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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Veteran Executive Helps Turn Around Struggling Club

In 1987, Jan Sobel was working out at the gym one day when a fellow fitness enthusiast, who happened to be a corporate headhunter, made a random yet profound statement. “He said, ‘I’ll bet you would make a great non-profit executive,’” said Sobel, who was working for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles at the time. The comment stuck, and in the same year she took her first non-profit position heading the Encino Chamber of Commerce. From 1987 to 1996 she helped grow the organization from 200 to 750 members. “I’ve always been known as an organized and no-nonsense person,” said Sobel, “Prior to taking the job I didn’t even know what a chamber of commerce was. But working with non-profits was my calling.” She then headed the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce near San Diego from 1996 to 2004, growing the organization from 1,200 to 1,700 members. And Sobel is now president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, a position she has held since 2006. The club, which was struggling to make financial ends meet prior to Sobel’s arrival, has gone through a renaissance of sorts in the past four years. Sobel and the non-profit’s board of directors have more than doubled the budget, increased membership from 1,300 boys and girls to 2,800, and expanded the organization from two to seven sites. Despite the economic downturn, the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley has added a series of new programs for youth. And Sobel helped implement a new financial management system. Sobel said working with other non-profits for nearly two decades has given her insight enough to come into the position and revisit insurance, payroll and other tough logistical and financial issues of the business. “The turnaround required having somebody who had experience with other non-profits to know what to look for,” she said. But she’s quick to note that the turnaround has been, and continues to be, a team effort. Strong leadership, a strong board of directors, good management, community support and a dedicated group of volunteers are what have made it all possible, she said. The board members provide assistance on everything from marketing to legal issues. And employees and volunteers are the ones on the front lines doing what the Boys & Girls Club does best: enhance the lives of kids. “I feel blessed to have the opportunity to help children and work with an amazing group,” said Sobel.

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