Advisory Board Member @ Skysthelimit.org

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SKY’S THE LIMIT

National Advisory Board | Role Description

2019

If you could make it possible for more young people to move from poverty to becoming business owners in a year would you do it? Join our talented advisory board and work with our CEO, COO, Chairman, and other board members to increase the number of underrepresented young entrepreneurs launching businesses.

Skysthelimit.org is leading a movement to ensure that every entrepreneur, regardless of the circumstances they were born into, has the same chance to chase their business dreams.

Skysthelimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit tech startup, headquartered in Oakland, CA with a national presence. Our mission is to become the world's leading digital accelerator for underrepresented young adult entrepreneurs, connecting them with training, funding, and a community of their peers & volunteer professionals. Every business starts as a dream. Right now, there are over 11 million underserved young adults in the US who want to start their own business, but lack the support they need to do so. Not only does this cost them their dreams, but underrepresentation in the entrepreneurial economy costs the US more than two million additional employer businesses and more than 9.5 million jobs. These young adults most commonly cited barrier to starting their businesses is a lack on know-how and support. (Kauffman Foundation, Young Invincibles)

However, there are over 10 million professionals who say they are interested in skills-based volunteering, such as helping first-time, early-stage entrepreneurs plan and build their businesses. (LinkedIn Research) There is a tremendous opportunity for a digital platform to connect entrepreneurs and volunteers at scale, igniting the next generation of business owners building new products and services, creating jobs, and strengthening our communities.

Our entrepreneurs are between the ages of 18 and 29 and are members of underrepresented groups, primarily low-income (85%+), people of color (80%+), and/or women (65%+). Our entrepreneurs are starting all kinds of businesses, from clothing brands, to food trucks, to tutoring companies, to in-home nail salons. Our volunteer mentors include professionals from leading corporations as well as owners and operators from the small business community.

Over 12,000 entrepreneurs and volunteers have signed up on skysthelimit.org (STL), from nearly all 50 states in the US, since our recent national launch in 2017. We are currently growing rapidly, adding roughly 1,000 people a month. Our 20+ person team is comprised of primarily software developers and designers, supported by a small program team who leverages our custom-built web app to drive impact at scale for our nationwide community. Our board of directors includes Fabio Rosati, the former CEO of Upwork which recently IPO’ed on the Nasdaq, and Nicolas Cary, the co-founder of Blockchain.com, who has raised over $70 million in venture funding and built software with over 30 million users. We are one of the only national nonprofits dedicated to serving underrepresented young adult entrepreneurs, responding to their clear demand for entrepreneurial support. By focusing our efforts on this large group’s distinct need, we can address their specific problems & opportunities as they build 21st Century small businesses.

If you're interested in our mission, we encourage you to also sign up as an advisor or mentor on our platform here: https://www.skysthelimit.org/home/user-registration/volunteer

Board of Advisors Purpose Statement

To meet the needs of underserved young entrepreneurs, Skysthelimit.org must build a dynamic operation that will answer the complex issues facing young people who are trying to make a living. In order to do this, we seek to surround ourselves with advisors who have helped build great organizations. This group of people will consist of entrepreneurs and established business and nonprofit leaders from whom STL leadership can draw advice and connections.

Advisors provide focused support in one or more of the areas below:

1. Fundraising: Help us identify, meet, and raise funds from philanthropic institutions and individual donors. Advisory board members primarily do this by making introductions to corporations, foundations, or individuals who may be interested in donating or partnering.
1. 2020 Target: $2.2 million
2. Growth: Help us grow the number of underrepresented young entrepreneurs and supporters on the platform.
   1. Most of our entrepreneurs find us through our digital marketing channels. Most of our volunteers find us through our partnerships with corporations, small/medium businesses, and business associations. Our most successful partnerships are championed internally at the executive level.
1. 2020 Target: 14,000 young entrepreneurs and 4,000 volunteers

Advisory Board Structure and Expectations:

As a tech startup nonprofit, we have a dynamic approach to working with our Advisors.

Prior Experience: We're looking for senior business leaders from the small business, tech, and corporate communities who are interested in working closely with the STL's leadership and partners (including Accenture, eBay, etc.) to achieve our goals. Our Advisors will ideally take an entrepreneurial approach to identifying the right people and opportunities - and work with us to convert opportunities into real results for the organization (e.g. money raised, partnerships made, features launched, growth achieved, etc.)

Role: Advisors help make around 5 or 10 relevant connections / opportunities each month for STL leadership to advance our fundraising, growth, and/or technology goals.

Commitment:

• If you’re interested in joining, we encourage you to try us out in the first three months! There is no commitment beyond this - but we encourage our Advisory Board members to join us for at least one year. We recruit people for our nonprofit’s governing Board of Directors from this Advisory Board.
• Meet once per month* for approx. 30 mins individually with STL leadership via phone or videochat. In these meetings, we will typically review the connections and/or opportunities that our Advisory Board members have identified, and draft intro emails for initial meetings.
• Meet once per quarter for one hour with the Global Advisory Board via videochat.
• Be accessible as needed (according to your personal commitment) based on your expertise and interest to provide perspective and wisdom to our leadership.
• Advisors will also have the opportunity to help select Skysthelimit.org’s monthly startup grant winners through our Friends and Family Fund .
• Members of the Advisory Board have no legal or financial liability, nor are they required to make donations themselves.

The annual schedule for quarterly meetings takes place in the following months, exact days determined 30 to 60 days in advance:

• March
• June
• September
• December

*Advisors' individual monthly meetings with STL leadership will be scheduled at their convenience.