UPCOMING EVENTS
Live from NYC
YANA Town Halls provide an ideal opportunity for mission-driven alums to meet each other and exchange ideas and information to help achieve social impact. These events occur live at the Yale Club in New York City AND are accessible via Zoom. Join us from anywhere!
If attending in person, join us after the program in the Main Lounge to convene and connect over cocktails. You don’t need to be a member of the Yale Club to join us!
Register now for this September event:
From the Congo to Connecticut: Inspiring and Supporting Youth Through Action
Sept. 25 | 6:30pm ET – In-Person (Yale Club of NYC) & via Zoom
Join us at the September Live from New York Town Hall for an inspiring discussion between Jeannot Basima ‘27, founder of the Jeannot Basima Basketball Camp and Foundation (JBF) in Goma, Congo, and Josiah Brown ‘92, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocacy (CASA).
Jeannot and Josiah will share insights on empowering at-risk youth through sports and advocacy. This conversation will explore how meaningful change is created and how Yalies across generations are collaborating to transform youth development–from the basketball courts of Goma to the courtrooms of Connecticut. Don’t miss this impactful exchange of ideas and inspiring duo!
Alison Cole ‘99, new Yale Alumni Association Executive Director, will join us. Andrew Burgie ‘87, YANA Board Member will be the guest host.
Meet the Experts: YANA Social Impact Conference and Awards Luncheon
Register Now! The YANA conference is your chance to scale your impact and grow your network while learning about the latest trends and best practices in advocacy, fundraising, strategic planning, AI, and more. Tickets will sell out to this intimate 200 participant event. Register today to reserve your spot.
CONFERENCE PANEL
Maximizing Individual Giving:
Best Practices for Success
Securing individual donations is crucial with 67% of last year’s $557 billion in donations coming from individuals. It’s also highly competitive. Non-religious organizations received 76% ($284 B), but the funds are spread across many sectors, making it difficult for your cause to break through.
Attend our expert panel to learn best practices for soliciting individual gifts. Gain insights on legacy gifts, social media strategies, and other proven tactics to increase donor support and build lasting donor relationships.
Rachel Hamalainen (moderator) is a Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising where she partners with advocacy and education institutions to lead transformational fundraising campaigns with goals ranging from $10 million to $1 billion. She developed a growth plan for the Campaign Legal Center, resulting in its largest-ever donation. She also counseled the NAACP on its $600 million campaign and led major gift strategy for Carnegie Council’s record-breaking campaign. Prior to CCS, Rachel worked at the Open Society Foundations, coordinating funding on government accountability and civic engagement. She holds an MPA from NYU Wagner and a BA from Amherst College.
John Bacon ’85 is the Deputy Chief Development Officer for Planned Giving at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a position he has held since September 2017. Previously, he served as the Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library for 14 years, raising over $750 million in that time. John has a strong background in trust and estates law and has worked in museum and historic preservation fields. He serves on the boards of the Historic Districts Council and AFS-USA, and is a graduate of Yale College, the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program, and Temple Law School.
Maria Griffin is the Chief Advancement Officer at DREAM, overseeing its fundraising and donor engagement strategy. With extensive nonprofit fundraising experience, she previously served as Vice President at CCS Fundraising, managing campaigns for organizations like UNICEF and Texas Children’s Hospital. Earlier, Maria worked at Teach For America and Leadership for Educational Equity, and served as a political coach for over 30 candidates, helping current and former teachers run for local office across the country. A Vanderbilt University graduate, she resides in Brooklyn and enjoys Broadway musicals and live music.
Marc Ruben ’02, Partner at M+R, has 20 years of experience launching fundraising, marketing, electoral, and volunteer programs for nonprofits. His clients include Planned Parenthood, NRDC, SEIU, Indivisible, Fight for $15, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam America, and the American Cancer Society. In the early days of Internet organizing, Marc helped MoveOn.org organize one of the first digitally-driven national days of action. He also spent two years working on policy and communications around alternatives to incarceration and a year singing in professional choirs and playing guitar for babies.
