As a nonprofit founder, Jennifer Guynn knows firsthand that an important risk leaders take is a financial risk since nonprofits rely on donations, grants and funding from other sources to operate. “As stressful as this is, I take this risk because I am passionate about our organization’s mission and am committed to positively impacting the community,” she said. “Our organization’s work is important and worth taking on financial risk to achieve our goals.”
Pebble Tossers Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a mission to equip and empower youth to lead through service while focusing most of its efforts on teaching and developing the next generation of titans through its youth development programming.
“In teaching Pebble Tossers’ teen leadership program, we focus on the five critical components of social-emotional learning: self awareness, self management, social awareness, responsible decision making and relationship skills,” said Guynn. “Our impact can be measured by the state-wide awards won by our youth leaders throughout our programming.”
Since she was named a 2023 Titan 100, Guynn redesigned the organization’s culture code to create a work environment where every employee feels valued and successful. Using the organizational culture code as a basis for hiring new employees, the onboarding process has allowed the organization to achieve greater alignment and increase productivity for the benefit of the entire organization. As a result, Guynn said Pebble Tossers has grown more robust and team members have developed trust and confidence in each other.
“Talking to other titans and learning from their experiences helped me realize that this isn’t specific to my organization but that being a strong leader means taking the reins in uncomfortable situations and showing leadership through example,” said Guynn.
To advance her entrepreneurial and leadership skills, Guynn enrolled in an advanced entrepreneurship certificate course through Cornell University and has gained different perspectives on how to approach new initiatives and develop new offerings for the nonprofit organization while developing a business model for a future venture.
“While moving forward with new initiatives, we are still rooted in our understanding that we need to meet our members’ needs to help our organization stay relevant, especially to our teen members,” said Guynn.
As a leader, Guynn said curiosity ignites creative problem-solving, turning challenges into opportunities. “As a leader, my curiosity isn’t confined to boardrooms; it’s a bridge connecting me to stakeholders, donors and the community,” she said. “Curiosity measures success and it fuels a commitment to understanding the true impact of our initiatives.”
