Meet the Team: My Nonprofit Journey - Marisa Andreazza

Welcome to our Meet The Team series, where each month we will introduce a 
member of the Charity Navigator team to our readers. Millions of visitors come to 
Charity Navigator annually, and they may be surprised to learn that we're a staff of 24! 

We often proudly state that we are a "small yet mighty team"-- achieving a lot with the resources we have, while staying focused on our mission. We are extremely honored to be a part of the nonprofit community where our footprint (and our ratings!) have expanded, and we are incredibly appreciative of the support received from our donors and users, nonprofits, and funders. We hope this series will be enlightening and entertaining. Click here for other profiles.

My name is Marisa Andreazza, and I have been a part of the Charity Navigator team for a little over two years. Prior to joining Charity Navigator, I was able to get a taste of the nonprofit sector by volunteering and by working as an intern as I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. As an intern for organizations in the environmental space, I assisted with a bit of everything –from working on targeted advocacy campaigns, to helping with non-profit administration.

Midwest Food Bank: Putting people first, and leading with their volunteers

Many great nonprofits are built on incredible volunteer programs. Not only do volunteers deliver operational efficiencies (free labor!) but they are also the best donors (per Fidelity Charitable, volunteers donate 10x more over their lifetimes and over 60% of donors volunteered last year).

Great volunteer programs share a number of attributes, including…

• Engaging a cross-section of the local community (ages, court-ordered volunteers, organized groups, companies and more)
• High number of return volunteers
• Hiring policies that consider current volunteers

But more than that, great volunteer programs have great volunteer managers and great volunteers. Today, we at Golden, introduce you to two.

Emerson College Students Create a Diverse Book Campaign for Boston Public Schools While Studying Charity Navigator's DEI Goals

Charity Navigator is committed to promoting a more equitable social sector by encouraging both nonprofits and donors to consider aspects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in their decision-making. 

Our multifaceted approach includes evolving our ratings to assess key measures of equity, generating Hot Topics to help donors support organizations founded by diverse leaders dedicated to bridging inequities, and partnering with nonprofits to better tell the story of the unmet and often misunderstood needs that uniquely impact underserved communities. 

We’re proud to highlight On The Same Page, a campaign run by Professor Cathryn Edelstein and students enrolled in the Nonprofit Communication Management Program at Emerson College. Through the campaign, they have spearheaded an effort to provide diverse literature to Boston Public schools.

How does it feel to seldom see your identity represented in a story you read? What does it mean to your self-esteem if someone with your skin color, your family’s background, your disability, or someone that speaks your language is missing from the literature in your school’s library?  Plain and simple, “I - and my experiences - don’t matter.”

Looking ahead to a second year of COVID-19 giving

Entering year two of the COVID-19 pandemic with 115 million cases worldwide (29 million in the United States) and 2.6 million deaths (nearly 525,000 in the US), it is still difficult to understand the toll this pandemic has taken on all our lives.

The pandemic continues to overwhelm health care, societal and economic infrastructures. In the US, even with a renewed focus on providing support for pandemic recovery, there is still confusion about how best to address viral spread and its downstream effects  such as mental health, economic and social unrest. Finally, there is concern on a global scale about how to ensure equitable vaccine distribution. 

Restoring Earth for 2021: Locally & Globally

Earth and our efforts to conserve it are far too important to be observed on just one day. We consider all of April, Earth Month, a time to renew our focus on preserving, caring for, and honoring our planet. Earth Day’s importance has become more critical beyond one day. With a wealth of valuable information online surrounding the day, exploring its meaning, impact, and ways to get involved, we wanted to include several links here to guide your reading for Earth Day 2021 on April 22.