One year after being selected as a 2024 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder, GRID Alternatives Inland Empire continues to experience the lasting impact of the program’s investment in leadership development and organizational growth. In October, GRID IE Executive Director Jaime Alonso and Outreach Manager Yoselyn Ekert traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, to participate in the 2025 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program, a three-day national training and networking convening held October 20 through October 22.
The invitation-only program brings together executive directors and emerging leaders from Neighborhood Builder organizations across the country for immersive leadership development, peer learning, and direct engagement with Bank of America executives, facilitators, and nonprofit sector experts. For GRID IE, the experience represented a continuation of the support and capacity building that accompanied the original Neighborhood Builders award.
Yoselyn Ekert, who was selected as GRID IE’s emerging leader as part of the 2024 award, described the training as both empowering and highly intentional.
“The Neighborhood Builders leadership program was empowering, thorough, and intentionally designed,” Yoselyn shared. “Each session provided valuable, actionable insights that strengthened both personal leadership and organizational strategy to take back to our organization.”
Throughout the three-day program, participants engaged in facilitated discussions, peer-learning exercises, leadership activities, and collaborative problem-solving sessions. One early session focused on Bank of America’s 2025 Study of Philanthropy, offering data and insights on nonprofit funding trends and operational sustainability.
“The data and insight shared was clear and crucial for nonprofits and changemakers to plan fundraising,” Yoselyn said. “I kept coming back to the importance of using data to clearly showcase impact, and how essential documented operations are for staff, leaders, and executives to understand and build from.”
For Yoselyn, one of the most meaningful aspects of the program was the level of access it provided to presenters and mentors, as well as the emphasis on relationship-building.
“What stood out most was the level of access we were given to presenters, Bank of America executives, facilitators, and mentors,” she said. “We were encouraged to engage deeply, ask questions, and build genuine relationships, which made the learning much more meaningful.”
The program also created space for leaders from across the country to connect around shared challenges and opportunities within the nonprofit sector. Yoselyn spoke with peers from affordable housing organizations, including Habitat for Humanity affiliates, and workforce development providers, exchanging perspectives on policy shifts, federal funding uncertainty, community engagement, staff development, and the growing demand for services.
“These conversations helped broaden my perspective on sector-wide needs and opportunities,” she noted, highlighting how the experience extended beyond individual learning to collective problem-solving.
Several moments during the training stood out as especially impactful, including facilitated storytelling exercises where participants shared their personal motivations for nonprofit work.
“Listening to my table and brave volunteers share their story of self was powerful,” Yoselyn reflected. “Their honesty and vulnerability reminded me why leadership in the nonprofit sector is so deeply meaningful.”
As an emerging leader, Yoselyn emphasized that one of her biggest takeaways was the importance of investing in people to sustain long-term impact.
“A major takeaway was the importance of investing in our people,” she said. “GRID IE has immense impact in our communities, but sustaining and expanding that impact requires intentional investment in staff development and emerging leaders. With nonprofits facing unprecedented challenges, equipping teams with training, mentorship, and resources is essential.”
Looking ahead, Yoselyn shared that the experience reinforced the value of leading with clarity, collaboration, and confidence, and that she plans to bring new tools, strengthened networks, and a broader leadership mindset back to her work at GRID IE.
Reflecting on what the opportunity means for the organization as a whole, she described the Neighborhood Builders program as a validation of GRID IE’s mission and impact across the Inland Empire.
“It’s an honor and a validation of the impact GRID IE is creating,” she said. “Being selected affirms that our work is seen and valued at a national level. The funding and training increase our capacity, strengthen leadership development, and support long-term sustainability.”
Yoselyn also emphasized that the benefits of the experience extend beyond those who attended.
“This opportunity is truly for the entire organization,” she shared. “The lessons learned will support all of us as we grow, collaborate, and continue driving impact.”
GRID Alternatives Inland Empire is grateful to Bank of America for its continued partnership and investment through the Neighborhood Builders program. One year after receiving the award, the leadership training and national network continue to strengthen GRID IE’s ability to serve communities and advance equitable access to clean energy throughout the Inland Empire.