SanFranthropic

New INFOGRAPHIC I made this week, to show some of the most...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:27:25 -0800

New INFOGRAPHIC I made this week, to show some of the most innovative and inspiring nonprofits and charities across the country! I hope you enjoy it!

Now&Zen Concert in Golden Gate Park - 9/25!

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:09:53 -0700

Now&Zen Concert in Golden Gate Park - 9/25!:

GooGooDolls and Michelle Branch, plus many more artists, play in the park for this huge, free concert for the city of San Francisco! I went to RadioAlice’s June concert and it was a blast… nothing beats drinking sangria on beach blankets and listening to live music in the masses!

And biggest perk of all? It’s benefiting the San Francisco Parks Trust and San Francisco Recreation and Parks! These are two organizations that need help desperately, so check out the booths at the concert, and remember that the free ticket leaves a little room for a friendly donation for the beautiful venue :)

Well, this is by far the most fattest yet fittest nonprofit...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:56:40 -0700

Well, this is by far the most fattest yet fittest nonprofit event I’ve ever heard off…

Attention all Biking/Cupcake Enthusiasts (I know there are PLENTY of you out here in San Francisco, cycling AND cupcake mecca of urban locales…):

The Tour De Cupcake is back in action for the long-awaited round two! On Sunday, October 9th, starting PROMPTLY at 1pm, the cycling tour begins throughout the city, as bikers weave through the streets in a scavenger-hunt-style alleycat race. In 2008, 400 cyclists showed up to ride, eat sweets at various “pitstop” locations, and rack up points by noshing on cupcakes and taking frosting shots! EEK!

The 2008 event raised over $2,000 for Bike Kitchen, a volunteer-run 501c2 nonprofit in San Francisco that helps people of all ages learn how to repair bicycles. This year, the race had to be capped at 300 riders, which sold out in less than 6 days (so be sure to keep an eye out for next years’ registration)!

Still want to be a part of this year’s event? Plenty of options there! Join racers, volunteers, friends and family at Sports Basement (Potrero) from 5-7pm for free beer, wine and snacks (not to mention 10% off all merchandise!!), or sign up to donate or volunteer as a cupcake pitstop worker! I can’t imagine that being a dull way to spend a Sunday afternoon…

For more information, please check out the Bike Kitchen’s site. Here’s to sweet cycling for a local nonprofit!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year Beats...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:27:27 -0700

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year Beats for Boobs is finding its roots and returning to the Bay for a charitable throwdown on October 14th!

In it’s 8th year, Beats for Boobs has raised money and awareness for the cause by hosting fashion shows in some of the hottest urban venues, including LA and Seattle. This year, the flagship event will return home to its city of origin, San Francisco, for an all-out feast of music, fashion, food and philanthropy at Mezzanine.

All proceeds of the event will benefit the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, Breast Cancer Fund, and Shanti.

Tickets and further details will be coming soon, so keep an eye out and check out beats4boobs.org as the date approaches!

Upcoming San Francisco Event!! The Nonprofit Cloud Computing...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:36:47 -0700

Upcoming San Francisco Event!!

The Nonprofit Cloud Computing Summit is coming to town towards the end of August, and it would be a shame to miss this action-packed day of tech learning!

Cloud systems make so much sense for nonprofits, with their unlimited storage space costing very cheap for unlimited solutions. This one-day workshop, which sprung from the organization’s 5-part webinar series, promises to be beneficial for EDs and nonprofit employees alike, to both learn new things and expand their tech savvy in the ever-changing technology sector, especially in the Bay Area.

This FREE all-day event on Monday, Aug 29th promises to…

Educate regarding the various Cloud solutions available and applicable to nonprofits, like email and office organization programs
Weigh the costs of a switch to Cloud computing solutions
Tips and tricks to identifying and avoiding Cloud computing risks

Please take advantage of this opportunity if time permits… could add some beneficial fluff to your organization!

Please Like Us on Facebook!

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:00:28 -0700

Hello Followers! SanFranthropic now has it’s own fanpage on Facebook! Want to check it out? Simply click on the Red F below our logo, and LIKE US PLEASE!

Good restaurants in the bay?? I'm dying to try something new! :)

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:54:16 -0700

I can definitely give a few recommendations in San Francisco! I’ll try to send a few per neighborhood that I love:

NorthBeach: The Stinking Rose (garlic restaurant) or Pellegrini, both on Columbus St. My favorite wine bar here is Dell’Uva on Green!

Marina: Bin38 is a great wine bar near Chestnut, good food too! Mamacita has amazing mexican food and a great bar atmosphere!

PacHeights: Dosa has AMAZING indian food, and is in the fun Fillmore district (my neighborhood!). Also, definitely try Dino’s for really relaxed atmosphere and great pizza and beer!

SOMA: So many to choose from… great happy hour at Cosmopolitan, and Palomino on the Embarcadero! Ritzy seafood at Waterbar (pretty pricey!), and great outdoor atmosphere at Paragon. Looking for a quick lunch bite? The Great American Grilled Cheese place is CLASSIC, so delicious! Oh, and 21st Amendment is a great brewery near the ballpark as well.

