GES staffers attempt to complete some school work while managing the summit headquarters for GES 2009.

GES has 12 teams, with 26 co-chairs, 66 staff members, and two directors.  That’s 94 people.

And they all have midterms.

It takes three days to respond to an email.  People are cranky from late nights in the library.  Starbucks cups are ubiquituous at our Tuesday night meetings.  Planning for a conference more than five months away is a low priority when a paper is due in less than five hours.

GES’s greatest strength is its greatest challenge.  Sometimes it feels like GES has all of the same problems of other relatively young nonprofits combined with those of any university student group.  We cultivate new donors, build partnerships, and engage supporters and alumni while dealing with university bureaucracy, navigating administration, and, yes, maintaining student commitment despite academic commitments.  Being student-run is the very thing that makes GES so special, yet the most challenging part of it.

How do you legitimize your organization in the social change space while embracing the fact that your staffed by a group of passionate, committed, smart people who just happen to be below the age of 23?

Throughout its five years, GES has realized that it takes a lot of professionalism and critical thinking to make the conference work.  But our dynamic community, tireless passion, and willingness to take risks are just as pivotal to our success.

And so is Starbucks.