Hi, this is Jade Nunes, and I’ve been honored to serve as GET Phoenix President for the past two years - two years that were incredibly different from each other!
It seems crazy that we’re now halfway through 2021 (or as I’ve joked, the nineteenth month of 2020), and I want to take a moment to share some updates and words of gratitude with you all.
First, I want to say a huge thank you to the members and event attendees who have been there with us for the entirety of the COVID pandemic. Your support through ticket purchases and membership registrations has kept us afloat, and given us a purpose during the almost 12 months of virtual event planning we were forced to navigate.
Second, I want to thank the GET Phoenix Board of Directors for their ongoing commitment to our mission of Growing Emerging Talent in the Valley. It’s not always fun running a grassroots nonprofit, but it is always rewarding. And I think all of my fellow board members would agree.
For me, it’s seeing the personal growth, leadership, and determination of the individuals who have served this first six months of the year with me, because in a lot of ways, 2021 has felt like a never-ending continuation of 2020.
We had to get to know and trust each other in a virtual setting, many of us without the opportunity to meet or train each other in person, and yet, together, we’ve been able to keep this group’s engine going.
This group of 16 strangers, who volunteer their time outside of their already busy professional lives, have planned events together that fostered connectivity and philanthropy in a socially distant world. That is a huge feat. My tip my hat to you all!
And now, it’s with much excitement that I say - WE’RE BACK BABY!
As of June 2021, we’re back in person. We’ve officially cancelled our professional Zoom license, and are planning out an incredible lineup of events throughout the year’s end - events that aim to connect young professionals, offer opportunities for growth, and support the community.
So, to help with my mid-year update, I’ve invited each of my committee chairs, and my Vice President, John Komadina, to help share what we have in store and together celebrate the accomplishments of the 2021 year to date.
Update from GET Vice President: John Komadina
The first half of 2021 has been an interesting one. We’ve slowly transitioned back to in-person events and I couldn’t be more excited!
The board as a whole has done an incredible job staying engaged and doing their part to push forward with the mission of GET Phoenix, and it’s been a special thing to witness as this year’s Vice President.
I’ve had the privilege to see what’s happening behind the scenes and I think our membership and the friends of GET Phoenix are going to be delightfully surprised with how we finish out the year.
One particular project that I’m excited about, one that I expect to hit an even greater stride in the second half of the year, is the expansion of our quarterly GET to Give events.
Not only will we continue to organize a quarterly service project, as has always been the tradition of GET Phoenix Young Professionals, moving forward we are also running fundraisers to benefit the non-profit organizations we’ve partnered with for these GET to Give events at the end of each quarter. Last month we raised money for St. Joseph the Worker, and in the 3 months leading up to our GET to Give in September we’ll be raising money to benefit the United Food Bank.
Every $1 we raise for United Food Bank helps provide 5 meals in our community!
In the past, GET Phoenix has made monetary gifts to the various non-profits we partner with throughout the year. These gifts have usually come from funds received through selling tickets to our events and membership dues, but only after we’ve paid off our operating expenses. The practice of making gifts from GET’s surplus isn’t going away, but the fundraising expansion of our GET to Give events will remain separate from our operating funds.
In most cases, we’re working with our not-for-profit partners to ensure the donations collected through fundraisers never even touch a GET bank account. Instead, every dollar is sent directly to the organization it is intended to benefit.
As a result of this renewed focus on fundraising, and the efforts made to increase transparency when it comes to fundraising, we’re on pace to eclipse all annual giving benchmarks I’ve seen during my years as a GET member. That’s really exciting to be a part of! So again, I’m really excited for what we’ve already accomplished this year and I’m even more excited for what’s ahead. Of course, we’re only a few months out from kicking off our transition to the 2022 Board of Directors. If you think you’d like to be part of all the exciting things GET Phoenix Young Professionals will be making happen here in the Valley in 2022, please don’t hesitate to apply.
There are only so many available roles and they’ll fill up fast!
Want to Join the GET Board of Directors?
Event Planning Roles | Marketing Roles | Bookkeeping Roles
Update from GET Membership Chair: Akash Kaushal
2021 has been a big year for GET Phoenix as an organization!
We’ve grown by more than 30 new individual members year to date, and added Phocus Law as our first Corporate Member of the year.
Here are a few of our newest members we think you should meet!
Adrian Jamieson | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona
Natasha Badaa | TEKsystems *If you recently became a GET Phoenix member, but didn’t appear on this list it’s probably because you didn’t submit a New Member Survey. We’d love to properly introduce you to the rest of our members! Please email marketing@getphoenix.org to request a link to the New Member Survey.
I’d like to extend a big ‘Thank you!’ to the other members of the Membership Committee who have made this growth possible.
We know that whether a networking event is hosted online or in-person, it can be daunting to venture into a room of strangers. To make things easier for new members and first-time attendees we launched the GET Phoenix Ambassador Program earlier this year. The GET Phoenix Ambassador Program serves as a kind of welcoming committee to guests and new members.
