With some creative thinking, a nonprofit’s board member was able to forge a nonprofit partnership that advanced two causes that she cared deeply about.
Board members are a vital resource for nonprofits: In addition to their responsibility for governance, they each bring unique perspectives and experiences to enrich the growth of nonprofit organizations and partnerships.
A strong, involved board can transform an organization and take its work to new heights. Staff who collaborate with board members to find the unique strengths and connections of each person are enriching their organization.
This is the story of a board member going above and beyond, making connections, and contributing to the work of two organizations she is passionate about at once.
Meet Natasha Piñeiros
Natasha Piñeiros grew up in Ecuador and moved to New Jersey at 13 years old. She finished high school and decided to go to community college. Then — as a first-generation college student — she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees.
After college, she began a job as a Dean of Scholar Support at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. In that role, Natasha discovered that an organization that goes beyond the money and provides comprehensive support to its members was work that really made an impact.
When Natasha later joined the board of directors of Mary’s Pence, she found a nonprofit that aligned with her values. Mary’s Pence funds women-led organizations and groups working for social change in the U.S., Central America, and Mexico.
As a new board member of Mary’s Pence, Natasha was ready to make a difference.
A High Achiever in Pursuit of Education
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation opens doors for low-income, high-achieving students to access a quality education. Before she began working for the Cooke Foundation, as a student, Natasha had received a scholarship recipient from their program.
With that scholarship, Natasha was able to choose what she wanted to study and where she wanted to go to college — and graduated with no debt. She then received her graduate degree in higher education, student affairs, and international education policy.
After dedicating six years of her life to her education, she then decided she wanted to do transformational work in higher education.
Natasha was at a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation event as an alum when she learned about an open position as a Dean of Scholar Support.
With experience working in both two-year and four-year colleges, as well as dedicated time spent volunteering in her local community, she accepted the position in 2022, and was excited to be a part of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation again — now as a staff member.
Earlier in 2022, she had also heard from her friend Laura Hoyos about Mary’s Pence, a multifaith organization that invests in women in the United States, Mexico, and Central America by funding community initiatives and fostering collaborations to create social change. Mary’s Pence accomplishes their work through two programs.
The first program is Mary’s Pence Grants, which funds women-led grassroots organizations in the U.S. that work to challenge unjust systems that affect the lives and communities of women.
The second is the ESPERA (Economic Systems Providing Equitable Resources for All) program, which invests in women in Central America and Mexico, by providing accompaniment in business skills and entrepreneurship, strengthening leadership, family farming, and emotional wellness.
“I saw this creative organization committed to making an impact,” Natasha said. “By creative, I mean it’s not just in Minnesota, it is national. Mary’s Pence is creative in funding ESPERA. I’m from Ecuador — and being in this country as a young immigrant has shaped my experience of how I see the inequalities people experience.”
In 2022, Natasha became a Mary’s Pence board member.
Making Connections Between Two Organizations
Soon, Natasha made connections about the impacts made by both the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and Mary’s Pence. While these nonprofits function differently and serve different communities, they do have one thing in common: They go beyond money.
A Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship provides responsible monetary support: They understand that first-generation college students need extra support to navigate the complexities of higher education.
Scholars get a dedicated educational advisor to guide them through their college experience. They also have access to the Cooke Scholar Network, where alumni serve as mentors and open doors to career opportunities.
The scholarship has three different programs:
- Young Scholars
- Undergraduate Transfer
- College Scholars
Their “Last Dollar” scholarship covers housing, tuition, fees, books, and miscellaneous costs. The scholarship programs also offer a summer internship stipend, where the scholar can intern at a nonprofit while being paid by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
Mary’s Pence goes beyond the money in their two programs:
- Mary’s Pence Grants Program in the U.S.
- The ESPERA Program in Central America and Mexico
Mary’s Pence awards grant up to $7,500 to small, women-led grassroots nonprofits focused on social justice action and long-term sustainable change in their community.
Grantees are eligible for a mid-cycle capacity-building grant of up to $750. Mary’s Pence accompanies grantees on their social justice journey with informational webinars, potential funders details, nonprofit management resources, a mid-cycle check-in meeting, and more.
Finally, Mary’s Pence hosts an annual Grantee Gathering, bringing together new grantees for a multi-day event centered on connection, learning, and rejuvenation.
The ESPERA program supports 14 partner organizations led by women in Central America and Mexico. Mary’s Pence has local staff in Central America to assist in devising actionable plans tailored to each organization’s goals.
Collaboration with ESPERA partners allows for various support, including workshops and regular staff visits. The program’s approach, rooted in four foundational pillars — economic initiatives, women’s leadership, organic farming, and emotional wellness — is flexible and responsive to the unique needs of each group.
Destination: Collaboration
When Natasha was at the Mary’s Pence Annual Board Meeting in October 2023, she had an idea after a meeting about donor groups and a brainstorming session about non-monetary donations.
As the grants committee brainstormed ways to assist grantees with capacity building, Natasha saw a way that her work at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation might help.
In her role as Dean of Scholar Support, Natasha often works with Cooke Scholars seeking career development through unpaid internship opportunities, which allow them to apply for the Foundation’s generous stipend. As a board member, she heard about Mary’s Pence grantees who needed additional people to help with the work — some with specialized skill sets — but could not afford to pay them.
Realizing that both organizations’ needs could be met, Natasha connected with Erin Rodriguez Williams, Grants Program Manager at Mary’s Pence, and suggested connecting Cooke Scholars with internship opportunities with Mary’s Pence grantees.
Working together, Natasha and Erin produced a plan that would prepare Mary’s Pence grantees for hosting Cooke Scholars as interns, ensuring that the internship structure would meet the requirements for the summer internship stipend.
Erin talked about the collaboration: “Natasha understood the capacity-building needs of Mary’s Pence grantees and the internship requirements Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholars would need to fulfill to be eligible for the stipend. She worked closely with me to make sure that grantees had the information they needed to determine if hosting a Cooke Scholar was the right decision for their organization/group, and then to support the grantees who decided to offer one or more internship opportunities. All the way through, she has been thoughtful, collaborative, and willing to listen and to problem-solve.”
Together, Erin and Natasha developed a collaboration that benefits both organizations; a summer internship increases capacity for Mary’s Pence grantees to get the work done and gives Cooke Scholars an incredible opportunity to see the inner workings of a grassroots nonprofit and build career skills.
Keep this story in mind when interviewing and electing new board members. When board members are creative, driven, and passionate about their work, they can surprise you with their contributions.
Connections that board members have in their network could be unexpectedly helpful, or a board member may have something in common with a major donor that could deepen their relationship and be closer to a large gift.
Create an opportunity in your board interview process to review hobbies, university affiliations, and any mentoring programs your potential board members may be involved in.
Get to know your board members beyond their work at the organization they govern and understand who they are. What you may learn may launch your organization to new heights.
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About the Author
Brianna Olson-Carr is the Development Manager at Mary’s Pence. She attended Augsburg University and St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota. She is a non-profit fundraising professional committed to creating social change.