On March 6th, 2008 Do Something hosted the first annual Non-Profit Bootcamp with the goal of offering a platform for young (25 and under) world changers to learn, think big and share their passion for social change with like-minded peers. 64 BR!CK Awards finalists, past grant winners, and former BR!CK Awards winners met with some of the most talented professionals in the entire field of philanthropy for discussions and Q & A sessions on how to expand their organizations and their level of impact. The event was a tremendous success and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all those involved! Below are some clips from the professional speakers as well as keynote speaker Ami Dar, founder of Idealist.org

Ami Dar

Keynote Speaker

Ami Dar is the founder and executive director of Idealist.org. Built in 1996 with only $3,500, Idealist has become one of the most popular nonprofit resources on the Web, with information posted by 70,000 organizations around the world, more than 50,000 visitors every day, and a staff of 60 in New York, Portland, and Buenos Aires.

In 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, the Nonprofit Times included Ami in its annual list of the 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector, and in 2004 Ashoka invited him to join its global fellowship of social entrepreneurs. In 2005 Time magazine named him a Philanthropy Innovator, and in 2006, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke's Fuqua School of Business awarded Ami its annual Leadership in Social Entrepreneurship Award.

Patricia Caesar
"Measuring Your Impact"

Patricia Caesar is President of the Caesar Consulting Group, a company that provides strategic consulting services to nonprofit organizations and the foundations, corporations and philanthropists who fund them. CCG is a leader in the field of bringing effective business principals and practices to the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Ms. Caesar’s consulting career spans over twenty years. Prior to establishing CCG, she was President & CEO of the Marks Paneth Strategy Group, and was Chairman of Caesar & Washburn, Inc. Ms. Caesar received a B.A. from Brandeis University and a Masters in Administration and Organizational Development from Columbia University. At Columbia, she was a Ford Foundation Fellow in the Program for Educational Leadership.

Lindsay Hyde

"Volunteer and Board Management"

Lindsay Hyde founded Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG) during her freshman year at Harvard University. The mission of SWSG is to utilize the lessons learned from strong women throughout history to encourage girls and young women to become strong women themselves. Upon her graduation in 2004, Lindsay incorporated SWSG as a not-for-profit agency and began serving as the Executive Director. Now, SWSG engages over 400 at-risk girls annually in two cities: Boston, MA and Pittsburgh, PA. Based the program's success, in 2007 SWSG was recognized as a "Social Innovator" by the Social Innovation Forum.

Lindsay's leadership of SWSG has been widely recognized, also earning her a past Do Something BR!CK Award. Most recently, Lindsay received a National Jefferson Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 or Younger, joining the ranks of CityYear founder Alan Khazei and Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp.

Lindsey Jones

"Incorporating Your Organization"

Lindsey Jones is a staff attorney at Lawyers Alliance and coordinates the Children and Youth Services program area. In this capacity she helps nonprofits that are providing childcare, improving public education, fostering youth development and leadership, and operating other vital youth programs. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2007, Ms. Jones was an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. She received her J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 2005 and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001.

Nancy Lublin

Nonprofit Management

Since August 2003, CEO Nancy Lublin has overseen Do Something's growth and led the effort to begin awarding more grant money to young people who want to make a difference. She turned the organization from a debt-ridden, "old school" not-for-profit with offices in multiple cities nationwide, to a fast-moving internet company capturing the attention of a generation of doers. Armed with a $5,000 inheritance from her immigrant great grandfather at the age of 23, Nancy founded the organization Dress for Success, which to this day provides women with interview suits, career development training, and boosts in their self-confidence in more than 70 cities in four countries. Nancy graduated from Brown University, Oxford University (where she was a Marshall Scholar), and New York University School of Law.

Richard Ludlow

"Long-Term Planning"

Richard Ludlow, 22, was awarded a BRICK Award in 2005 for his work with Students for Organ Donation, a nonprofit organization that promotes organ donation at high schools and colleges throughout North America. He is also the founder and former Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Economic Review, a journal of popular economics sold nationally at Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores. He holds a B.A. in Economics and M.A. in International and Development Economics, both from Yale University.

Harish Rao

"Leveraging Technology"

Harish Rao, Partner and CEO, served most recently as the Director of Information Technology for Dean for America, where he was in charge of back-end technologies, including communications technology infrastructure and data services. Prior to the campaign, he was vice president of operations of Internet & Information Solutions, Inc., a provider of outsourced I.T. services to small- and medium-sized businesses, where he oversaw day-to-day activities. He holds a B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Lezlie Wheeler

"Managing Finances"

In her capacity, Lezlie oversees corporate, finance and administrative functions, including all financial activities and Do Something's day-to-day operations. Prior to Do Something, Lezlie held senior finance positions at privately-held companies in the publishing industry. She brings years of experience in accounting and finance, including senior accountant, financial reporting at AIG's foreign business AIU, Inc. (American International Underwriters); and senior auditor for Leslie Sufrin & Co and Pregor & Fenton, all of which exposed her to a broad base of business industries. Lezlie was Financial Controller for Chemical Week Publishing, where she built an accounting and finance department for the newly-formed venture. Despite her background and the duties she performs, Lezlie is pretty exciting. Lezlie holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fordham University.