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With so many networks packed into the little big city, newcomers to St. Louis are often overwhelmed by the number of options and don’t know where to begin. It’s hard to go wrong with any organization, but here are some places to start.
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
St. Louis is home to dozens of professional networking groups spanning age ranges and industries. If you’re under 40, consider joining through the Regional Business Council’s Young Professionals Network, which offers around 3,500 early-career professionals a chance to connect with one another as they’re looking for ways to make an impact on the community.
The Young Professionals Network also has the added benefit of introducing young professionals to Kathy Osborn, president and CEO of the RBC and arguably one of the most plugged-in people in the community. “Once you meet Kathy and she knows what you like, she is an incredible connector,” says SiSi Beltrán, director of marketing for Build-A-Bear. “I’d say my involvement catapulted from there.”
Other groups with wide reach include Cortex and Venture Café, tight-knit yet accessible groups for entrepreneurs and innovators that are making St. Louis the top contender for the “Silicon Prairie” title. Among the communities’ successes is Rezilient Health, a telehealth startup that was one of 10 companies selected for an inaugural program led by Melinda Gates. Co-founders Danish Nagda and Jeff Gamble knew each other from school and a pitch competition at Cortex.
Also making waves is FOCUS St. Louis, which offers several leadership academies bringing together the cream of the crop of St. Louis professionals and training them to effect change in the region. In its 20 years, the program, one of the most prestigious networks in the city, has produced 10,000 alumni and is, Beltrán says, “the big leagues” of networking.
There are even groups who coordinate support for minority business leaders. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, and the Bosnian Chamber of Commerce, just three such groups, make it possible to connect with others who share those identities.
Members of all these groups say their favorite thing about the St. Louis business network is its compact size, which makes the top CEOs and business leaders of the region more accessible.
“St. Louis has the best of both worlds,” says Alex Lee, a lawyer at TKC Holdings and co-founder of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. “You can meet the movers and shakers and have a bigger chance of making an impact here than a big city. The small network is the No. 1 thing St. Louis has to offer.”
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Some of St. Louis’ most beloved cultural institutions also offer ways to get involved. The Missouri Botanical Garden, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri Historical Society, the Saint Louis Zoo, The Sheldon, and the Contemporary Art Museum all offer young professionals groups that provide access to special events and perks. The Science Center hosts periodic events, such as Science Uncorked and Science On Tap, that combine learning and networking. The Arts & Education Council’s Young Friends of the Arts hold member meet-ups and offer discounts. Likewise, many performing arts organizations offer ways to get involved, such as the Young Friends of Saint Louis Ballet, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Young Friends, and The Muny Young Friends.
VOLUNTEERING
Many have found that the best way to make connections in the community is volunteering. A 2017 study by Charity Navigator ranked St. Louis the third-strongest charitable community that year; in 2016, St. Louis placed second. The metro area is home to more than 1,000 nonprofits, according to the St. Louis Community Foundation, meaning that newcomers can find a wide range of options suiting their time and talents.
“I think there’s just no better experience when going into a new city than volunteering,” says Darren Jackson, founder of All Black Creatives, a group that creates and spotlights connections within the talent pool of local Black creatives. “It’s the best way to meet like-minded, like-hearted people.”
Because there are so many organizations, picking the right one for you can seem daunting at first. With that in mind, St. Louisans Taylor Dailing and Kelly Weber created a helpful resource: STL Serves, a website and Facebook group that makes it easier to identify ways to make a difference. The site lists more than 250 volunteering opportunities, organized by areas of interest—for instance, education, veterans, animals—with options for volunteering, donating, and more.
If you want to sample several nonprofits to get a feel for the scene, look no further than the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The group funds nearly 170 nonprofits in the St. Louis area and connects them with volunteers. Beltrán, who’s involved with such organizations as Forest Park Forever, Casa de Salud, and the Washington University Olin School of Business alumni board, calls the United Way the jumping-off point for her involvement in St. Louis. “When I joined and started to meet people who were similar ages but in completely different industries and not affiliated with my university or my work, it really opened up a whole new sphere,” she says.
An updated list of exactly which organizations need what kinds of volunteers can be found at helpingpeople.org/get-involved. Perhaps the most comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities available at any given time is posted at stlvolunteer.org. The database lets prospective volunteers search by schedule, by location, and by organization, all to ensure that volunteers can serve in roles they’ll thrive in.
138%
Downtown saw a growth rate in young adults with college degrees between 2000 and 2010, the fastest percentage growth among the 51 largest U.S. metro areas
~568,000
millennials in stl, 2019
#1
Top U.S. Cities to Launch a Career—Linkedin
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Stateline
