I met Sally Petersen about a year ago to discuss our common interest in nonprofit risk management. She brought great insight to the discussion, leveraging her obvious, deep experience in accounting and finance. I only learned later I was talking to powerhouse in the nonprofit financial management sector. During her 12 year tenure as CFO for Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley, she helped the organization Read More
ESG Investing: Three Hurdles Every Philanthropic Investor Should Know
Let’s say you binge watch a number of alarming food documentaries one day and decide to explore a brand new diet that could change your life for the better. You’ve always wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle. It starts well: you’re motivated and better yet, lose weight quickly! But keeping it up proves harder as time goes on. The dishes aren’t as satisfying as your old diet. You’re forced to cook more, which Read More
Do You Have A Charitable Giving Strategy?
Are you someone who gives regularly to charitable causes but are flummoxed by the changes in personal financial planning in the past couple of years? Or, are you someone who gives regularly but wondering how to have a greater impact on one or more organizations you support? One of the biggest impacts to charitable giving in the past few years was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in Read More
Could Nonprofits Be the Solution to 21st Century Woes?
Some 25 years ago while living and working in Germany, I distinctly remember a conversation I had with my language teacher. Looking to improve my German language skills by meeting and conversing with more locals, I asked her about finding a nonprofit in town where I could volunteer. She twisted up her face in a question. “Nonprofits? I think that’s more an American thing.” Indeed it is. According to Charities Aid Read More
Are Nonprofit Workers Paid a Premium?
The Washington Post published an article on September 24, 2019 called “How the rise of urban nonprofits has exacerbated poverty” by Claire Dunning, a professor at the University of Maryland, which was both fascinating and baffling. Dunning discusses how the nonprofit sector was actively cultivated in urban centers in the ‘60s by policymakers to address poverty by 1) providing jobs for a shrinking manufacturing sector Read More
Running on Empty: Nonprofit Doesn’t Mean No Profit
“It's a nonprofit...so I assume it’s not supposed to have profits." Direct quote from a nonprofit board Chair. The term “nonprofit” was never supposed to mean an organization that is managed in the red. It simply means that surplus income pays to further the organization’s mission and is not distributed to shareholders or members. The idea that nonprofits need not strive for positive revenue hurts the sustainability Read More
Jet Skis and the Perception of Risk
This summer I drove a jet ski for the very first time and it made me think about nonprofit risk. My family rented a couple of jet skis for a 30-minute ride at a Mexico vacation spot. My daughter was perched on the back of my vehicle, egging me on to go faster and faster to catch up to my husband who was lapping us many times over. The problem was, I was scared out of my skull—eyes laser-focused on the water, knuckles Read More
Citywire USA: Industry vets open California RIA with focus on philanthropy
As published in Citiwire USAJake Martin 02 October 2019, 09:16Fairlight Advisors will focus on serving the nonprofit space.Industry veterans Katharine Earhart and Maya Tussing have teamed up to launch Fairlight Advisors, an independent Belmont, Calif.-based RIA focused on serving philanthropic organizations and individuals.Earhart and Tussing most recently opened and led the San Francisco office for Alesco Read More
Press Release: Financial Services Veterans Launch Fairlight Advisors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fairlight Advisors LLC Read More
3 Questions to Ask Your Investment Professional
Imagine this: you’re scrolling through your email inbox and happen to see a message from your investment professional. They sent your periodic statement for your review. You open the attachment, peruse the investment performance, and decide it all looks fine. You delete the email and move on. And then a small voice in the back of your mind nags at you: What if it it’s NOT all fine? You have very specific personal and Read More
