Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Clark.
Chris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I graduated from UCSD in 2012 and began working in politics and local campaigns right out of school. This was a great experience that developed my organizational and community-minded skills. I moved on from that world to begin work with local nonprofits as a researcher and community outreach specialist and have subsequently been working in the public affairs realm with local clients.
I joined the board of the North Park Community Association in 2014 because I have long had a passion for being involved with my community and supporting local events, businesses and residents. The NPCA has been the perfect outlet for this because it connects North Park’s thriving small business community with the thousands of residents and visitors that want to live, work and play here. I was elected President of the NPCA in 2016 and have been working to grow our group since along with my talented Board of Directors. We are perhaps best known as the organization that hosts the annual “Bird Park Summer Concerts.” This event brings thousands of people out to Bird Park, in the northwest corner of Morley Field, to celebrate summer in America’s finest city.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I was elected, I was the youngest member of the NPCA’s Board of Directors. It felt like stepping into a monumental challenge but it has proven to be a truly rewarding experience. As an all-volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit group, we depend on our committed volunteers and membership dues to support our activities. This has helped to refocus our group on the importance of getting the basics right before we get overly ambitious. So far, this approach has proven successful as we have grown our concert series and increased membership and attendance at events.
North Park Community Association – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The North Park Community Association is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that focuses on connecting our neighbors to their neighborhood through community events and charitable volunteer activity.
We are best known for the Bird Park Summer Concert series which takes place over four weekends in July and August. We also host mixer events at local small businesses to help promote them to their neighbors and we regularly volunteer at community cleanups and other charitable opportunities.
As President of the group, I am probably most proud of the strong team that has assembled to help me lead the organization. I am lucky to have a talented and supportive Board of Directors that offers informed leadership with their diverse skill sets.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I have tried to keep a realistic and pragmatic approach to measuring success. When I took over as President of the NPCA, the organization was very connected to its history. The group has been around for decades and has gone through many leadership changes. My fellow board members and I were in agreement that there were many changes we wanted to make and it was easy to let our vision get 5, 10 or more steps ahead of our ability.
I am keeping a ‘slow and steady’ approach to developing our group. By those standards, I feel we have had fantastic success over the past couple of years. We have been steadily growing and improving all of our core activities with no major setbacks.
Pricing:
- Individual Membership in NPCA is $50
- Business Membership in NPCA is $150
Contact Info:
- Address: 3245 University Avenue, #1295
San Diego, CA 92104-2009 - Website: www.northparksd.org
- Email: chrisclark@northparksd.org
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/northparksd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northparksd
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NPCASD
Image Credit:
Chris Clark
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