Celebrating Ten Years of Bootcamp for Nonprofit Founders: 467 Emerging Leaders + 45 Volunteer Lawyers = Big Win for Chicago

As we gather for our annual Power of Connection event on June 9, 2022, and honor pro bono volunteers from Chicago law firms who have provided considerable time and expertise to support our clients, we want to take a moment to also recognize one of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee’s signature programs on its ten-year anniversary.

For over a decade, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee  has offered an Emerging Nonprofit Certificate of Training  program for nonprofit founders who are exploring the process of forming a new nonprofit organization. It was affectionately called Nonprofit Founder "Bootcamp” and the name stuck. The bootcamp has helped hundreds of nonprofit leaders build their dreams and ideas upon a firm structure of technical assistance, business expertise, and sound legal advice.

When Erica Spangler Raz, Senior Counsel and Director of Pro Bono Works at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee , initiated the program back in 2012, she says there was little information available for nonprofit founders. “They might search online for legal information on how to start a nonprofit, and the results were incomplete at best. And founders didn’t always know about the essential planning necessary before the legal work could begin.” Erica adds, “Our Bootcamp program helped them understand the legal ramifications that come with starting a nonprofit organization, including understanding their role as a founder, in an efficient program and  collegial environment.”

Angela Dear, Paralegal at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, reports that 467 nonprofit leaders have participated in the program since its founding, and forty-five different presenters—primarily lawyers from our member firms—have led sessions on topics ranging from Board Basics, Budgeting, Business Planning, Funding, and Applying for Tax-Exempt Status with the IRS.

Attorney Bob Hayward, whom we will recognize with our Pro Bono Works Volunteer Award at the Power of Connection event, credits the award-winning pro bono team at Kirkland and Ellis with first linking him to Chicago Lawyers’ Committee. “Kirkland staffs and supports pro bono work with the same enthusiasm and resources that we devote to our billable work. We have a wonderful team that is especially focused on connecting our transactional lawyers with opportunities where they can make a real difference. In my case, connecting my interests and leadership in corporate governance with the needs of the Emerging Nonprofit Training Program.” Bob has led one or two sessions every year since he began volunteering in 2016 and continued to do so remotely even during the pandemic. Bob adds that he is grateful for the opportunity “to make a difference in the lives of the next generation of great Chicagoans in the nonprofit community.”

And what a difference Bob and his fellow instructors have made. Just a sampling of the nonprofit leaders who got their start through this program include: Helen Hammond Redding (bootcamp ’14) founded Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation; Linda Seyler (bootcamp ’14) founded Global Garden Refugee Training Farm; Karla Altmeyer (bootcamp ’15) co-founded Healing To Action, Darius Ballinger (bootcamp ’17) founded Chasing 23, and Isabel Gonzalez-Smith (bootcamp ’19) founded Chicago Latina Moms.  The collective impact of these leaders is profoundly important to the strength, vibrancy, and resilience of Black and Brown communities in our city. The Bootcamp program helps founders reflect both on the need for their services and make thoughtful decisions about their path forward. Erica Spangler Raz notes that “Success can mean someone goes through the program and realizes their idea might already exist; they might collaborate with that existing organization so they do not create a duplicative program. Another success is a founder leaving the program with a more complete understanding of what it takes, and is able to get through the legal process much more quickly.”

Volunteer Bob Hayward is a firm believer in the words of Chicagoan Walt Disney who said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Bob adds that “each founder that I have had the opportunity to engage with brings that great Chicagoan drive and spirt that was the hallmark of Walt Disney -- all the founders are opening new doors and doing great new things for our city. The fact that I can provide insight along the way in helping them achieve their goals gives me immense satisfaction.”

To super volunteer Bob Hayward and all our other pro bono attorneys who have led sessions, and most importantly, to the 467 nonprofit leaders whose energy and commitment have brought essential services, jobs, and programs to our City, we salute you. You are our City’s best and brightest. Thank you.

CLCCRUL