Hayes Valley: STACKS. So delicious… best breakfast spot. Definitely share a huge pancake with a friend.

Haight: Little Chihuahua has some of the best mexican food in the city, in my opinion… pretty cheap too. Toronado has an awesome beer selection as far as bars go, and there is a GREAT pizza place next door that hits the spot after a few drinks!

Castro: Awesome bento boxes and bottomless mimosas at Barracuda on Market.

Mission: I’ve only been a few places in the mission, but the ones I’ve been to I’ve loved! Tokyo GoGo had awesome sushi, and we followed it with huge specialty Martinis at Blondies down the street. Heart is also a great wine bar with yummy snacks.

I hope this helps! Happy eating/drinking!

San Francisco Fashion Week Kicks Off Today!

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:53:51 -0700

San Francisco Fashion Week Kicks Off Today!:

August 8th marks the start of San Francisco Fashion Week, hosted by Bay Area nonprofit SFFAMA (San Francisco Fashion and Merchants Alliance), an organization focused on business and technology education for fashion and creative industries.

This event, in multiple locations throughout the city, ends August 14th after a plethora of runway shows, fashion workshops integrated with Apple and Wix.com, and more techie fashion than SF is ready for! Get tickets now!

Today’s Bay Area Nonprofit SuperStar is The American Red...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:44:39 -0700

Today’s Bay Area Nonprofit SuperStar is The American Red Cross, who has recently pledged another $1 million of support to the Horn of Africa (read more details here)!

The dire state of affairs in Eastern Africa right now has been amplified by the significant shortage of water this year, as the Red Cross continues their partnership and commitment with the area that so desperately needs a helping hand.

The population of the Horn of Africa is struggling for survival on multiple levels. The shortage of food, water, resources and medicine are even more debilitating due to the overpopulation issues the region has struggled with for the past few decades. Children are fighting for their lives, parents are running out of options, and the elderly are barely hanging on. The area has pleaded for international intervention and aid, and thankfully the Red Cross is stepping up to the plate.

Feeling your heartstrings being tugged yet? DONATE HERE and do your part to contribute to the relief efforts via the American Red Cross!

(Photo courtesy of The Telegraph, UK)

This post is way overdue, however for those of you who have not...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:26:00 -0700

This post is way overdue, however for those of you who have not experienced the Gilroy Garlic Festival, mark it on your calendars NOW for next July 27-29!

As an Italian girl myself, raising money for charity by eating gourmet, GARLIC-BASED delicacies was a true treat. Top food items I tried: garlic ice cream, garlic fried green tomatoes, scampi, garlic peanut butter cup, and garlic stuffed mushroroms.

Other highlights: meeting Angelo Sosa from Top Chef, watching live cooking competitions on their extravagant main stage, and hearing loads of summer music and entertainment acts across their many stages!

The best part is that the Garlic Festical has raised over $8.5 million for local charities over the past 33 years! With tickets at $15 per person, and food reasonably priced for it’s scrumptiousness, totally worth the drive down south of San Jose!

Looking for some Iron Chef-like debauchery next weekend? Then...

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:07:48 -0700

Looking for some Iron Chef-like debauchery next weekend? Then check out the East Bay Food Fight, which is taking place in Oakland’s Pavilion at Jack London Square next Saturday July 23rd at 4:30pm!

What to expect? Loads of local delicacies, microbrews galore, and a little healthy competish between the top chefs going head-to-head! Dive into culinary demos, a live auction and lots of VIP sightings!

Best of all, this scrumptious shindig is benefiting St. Vincent de Paul’s Kitchen of Champions Culinary Training Program, an Oakland-based poverty outreach program worthy of such an epic event!

Tickets are starting at $40, and are selling out FAST, so make your move early!!

Today’s Bay Area Nonprofit Spotlight is on Room to Read, a...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:46:42 -0700

Today’s Bay Area Nonprofit Spotlight is on Room to Read, a San Francisco-based organization that is hell-bent on providing education in locales not accustomed to such literary attention.

Started by John Wood during his trip to Nepal in 2000, R2R sprung from an ex Microsoft exec’s passion for childhood literacy education. During his adventure, he came across many schools that lacked the necessary resources to succeed in providing a strong education to the youth.

Since 2000, R2R has transformed educational resource channels for millions of students across the world. With their growing team of staff in cities nationwide, and their achievable mission to conquer educational and gender inequality worldwide, they seem unstoppable.

The most likeable quality of this nonprofit, for me, is the corporate feel that this large nonprofit has fostered. With 450 employees worldwide, and 75 in San Francisco, it is difficult to tie together employees, volunteers and donors into a unified and succinct organization. However, they have a strong company culture with a very hands-on management team, which seems to be a winning combination for this undeniably important cause. This dynamic environment leads to low levels of internal turnover, and ultimately, a happy workforce.