When you register for the conference, you will be able to attend three of the following conference panels:
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- Diversifying Your Income for Financial Stability
- Strategic Planning: Unpacking Best Practices
- Measuring and Conveying Your Impact
- Maximizing Individual Giving: Best Practices for Success
- Advocating for Results: Tools to Encourage Government Response
- Staying Ahead of the Curve: AI and Mission Delivery
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For more information including a conference schedule and speaker information visit our conference website.
Sponsorship opportunities are available and enable you and your organization to play a vital role in fostering positive change.
Thank you to our sponsors, a wonderful group of
big-hearted social impact leaders!
YANA INSIGHTS & CONNECTIONS
Yale SOM’s Meng Impact Investment Fund Reaches Significant Milestone!
Yale School of Management’s student-run Meng Impact Investment Fund has made its first investment. The fund has taken a $50,000 stake in Ezra, a California-based financial technology company founded by Dashell Laryea ’15. Ezra helps companies provide Emergency Savings Accounts (ESAs) to hourly workers, promoting wealth-building among a vulnerable workforce, helping to address the racial wealth gap. Ben Ringel ’25, a member of the fund’s Financial Inclusion Team, shared that this initial investment was “…very fortuitous” that it went to a fellow Yalie.
More about Meng
Launched in 2023, with support from Leon Meng ’97, the Meng Impact Investment Fund is SOM’s first student-run investment fund. It offers hands-on learning opportunities for students interested in achieving societal impact through market-based financial tools. The fund aims to deliver competitive financial returns, achieve positive and measurable impact, and create a community of impact-oriented leaders.
The Meng Impact Investment Fund represents a significant step in Yale SOM’s commitment to developing future leaders in impact investing. The fund’s structure includes:
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- A management team of six SOM students
- Four “deal” teams focusing on healthcare, climate, education, workforce development, and financial inclusion
- More than 40 students from various Yale graduate schools participating in deal teams
- Faculty advisors from SOM’s International Center for Finance
- An Investment Committee comprised of alumni
- An advisory committee of 12 mid-career investment professionals
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Philanthropy’s Failure to Innovate: Costs, Pitfalls and a New Approach
The Innovation Imperative in Philanthropy
In an ever-changing philanthropic landscape, innovation is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a necessity for survival and success. As Karen S. Cochran, founder of Philanthropy Innovators, points out in her recent Forbes article, the failure to innovate in philanthropy comes with significant costs and pitfalls.
Organizations that resist change face several risks like diminishing relevance, reduced competitive edge, and missed growth opportunities. As donor preferences shift towards more engaging and transparent giving experiences, traditional approaches may become obsolete. With more donors entering the field, organizations slow to adapt may struggle to differentiate themselves and become irrelevant. Furthermore, failing to embrace new technologies and practices can limit an organization’s reach and impact. Organizations that adhere to outdated methods become inefficient leading to higher operational costs and waste.
The Benefits of Innovation
Embracing innovation can lead to amplified impact, optimized performance, stronger donor connections, and enhanced talent development. Innovative approaches can make organizations more agile and resilient in the face of changing expectations and external shifts. Effective storytelling and immersive experiences can set an organization apart in a competitive landscape. Better conveyance of mission impact can attract a broader range of donors, especially major contributors. Diverse teams with varied expertise are better equipped to innovate and address complex challenges.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
To begin building an innovative culture, Cochran suggests assessing your organization’s willingness to navigate change. Additionally, engage major donors and board members in discussions about innovation and use guided questions in team meetings to spark innovative thinking.
Remember, as Steve Jobs said, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity—not a threat.” By treating innovation as a basic survival skill, philanthropic organizations can ensure their relevance, impact, and long-term success in an ever-evolving sector.
YALIES IN SOCIAL IMPACT
Nonprofit Spotlight: Amandla Development
Amandla Development empowers South African youth by ensuring equal access to quality education. Amandla means “the power Is ours.” At its heart that is what Amandla does: builds the capacity of grassroots organizations working in education to maximize their impact. Chaired by Rahul Prasad ’87 PhD, Amandla focuses on creating cohesive efforts to tackle the social challenges that hinder learning and improve schools.
By establishing an intermediary layer to coordinate collective impact, Amandla identifies and scales successful initiatives, ensuring more students benefit from effective programs. Recently featured at the July 30 Board Match event, Amandla is expanding its board of directors. Interested individuals should reach out directly to Rahul to express their interest.
