At our monthly Social Impact Advisory Group meeting, we wanted to explore the impacts of the pandemic and racial justice movement in shaping the future of philanthropy. We invited moderator, Lisa Salomon of and panelists, Theary Chan, and Nicole Kyauk to discuss the range and nature of relationships funders want to have with the nonprofits they support. The following panel presentation was edited for length and Read More
How to Tell Your Nonprofit Story and Drive Action
With so much marketing going online in the aftermath of the pandemic, your nonprofit story needs to be even more potent than ever. We invited Jerri Rosen, founder and CEO of Working Wardrobes, and Katie Wagner, President and CEO of KWSM, a digital marketing agency, to talk about the key elements of an effective story to energize your donors and many other supporters needed to run a successful Read More
The Financial and Social Impact of the Un-Housed
Guest Blog for Fairlight’s Nonprofit Insights Series When I began volunteering with the Downtown Streets Team (DST) during the Bay Area Fall lockdown, I initially thought I would be engaging with homeless people on the streets of Berkeley and Oakland. While I have seen homeless people in San Francisco and Oakland over the years and occasionally handed out food, I did not understand the financial, social and Read More
Recruiting for Resilience with Sally Carlson
With things looking like the economy might turn a corner, effective nonprofit hiring and recruiting has come into greater focus. Sally Carlson, Managing Partner of Carlson Beck LLC, who spoke at the Social Impact Advisory/Thrive Alliance’s Managing for Resilience Speaker Series, discussed how effective hiring may require us to question our closely held beliefs about what job applicants are a good fit. Sally founded Read More
Social Impact Advisory: HR Considerations for Nonprofit Leaders
Each month, our Social Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) meets to share knowledge with like-minded professionals, educate board members and nonprofit leaders and partner to strengthen the sector. Click here for a copy of the presentation and here for a copy of the Return to Work Tips for Employers. Read on for a synopsis of what was discussed. On April 8th, we heard from two Human Resources Industry veterans on the Read More
Allies: 8 Ways You Can Support Women & Minority Businesses
Thoughts on Leadership as March ends. How Allies Can Support Minority Entrepreneurs, Founders, Women and Minority Leaders. Earlier this month, around International Women’s Day, I saw a LinkedIn post that caught my attention. A woman entrepreneur had crossed out “female” in the oft-used phrase “I am a female founder”. The post made its way in my network and I saw comments ranging from “we’re not there yet” to “let us Read More
The Digital Divide in Silicon Valley’s Backyard?
Several months ago my middle school daughter and I traveled out of town to enjoy a different environment. From a home in Seattle, I worked virtually and she attended remote school. On the first day, we found the Wi-Fi connection strength very poor and panicked as my daughter struggled to dial into her first class. When she did get in, the connection lagged or online tools didn’t work or she was kicked out of Read More
Sustainable Food for People, Planet, and Profits
How Innovation is Making the Food Business More Environmentally Friendly Guest Blog by Doug Silverstein, Thrive Alliance What a brilliant display of food innovation at the September 24, 2020 Thrive Environment & Sustainability (E&S) Community and Social Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) co-sponsored panel – Sustainable Food for People, Planet, and Profits: How Innovation is Making the Food Business Read More
The Business of Affordable Housing: Successful Nonprofit & Business Innovation and Collaboration to Address a Bay Area Crisis
The need for affordable housing in the Bay Area was a crisis before the onslaught of the COVID pandemic and the resulting economic recession. The situation become more dire as time goes on, particularly since talks in Congress still are stalled on a new economic relief package. The Social Impact Advisory Group asked experts in the area of housing—nonprofit leaders, real estate developers and investors—about the Read More
Investing in Women: A Direct ESG Approach
Closing the Network Gap for Women and Minority owned businesses First, the entrepreneur’s viewpoint on investing in women Since women represent 50.8% of the population in the U.S., I never thought about investing in women as both necessary and as a gender equality approach. It was not until I was more seasoned in my career that I began to see why - there are very few women in senior positions in the world of Read More
