but our Board of Governors has identified the issue and is implementing a process to curb this situation. Each board chair is writing role descriptions for each of its areas efforts. Upon completion they are going to fill these areas with a better mixture of our members. Our Board of Governors is truly focused on governing and passing all of the opportunity down to membership. We have enjoyed some real successes over the last two years. We have increased our membership over 200%. We have started and funded our first endowment, which will be managed by Community Foundation. Our membership, for our '08-'09 fiscal year, devoted over 700 hours to the Nashville community in our philanthropic efforts. We have started to engage our alumni better and have integrated them into our programming. We are fortunate to have some past presidents willing to serve on a presidential advisory board and some who have stepped up further to teach a Leadership Summit during the third quarter of 2009. The Nashville Junior Chamber is poised for greatness. We have a wonderful 88 year history in this great community and are looking forward to enhancing our presence. It is my job to provide our members the blue print to take advantage of the opportunities within our group. I have no doubt that with our talented Board of Governors we will accomplish the next level.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations  - Philanthropy/Charity/Voluntarism Promotion (General)
Secondary Category:	Community Improvement, Capacity Building  - Chambers of Commerce & Business Leagues
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

The Nashville Junior Chamber primarily focuses it efforts on Davidson County.

TN - Davidson