Michelle Song
Learning is a never-ending journey. At The Mountaineers, we continue to elevate our organization’s position in the outdoor community and enhance our own courses and activities by supporting our volunteers' skill development. Each year, The Mountaineers designates funds to the Leadership Development Fund, which allows Mountaineers leaders and instructors to attend conferences, workshops, courses, and programs led by other organizations.
The Leadership Development Fund was created to recognize and support Mountaineers leaders and instructors who continually seek to grow their expertise in industry best practices. The Leadership Development Fund allows us to provide volunteers with valuable opportunities beyond the programming offered at The Mountaineers. It is primarily intended for volunteers to attend training with external organizations, with the hope that they’ll reinvest what they’ve learned with The Mountaineers community.
How to apply
If you are ready to expand your leadership development, submit a Leadership Development Fund application. Each applicant will be evaluated based on an individual’s tenure as a volunteer leader, as well as their recent volunteer work with The Mountaineers. After completing the Leadership Development Fund application, each applicant must send their sponsoring committee or branch leader the Committee/Branch Endorsement Form to have their applications endorsed.
The application and endorsement forms should be submitted at least 30 days prior to the start of the program that the applicant is seeking to attend. Check out our Leadership Development Fund page to learn more about our funding restrictions, applicant responsibilities, and how funds are issued.
Eligible programs
The Leadership Development Fund is primarily intended to support programs offered outside of The Mountaineers programming, meaning programs offered by an external organization. If you need support attending a Mountaineers program, check out our scholarships page for more information.
The following are examples of programs eligible for funding through the Leadership Development Fund:
- Activity-Specific Conferences, Certifications, and Accreditations
- Leadership Trainings
- Experiential Education Trainings
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Trainings
Leadership Development Fund applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage volunteers to apply early in the fiscal year, which runs from October to September.
Ineligible programs
The Leadership Development Fund cannot be used to fund individuals seeking the following certifications and trainings, since they are general requirements for most leadership roles at The Mountaineers. However, these courses are eligible for our scholarships program if taken through The Mountaineers.
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Mountaineering-Oriented First Aid (MOFA)
- Avalanche Rescue or AIARE 1
Invest back into The Mountaineers
After attending external leadership development programs, we hope participants will invest their training back into The Mountaineers community and foster the growth of other volunteers. There are many ways leaders can reinvest their learning back into their committees and branches. Examples include: providing mentorship to an aspiring trip leader, leading trips to challenge and engage other members and leaders, instructing at upcoming courses, presenting key takeaways at a Leadership Development Series seminar, or hosting a clinic to share learnings with fellow trip leaders and course instructors, just to name a few!
The Leadership Development Fund gives volunteers the opportunity to hone their leadership skills and make the most of valuable leadership development opportunities. Volunteers are encouraged to take advantage of the Leadership Development Fund to develop their skills beyond the programs offered by The Mountaineers.
Discover all the ways you can bolster your leadership style, cater your instructional ability, and further your technical craft by applying to the Leadership Development Fund this year.
Powered by Philanthropy
Our Leadership Development Fund is made possible through the generous support of our organization’s charitable donors. If you’re inspired to support our programming and wish to contribute, please consider making a donation to The Mountaineers.
