A NOTE TO OUR COMMUNITY
Dear YANA Community,
The headlines keep coming. Every day brings new challenges: policy shifts, funding uncertainties, communities in crisis. In moments like these, it’s easy to feel paralyzed by the scale of what needs fixing.
But the people in our community don’t freeze. They act. They’re leading nonprofits addressing healthcare access gaps, fighting for environmental justice, supporting vulnerable populations, building the infrastructure our communities need to survive and thrive. They show up every single day to do the work.
This newsletter gives you concrete ways to support them. Mentor a nonprofit leader navigating impossible decisions with shrinking resources. Guide a Yale student trying to figure out how to break into this sector. Share your summer internship and give someone their first real experience in mission-driven work.
These aren’t abstract acts of service. They’re how we strengthen the people doing the hardest work at the hardest time.
You don’t have to do it all. Pick one way to serve. Then show up.
Thank you,
The YANA Team
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On an organizational note, Kristin Urquiza is no longer with YANA. We are grateful for her contributions to YANA and to the broader social impact community, and we wish her well.
YANA’s mission and programming remain strong, and the Board is actively managing this transition. More updates will follow soon — thank you for your continued support. In the meantime, please reach out to Board Chair Rachel Littman with any questions.
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
February Town Hall: From City Hall to Foundation Leadership with Maria Torres Springer ’99
Feb. 25, 6:30pm ET| In-Person (NYC) & virtual via Zoom
Join us for our next Live From NY Town Hall on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 6:30 PM ET for an engaging fireside chat with Maria Torres Springer ’99, the newly appointed President of the Charles H. Revson Foundation. The conversation will be moderated by Lisa Sun ’00, founder and CEO of GRAVITAS and host of the GRAVITAS Podcast.
Maria brings a unique perspective shaped by decades of public service and leadership. Most recently, she served as Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce under New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Her career includes leadership roles at Enterprise Community Partners, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
We’ll explore key lessons and takeaways from Torres Springer’s time as Deputy Mayor, how foundations can effectively partner with government, areas where philanthropy should (and should not) intervene, bold ideas that are possible now that weren’t five years ago, and her vision for the Charles H. Revson Foundation’s future impact.
This is a hybrid event! Join us in person at the Yale Club of New York City for networking and conversation or tune in via Zoom from anywhere in the world. Please register via Zoom regardless of how you plan to attend. This helps us plan for the right headcount.
When: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 6:30 PM ET
Where: Yale Club of NYC & via Zoom (hybrid event)
Note: Please register via Zoom regardless of how you plan to attend—this helps us plan for the right headcount.
photos: Brian Hammerstein
Missed the January Town Hall? Watch the Recording
Feb. 25, 6:30pm ET| In-Person (NYC) & virtual via Zoom
Our January Town Hall, Inside Nonprofit Executive Search, brought together three distinguished experts for a candid conversation about how nonprofits find and retain transformative leaders.
Jack Lusk (President & CEO, Harris Rand Lusk), Dr. Marilyn Machlowitz (Senior Advisor, DRG Talent), and Melissa Madzel (Founder & Principal, Do Good Connections) shared insights on the evolving landscape of nonprofit leadership searches, how boards can work effectively with search firms, and how trends in diversity, equity, and inclusion are reshaping the sector.
Whether you’re a board member navigating a leadership transition, an executive exploring your next opportunity, or simply curious about how organizations build strong leadership teams, this recording offers practical guidance and insider perspectives.
The full recording is available now. Feel free to share with colleagues, board members, or anyone in your network who could benefit from these insights.
Share Your Summer Internship Opportunities
If your organization offers a summer internship, we’d love to help you reach Yale students who are exploring careers in social impact.
The YANA Student Chapter circulates internship postings directly to students across campus. With nearly two-thirds of Yale students involved in Dwight Hall or other social impact work, your opportunity will reach motivated, mission-driven students looking for meaningful summer experiences.
For many of us in this community, a summer internship was the entry point into nonprofit and social impact careers. Sharing your opportunity helps the next generation discover their path while giving your organization access to talented, committed students.
Submit your summer internship posting and connect with students who could be your organization’s future leaders. Deadline March 1, 2026.
Support a Student Now through the YANA-Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship
Now in its ninth year, the YANA-Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship Program provides funding to Yale students who desire to pursue a social sector career and who would otherwise be unable to pursue a nonprofit internship without financial support. YANA’s fellowship exists because our alumni community comes together every year to make sure these students can spend a summer pursuing their dreams in nonprofit and social impact work – every gift at any level helps!
Volunteers Needed: Nonprofit Mentorship Program
Nonprofit leaders are doing the work, but many are doing it without the support systems that make success sustainable. They need practical guidance on fundraising, board development, operations, and strategic planning. They need the kind of knowledge that comes from having done it before.
YANA’s Nonprofit Mentorship Program matches experienced professionals with nonprofit leaders for one-on-one support. The commitment is manageable: one 90 minute ZOOM roundtable (with pre-reading), focused on the specific challenges your mentee is navigating.
The impact is real. One recent mentee leads CHASOF, a youth literacy organization in Nigeria. After working with their YANA mentor, they launched a website, secured six months of book supplies for their programs, and started the process of registering as a 501(c)(3). As they put it: “Your checklist has become our North star.”
You’ve figured out things that someone else is struggling with right now. Your experience matters. Sign up to become a mentor and help a nonprofit leader navigate what you’ve already learned.
Mentor a Student Through YANA at Yale
Current Yale students are exploring nonprofit and social impact careers, but many don’t have a clear picture of what these paths actually look like. They’re wondering: How do I break into this sector? What early-career decisions matter most? Where should I look for meaningful summer opportunities?
YANA at Yale connects these students with alumni who can answer those questions from experience. As a mentor, you’re not committing to a formal program, just a few conversations per semester with a student who’s trying to figure out their path.
These conversations matter. Sometimes what a student needs most is to hear from someone who’s a few years ahead, doing work they admire, who can tell them honestly what to expect and how to prepare.
If you’re willing to share your experience and help a Yale student see what’s possible in this sector, sign up to become a student mentor.
Applications for Riley’s Way Call for Kindness Due March 1
Applications for Riley’s Way’s Call For Kindness close on March 1st, 2026. This is an opportunity worth sharing with young people in your network.
Riley’s Way supports young changemakers between ages 13-23 with funding up to $5,000 and participation in a Leadership Development Fellowship. The program funds projects that inspire kindness and strengthen local, national, or global communities.
This could be perfect for Yale students you’re mentoring, children of YANA members, or other young people in your life who are already doing the work or have an idea they’re ready to launch.
The application process is straightforward, and the program recognizes that meaningful change doesn’t always come from established organizations. Sometimes it comes from a teenager who sees a problem in their community and decides to do something about it.
If you know someone between 13-23 who’s working on something that matters, send them to callforkindness.org before March 1st.
Visit callforkindness.org for more information!
INSIGHTS & CONNECTIONS
BoardSource: Essential Governance Resources for Nonprofit Leaders
Strong nonprofit boards don’t happen by accident. They’re built through intentional practices, clear expectations, and ongoing development. BoardSource is the national leader in nonprofit board development, providing the tools and guidance organizations need to build effective governance.
Their signature resource, the Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, outlines the essential duties every board member should understand: determining mission and purpose, selecting and supporting the executive director, ensuring effective planning, monitoring programs and services, ensuring adequate financial resources, protecting assets and providing financial oversight, building a competent board, ensuring legal and ethical integrity, and enhancing the organization’s public standing.
Beyond this foundational framework, BoardSource offers practical resources on board recruitment, conflict of interest policies, board assessment tools, governance templates, navigating board-staff relationships, advancing diversity and inclusion, and succession planning.
Whether you’re serving on a board, leading an organization, or helping to strengthen nonprofit governance, BoardSource provides the resources to support your work.
Nonprofit Finance Fund: 2026 Trends Report
Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2026 State of the Sector Report captures what many nonprofit leaders are experiencing: increased demand for services colliding with funding pressures that make sustainable operations nearly impossible.
The report’s key findings are stark. Nonprofits are facing shrinking government funding, decreased donor retention, and growing needs in the communities they serve. At the same time, they’re being asked to do more with less, often without the flexible capital needed to build reserves, invest in staff, or plan beyond the next grant cycle.
Three trends stand out: the urgent need for flexible, multiyear funding that allows organizations to operate strategically rather than reactively, the critical importance of affordable housing and capital access for community-based organizations, and the growing recognition that nonprofits must be treated as essential operating partners in solving social challenges, not as charitable afterthoughts.
The report offers clear recommendations: diversify revenue streams, build operating reserves, and invest in staff development and retention. For nonprofit leaders navigating this challenging environment, this report provides both validation of what you’re experiencing and practical guidance for what comes next.
YALIES IN SOCIAL IMPACT
Jeff Kaiser ’12
After Yale, where he studied computer science, Jeff Kaiser ’12 turned his skills toward public-interest technology, eventually joining Propel, a venture-backed social enterprise focused on modernizing the safety net. As a senior product and engineering leader, he helps steward the Providers app, a mobile platform that allows SNAP recipients to check balances, track spending, and find low-cost financial tools and community resources—all on a smartphone. Jeff collaborates closely with nonprofits, public agencies, and policy advocates to ensure the product centers dignity, simplicity, and trust for users who are often overlooked by mainstream fintech. By marrying technical expertise with a deep commitment to economic justice, he exemplifies how Yale alumni can harness innovation to strengthen social protections and expand opportunity for families across the United States.
Share Your Yalie in Social Impact Nominee
Celebrate fellow Yalies making a difference! Tell us about a Yale in Social Impact we should consider featuring in our YANA newsletters. Use the form to nominate Yale alumni who are creating positive social impact through their work, service, or leadership. Whether they’re advancing equity, championing sustainability, or strengthening communities, we want to highlight their stories in upcoming YANA communications. Share a few details about their contributions and why they inspire you—the nomination only takes a few minutes.