I’ve heard time-and-time again from attendees how welcomed they felt attending their first GET event. That’s the focused effort of our Membership Committee and our first cohort of Ambassadors working hard behind the scenes so that attending a GET event doesn’t feel like work for our guests.
If you’re a new GET Member or thinking about attending your first GET event please don’t hesitate to email David Rice at membership@getphoenix.org so that we can connect you with an ambassador who can answer all your questions and help you get the most out of your GET Phoenix experience.
ALSO - If you’re already a GET member and you’d be interested in providing this kind of helping-hand to new and prospective members please email membership@getphoenix.org to express your interest in becoming a GET Phoenix Ambassador.
Changes to Membership
After 2021 you’ll no longer be able to purchase a lifetime membership.
All lifetime memberships will still be honored moving forward.
In the interest of growing emerging talent and impacting our community in positive ways it's been decided - after a great deal of deliberation by the board of directors - that GET Phoenix has outgrown a lifetime membership structure.
So along with the increase in annual membership pricing in January 2022, lifetime memberships will no longer be available for purchase.
Between now and January however, you’re encouraged to purchase either a lifetime or annual memberships because you’ll be grandfathered in under the current terms of those memberships.
That means by purchasing an GET Annual Membership by December 31st 2021 you’ll be grandfathered in at an annual rate of $79/year.
By purchasing a GET Lifetime Member you’ll never pay dues again!
MEMBER BENEFITS
✔ 2 FREE tickets to every GET event (1 for you, 1 for a friend).
✔ Entry to our Members-Only mixers and events at various venues, allowing you to explore what Phoenix has to offer.
✔ Add value to your professional career.
✔ Exclusive access to unique member perks.
✔ Leadership opportunities to serve on our Board of Directors.
✔ Surround yourself with a community of innovative individuals.
✔ Enhance your resume and who you know for future job searches.
Update from GET Marketing Chair: Brendan Alan Barrett
There are so many things to be excited about as the Chair of GET’s Marketing Committee! I’m so thankful for how the members of this committee, Marissa Graves, Madison Heil, and Amanda Ochoa have banded together to support the initiatives of the Membership and Events committees.
Without the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of this team, GET wouldn’t be where we are as an organization.
In 2020 we saw tremendous growth among our membership and friends of GET who wanted to contribute content to the GET blog. So far in 2021 that growth hasn’t slowed down!
The most popular guest articles of 2021:
If you’re looking to write more (or to get published for the very first time!) email marketing@getphoenix.org to express your interest or to pitch a headline.
The original intent behind the GET Blog was to support our membership and attendees between our monthly events by creating a library of insightful content and How-To articles young professionals would find helpful when it came to bettering themselves, advancing their careers, and improving their local community.
To expand upon this mission we’ve recently launched the Phoenix Young Professionals Community as a group on Facebook. Now our membership and attendees will not just have access to a library of actionable advice and insightful articles, through this Facebook group we’ll also have a place to stay connected, ask questions, and learn from one another.
Request access to the Phoenix Young Professionals Community [HERE]
GET Memberships Not Required to Join!
What’s next?
The Marketing Committee is excited to announce that before the end of 2021 we’ll be launching a LIVE show streamed to YouTube that further advances the mission of the GET Blog in a more interactive interview format.
If you are a subject matter expert who would like to be a guest on the show or would like to suggest a guest young professionals would appreciate hearing from, please email marketing@getphoenix.org to express your interest or to pitch a show idea!
Update from GET Events Chair: Amanda Metcalf
We’re back and live in action!
Don’t miss our first GET to Meet in-person Networking event this month, July 28th at The Little Woody in Arcadia. Appetizers, happy hour drink specials, and a good time will be served.
On August 25th, we’re going to be sipping wine at the newly opened Kahvi Coffee in Downtown Phoenix and expanding our professional knowledge with Darrin Schenck, who will be sharing his experience through a workshop called Making a Living vs. Making a Life | Advice For a Happy Life without Burning-Out.
Give back to your community by joining GET at United Food Bank on September 29th. We’ll be sorting food donations and building emergency food bags for local Arizonians in need.
Then, on October 27th, we’re having GET Lucky, our biggest event of the year. Hosted at Lucky’s Indoor/Outdoor, GET Phoenix will have live music, raffle prizes, networking, and member only specials all night. It’ll be one you don’t want to miss!
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So here’s to our ongoing mission to Growing Emerging Talent in the Valley and beyond. Cheers!
Sincerely,
Jade Nunes
President, GET Phoenix Young Professionals
4 In-Person GET Events Listed on Eventbrite. Grab a ticket before they sell out! TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/get-phoenix-young-professionals-8926729739
Membership Pricing Will be Going Up. Purchase now and get grandfathered in at a lower rate! BUY MEMBERSHIP: https://www.getphoenix.org/membership
Through September GET is fundraising for United Food Bank. Every $1 we raise for United Food Bank helps provide 5 meals in our community!