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Some outcomes of
Chamber L.I.N.K.S. Program
Marat Djanbaev – PhD student in
Public and Social Policy, FSV
Charles University in Prague
Chamber L.I.N.K.S. Program
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CIPE’s Chamber L.I.N.K.S. (Leaders, Interns, and
Knowledge Sharing) program is a new initiative
designed to provide ‘rising stars’ of CIPE’s partner
chambers of commerce and business associations
overseas with the opportunity to gain valuable
leadership skills in the United States.
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CIPE brought young chamber professionals from
abroad to participate in the leadership programs held
by Chambers of commerce in the U.S.
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Participants completed substantive, unpaid
internships with the chambers, putting their new skills
to use in a professional environment.
Internship Activities
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Shadow the CEO and employees from all chamber
departments
Assist with legislative advocacy campaigns
Research issues of importance, such as association
sustainability models
Attend special events, such as state-wide association
conferences, chamber board meetings, and better business
bureau meetings
Prepare for large events such as U.S Chamber member’s
annual meeting
Attend Leadership Institute classes and retreats
Network with other young leaders in the business
community
Write articles and give presentations on their experiences
and how they will implement new practices at their home
organizations
Host organizations during the internship
the world's largest business federation representing more
than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions.
It includes hundreds of associations, thousands of local
chambers, and more than 100 American Chambers of
Commerce in 91 countries. The core mission is to fight for
business and free enterprise before Congress, the White
House, regulatory agencies, the courts, the court of public
opinion, and governments around the world.
www.uschamber.com
Host organizations during the internship
- The Center for International Private Enterprise is a nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and one of the four
core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy. CIPE has
supported more than 1,000 local initiatives in over 100 developing
countries, involving the private sector in policy advocacy and
institutional
reform,
improving
governance,
and
building
understanding of market-based democratic systems.
www. cipe.org
Outcomes upon the program
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Sustainability of nonprofit organizations in the U.S.
In my opinion, most nonprofit organizations benefit from a stable and strong
national, state and local economy; they have diversity of income sources;
volunteerism, professional human resources as a result good management;
and having right measures for success evaluation.
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Volunteerism
What amazed me during this internship is the phenomenon of American
volunteerism. I have never met so many volunteers I have here in the USA.
Many people and particularly business people donate many volunteer hours
and it is great contribution to community and to the overall civil society.
Definitely, volunteerism is an important national trait of Americans.
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Goodwill and networking
In comparison to my country, most American nonprofits have collaborative
relationships and benefit from networking. They perceive each other as
partners rather than competitors. Certainly, it helps them do community work
more efficiently and reach common results.
Outcomes upon the program
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Diversity of revenue sources
One of the most important aspects in being sustainable for
nonprofits is having reliable revenue sources. I noticed that
most U.S nonprofit organizations rely on a variety of different
funding sources such as corporate sponsorship, private
donations, fees or dues and less on grants. Moreover, American
nonprofits have strategic plans, budgets and balanced
organizational structure that help them to be more sustainable
and predictable.
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Significant role of non – profit sector in the USA
My research impressed me regarding the role of nonprofits in
the USA. According to data of Nonprofit Almanac 2007,
compared to other sectors of the national economy, the
nonprofit sector accounts for 5.2 percent of gross domestic
product (GDP) and 8.3 percent of wages and salaries paid in the
United States. Volunteer works generated 65 million USD per
year.
Value of the program for my PhD study
and professional growth
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Invaluable practical experience in American business –
associations and non – profits in light of my PhD dissertation
proposal – “Institutional interrelations among the Government,
Business and Civic sector in Kyrgyzstan”
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Rich comparative analysis and data sources for PhD dissertation
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Exploiting gained knowledge and skills for my current job position –
Coordinator of National Alliance of Business Associations in
Kyrgyzstan
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Access to U.S. scientific magazines on non – profit sector within
U.S. Chamber of Commerce in order to publish own articles
THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION !