Q&A Spotlight with Community Council Member Rebecca Alvarez

Earlier this week one of YNPN San Diego's Advisory Board Co-Chairs (Mariel Berry) had the opportunity to talk with Rebecca Alvarez, one of our Community Council members to ask her a few questions and learn about what motivates her to be part of the San Diego non-profit community.

Mariel Berry: What is your current role in the nonprofit community?

Rebecca Alvarez: I am Executive Director and one of the founders of NP Strategies, a nonprofit strategy consulting organization here in San Diego. I'm also on YNPN's Community Council and a volunteer at my son's school.

MB: How did you come to be involved with nonprofits?

RA: I have been involved with nonprofits as a volunteer since my youth, but professionally I first became involved when I was doing management consulting in the for-profit sector. One of my clients (for a merger/acquisition project) was a large ($150 million) nonprofit in Washington D.C. It was a very interesting/challenging project and peaked my interest in the nonprofit sector. Working with San Diego nonprofits began when I made a career transition from the for-profit to nonprofit sector and began as the founding ED of NP Strategies.

MB: What motivated you to get involved with YNPN San Diego and their Community Council?

RA: I think its a great organization and plays an important role building a community/network of emerging sector leaders. I see it as one of the "infrastructure" organizations that plays a role in strengthening the nonprofit sector overall, and that is something I'm passionate about.

MB: How do you see YNPN San Diego impacting the nonprofit community?

RA: See above -- how I see it impacting the community is the reason I got involved -- connecting leaders with future leaders, future leaders with one another [etc.]....Also the listserve is a great resource because it serves as a central place for sharing information about what's going on in the sector.

MB: What advice would you give to emerging young professionals in the nonprofit sector?

RA:Don't focus your learning on what is specific to nonprofits -- there is plenty to learn there, but a LOT can also be learned about just general management, leadership and strategy -- topics that are not unique to the sector.

MB: Is there anything else that you would like to share about the YNPN San Diego network or the San Diego nonprofit community?

RA: Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the great words and unique perspective you have shared with us, Rebecca. We are lucky to have your experience and positive attitude cheering us on!

Signing off,

YNPNSD

As Classy As Ever

Would you believe me if I told you that one year ago a bunch of guys who decided to earn money by growing mustaches raised $42 million and gave it all away to support cancers affecting men? Well, it’s true.

An innovative charity, called Movember, challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache…yes, a moustache. Participants from around the world begin each November clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month.

According to Adam Garone of Movember, “The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised to support men’s health. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.” In case you weren’t taking notes, men + moustaches = BIG $ for charity. Now, before I explain why this idea is so striking to me, I’d like you to know where the merits of this unique initiative were espoused.

On Sunday, November 13, Mariel Berry and I presented an honor for Outstanding Young Nonprofit Professional at the 2nd Annual CLASSY Awards at San Diego’s Civic Theatre. This award show, hosted by local social fundraising company, StayClassy, recognized the top philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses, and individuals in eight major cities across the US. CLASSY Award winners included Nourishing NYC, who won for Charity of th

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Year, and San Francisco-based The Office of Letters and Light, who earned the award for Most Innovative Use of Social Media.

It was a distinct honor for YNPN San Diego to participate as a partner for this year’s award ceremony, and I for one was inspired by the compelling stories shared by each presenter and award winner.

As I sat with Mariel watching the show, one presenter that really stood out was Movember’s Adam Garone, who traveled all the way from Australia to San Diego to present at the CLASSYs.

I was taken aback when he told the story about sitting at a bar with a few “mates” who thought it would be really cool to bring back the moustache as an homage to the 70s. The first year, the guys all spent a month growing groovy moustaches and then had a party at the end of November to show them off. The next year they decided that rather than just growing moustaches to grow moustaches they would get friends, family, and colleagues to donate money to support their efforts. This money would be pooled together to support Australia’s Prostate Cancer Foundation.n That year –2004– 432 men earned $55 thousand to support the organization, which, as it happened, was the largest donation it had ever received.

The more I listened to Adam Garone’s story, the more I thought about the number of untapped fundraising opportunities that exist, and the value of infusing creativity and fun into raising money for local nonprofits. Often, we think only about the importance of cultivating major donors, which of course is essential, but as young nonprofit professionals we can follow the Movember model and take a fun activity and turn it into an opportunity to make a meaningful financial impact on a great cause. Just think, only seven year ago a $42 million fundraising initiative was nothing more than some friends sitting around a bar discussing the finer points of bringing the moustache back into fashion.

Is there something that you’ve laughed about with your friends that could be something more? Is there a fun activity that you enjoy that could be transformed into a major money maker for a local charitable organization? At the CLASSY’s I realized the importance of thinking outside the box, and I encourage you to do the same.

Written by Shana Hazan