Is your nonprofit financially resilient? Can it survive the onslaught of crises after crises and still fulfill its philanthropic mission? Are its funding needs matching its funding sources? Or does it fight for survival every time an unexpected, external event occurs? While assessing true resilience requires a deep dive into an organization’s financials, program operations and administrative policies and procedures, Read More
Cracking Your Imposter Code: How to Find Your Authentic Voice as a Nonprofit Leader
At our monthly Social Impact Advisory Group meeting, we heard from Human Resources leadership expert and executive coach, Paul N Larsen, who showed our group actionable ideas Nonprofit Leaders can take to integrate and celebrate our “imposter” in our everyday lives. The following presentation was edited for length and clarity in printed format. Stephanie Shaterian In our Social Impact Advisory Group, we tend Read More
Social Impact Leaders Series: Can Technology Save the Homeless Epidemic with Jonathan Parkhurst, Seekhaven
The Social Impact Leaders Series is a collaboration between Fairlight and The Silicon Valley Podcast, spotlighting groundbreaking philanthropists and social entrepreneurs who are striving to elevate communities, improve the economy and protect the earth. These discussions are summarized and edited excerpts from interviews conducted by Shawn Flynn with social impact leaders we think you should know about. Next in the Read More
Women’s Economic Empowerment: Committed Citizens Making Changes
We have found that the damaging social and economic aftershocks from the pandemic has many people asking themselves, “How can I serve my community? How can I make a difference?” One way both Katharine and I have worked to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women is by serving and supporting our local Commissions on the Status of Women. The original Commission on Status of Women (CSW) was established in Read More
Nonprofit Boards: Learn to Build Them Well
At our monthly Social Impact Advisory Group meeting, we heard from nonprofit governance and leadership expert, Mary Hiland, who empowered our group with understanding why boards matter, spotting the source of most board trouble and how to recruit and develop boards. Our host, Stephanie Shaterian, moderated audience questions which are also provided in this article. The following presentation was edited for length and Read More
Demystifying Legacy Nonprofit Giving with Lori Kranczer
With so much uncertainty in philanthropic giving due to the pandemic, the Social Impact Advisory Group spoke with Lori Kranczer, the CEO and Founder of Everyday Planned Giving, about how legacy giving can broaden a nonprofit’s donor base and build stronger engagement with existing donors. Leveraging 20 years in the nonprofit space as an attorney and consultant, Lori has created and managed several substantial Read More
Social Impact Advisory: Trends in Nonprofit Philanthropy
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
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
