Every year, a select group of students from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management join the boards of Chicago-area nonprofits as ex-officio members, tackling strategic projects while gaining valuable experience in board governance. The Night Ministry has been one of those organizations for more than a decade, one of the reasons Kellogg is being honored with the Lamplighter Award at this year's Lighting Up the Night Awards Dinner & Auction on June 11.
Bennett Applegate, a Board Fellow with The Night Ministry in fiscal year 2016, said Kellogg's commitment to social impact was a key factor in his decision to apply to the school.
"It was important to me to become involved in a substantive way with a community organization, especially one working in the area of housing," said Applegate.
Libby Angst, a Board Fellow during the 2017 fiscal year, believes her experience in the classroom enhanced her contributions to The Night Ministry.
"Because I was in the classroom with other students who were board fellows, I was able to collect best practices and insights from other organizations and bring them to table," she said.
Current Kellogg Board Fellow, Dan Kish, said he believes his time on The Night Ministry's Board will help him serve in the future.
"I see this as an opportunity to learn how effective boards work," he said. "As I move on in my career, I will feel confident about my ability to give back to my community through board service."
Projects have ranged from explorations of strategic options for the housing programs at the Open Door Shelter – West Town to assessing best practices for planned giving. But the relationship between The Night Ministry and Kellogg extends beyond the Board Fellows program.
Liz Livingston Howard, Executive Director of Kellogg's Center for Nonprofit Management, said The Night Ministry's President & CEO, Paul W. Hamann, often speaks to Kellogg students. The school has also developed educational programs for the agency's senior leadership.
"The relationship that we have with The Night Ministry encompasses a wide range of Kellogg's curriculum," Howard said. "The Lamplighter Award is a very positive recognition of that deep relationship."
Tickets and sponsorships for Lighting Up the Night are available here.