Here’s to you, Room to Read! Keep doing what you do!

FYI - Check out this link to John Wood’s Twitter account… he’s always traveling somewhere and often has some interesting things to say about the sector!

Random Acts of Pizza

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:27:37 -0700

Random Acts of Pizza:

Just stumbled upon this article on CNN and found it a unique charitable outpouring! Way to be innovative, Reddit!

Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits: Here is the first book for...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:59:01 -0700

Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits: Here is the first book for our new series, The Nonprofit Book Club! This series will fully encompass the following titillating tidbits from my read:

Things I loved about the book
Things I did not love about the book
Top learnings from the read
Whether or not the information is realistically usable for a nonprofit
Do I recommend?!

This books seems to pack a powerful punch, and is right up my alley in the guerrilla marketing genre. It promises the Seven Golden Rules of Fundraising Success and many tangible ways to create change in an NPO, even with “tiny staffs and itty-bitty budgets.”

Stay tuned for Book Club reviews and updates, coming as soon as I hit my evening commute!

There are so many fantastic things I could say about...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:45:52 -0700

There are so many fantastic things I could say about Lovin’ Spoonfuls, the Boston-based nonprofit started by innovative ED Ashley Stanley. Her realistic goals and creative thinking (not to mention hard work!) have melded to form a charity that views healthy nourishment as a right, not a privilege. She has a great quote from this Boston Herald clip, where she says, “Being a truck driver, I’m not sure, is what I dreamed of being as a kid.” These words ring true, most likely, for anyone looking to get into nonprofit or charitable work, or especially for anyone who has dreams of starting their own from the ground up! Definitely a quick video that’s worth watching, and potentially emulating in San Francisco!

Side-note: Love that she’s driving down Newbury Street!

Strategy Behind Strategic Planning at Nonprofits

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:21:55 -0700

Strategy Behind Strategic Planning at Nonprofits:

BlueAvocado is a great source for nonprofit buzz, but is also a great site for helpful hints. While I have limited professional nonprofit experience, I have participated in the long and arduous process of strategic planning at small nonprofits. Check out this article when you get a chance, has some great best-practices for a less painful process!

Quick shout-out for the San Francisco Aids Walk, which will be...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:41:24 -0700

Quick shout-out for the San Francisco Aids Walk, which will be taking place in the city on Sunday, July 17th! Opening ceremony starts at 9:45am in Golden Gate Park. Most impressive: they’ve already raked in $1.08 million so far in 2011!!

Cheap and Cheerful - Using Social Media to Amplify your NonProfit!

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:27:56 -0700

I recently interviewed an HR employee of a Bay Area nonprofit, whose motto for the company was “cheap and cheerful.” Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I absolutely hate this statement. As someone who works in the for-profit sector, one of my biggest hesitations in moving over into the nonprofit world is that some nonprofits don’t know when to spend money and when not to.

Budgets seem to be a personal hell in the lives of most nonprofit employees, between the juggling of grant funding, donations and volunteer power. While I can sympathize, I have recently been brainstorming ways for nonprofits to become “profitable” enough to raise internal funds for things such as advertising, outreach, and even company culture. Until this idea is fully cooked, there are many additional FREE options for nonprofits to utilize, while still remaining “cheap and cheerful,” so to speak.

Next Tuesday (July 12), San Francisco is holding a full day event at the Zeum Theater in SOMA, entitled Building Business through Social Media. For the purposes of enlightening for-profit and non-profit businesses alike, this seminar will walk through the value of social media contests, client relationships and many other ways of leveraging your social media savvy into profit and success.

While tickets range from $99-$150 for the 5-hour event, this small cost should be worth it’s weight in gold. The free marketing possibilities that social media programs now afford to their users are immensely valuable. Learning the tips and tricks of the trade will not only elevate your business brand, but will also put you ahead of the curve in the long run! Especially for “cheap and cheerful” nonprofits, there is no better way to grow a committed following than cultivating an online community that trusts and values your mission.

"Unfreezing the Arts" at the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival this Weekend!

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:53:25 -0700

"Unfreezing the Arts" at the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival this Weekend!:

Check out the Castro Theater this weekend to support the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, a 501c3 in the Bay Area that is looking to elevate the independent film industry. This year marks the fifth anniversary of this fest, and will feature many raw works from the local SF Theater scene, including various verticals of hip hop & beat-boxing, fixed gear biking, mathematics, surfing, hilarious short, dramatic, documentary, and animated films. Definitely worth checking out, and tickets are still available via their site!

Greetings and Welcome!

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:30:00 -0700

Welcome to SanFranthropic, a blog and sharing platform that I hope will inform and educate the Bay Area about exciting news, events and happenings in the nonprofit sector. I will do my best to post daily updates on information I find, but I am also very open to collaboration here, and would love all of you nonprofit-loving San Franciscans to share their experiences and advice on here as well! I hope this space is useful and fun, and that together we can all lend a hand to and learn from some of the most innovative, exciting and much-needed charitable organizations within our community.