Increasing Your Talent Pipeline with Service Learning Opportunities

Session Description:
In today’s competitive labor market, cultivating a strong and sustainable talent pipeline is essential for nonprofit success. This session, led by professionals from local and state workforce agencies, explores how service learning can be leveraged to address both immediate organizational needs and long-term workforce development goals. Participants will learn how to partner with educational institutions, workforce development boards, and community programs to create meaningful service learning opportunities that not only enhance organizational capacity but also introduce potential future employees to the nonprofit sector. This session will offer real-world examples, practical tools, and insights from workforce professionals who understand how service learning can drive recruitment, retention, and mission alignment.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Define service learning and distinguish it from other volunteer and internship models.
2. Identify key benefits of service learning for nonprofits, students, and community stakeholders.
3. Understand how service learning can be integrated into a broader workforce development strategy.
4. Explore partnership opportunities with educational institutions and workforce agencies.
5. Develop strategies to turn service learners into future staff or long-term volunteers.

Cost: $25

Facilitator:

Ashley Williams is the Vice President of Talent Development with the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce in Muncie, Indiana. She completed her undergraduate degree from Ball State University and earned a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration on non-profit leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Prior to joining the Chamber team, Ashley served on the senior leadership team at the Youth Opportunity Center, providing oversight of residential treatment programs. She most recently worked at Eastern Indiana Works, a regional workforce development board, strengthening her understanding of the current and future needs of the local workforce. Ashley has found her current role with the Chamber allows her to blend her passion for empowering young people with her love of aiding in the development of our future workforce.  With more than 20 years of leadership experience, Ashley is a skilled collaborator who takes pride in her ability to build strong partnerships that drive meaningful connections throughout the community.

Outside of work, Ashley values spending time with her family and volunteering for her church ministry. She is an advisory board member for TeenWorks and serves on the Board of Directors for Hillcroft Services.

Cassandra Gillenwater is the Director of Grants at Serve Indiana. In this role she oversees and manages the grant application, review, and funding process for AmeriCorps State and National Funding.

Prior to joining Serve Indiana, Cassandra worked and served in a variety of roles supporting community and youth development programs while working for Youth for Understanding USA and serving two terms as an AmeriCorps member with Public Allies Indianapolis.

Cassandra earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University.