“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.” – Maya Angelou
I have always loved this quote. It’s one I often share with my daughter, as it speaks to determination, optimism, hard work, relentlessness, and courage. I see this sentiment applying not just to individuals, but to organizations driving positive change. This quote reminds us to take ownership of our lives and our missions, to grab the steering wheel. It doesn’t just say that you can make things happen; it demands that you do it. This proactive stance aligns perfectly with our vision for Raphael House.
I am the Board Chair of Raphael House, the oldest family homeless shelter in San Francisco. On behalf of Raphael House, I am writing to you today to let you know that we are grabbing the world by the lapels. And the world is responding.
- We continue to achieve our goals, aligned with our core mission of helping families experiencing homelessness secure stable housing and achieve financial independence. Over the past five years, 87% of families in our residential shelter have found stable housing, and 94% have successfully maintained stability through our Bridge Program.
- We just had our highest earning fiscal year ever.
- We just had our highest grossing gala ever, crossing the $1M mark for the first time.
- We strengthened our financial position by selling an ancillary building for $1.7 million dollars, securing our organization’s future.
- We expanded our already robust Board of Directors and our deeply connected Executive Leadership Council (ELC).
- For the first time in our storied history, we sought, and received, approval for significant funding contributions at both the federal and city level (stay tuned!).
Our house is in order, and our house is thriving. This makes it a wonderful time for us to embark on the task of hiring our next leader, our next Executive Director. As you learned in an email last week, Marc Slater is moving on. Marc has dedicated over eight years to Raphael House– half of that time as our Director of Development and half as our Executive Director. He led us through challenging times and leaves us in great shape. I want to personally recognize and thank him for that. Marc has graciously agreed to stay on as an advisor during our transition and will continue to support the mission of Raphael House forever.
I’d also like to recognize the entire Raphael House community—our dedicated staff, supporters, and the families we serve. Your collective contributions have been instrumental to our successes, and we deeply appreciate your ongoing commitment to our mission.
Now, let’s look to the future:
- We have formed an Executive Director search committee, led by Vice Chair of the Board, Heather Sager.
- We have a comprehensive transition plan in place, led by Board member Charlie McEachron.
- We’ve hired Koya Partners, a top-notch executive search firm, to lead our recruiting efforts. Their team has extensive experience in placing executives with San Francisco nonprofits.
- We have partnered with the senior staff members of Raphael House in our efforts to define the key characteristics and objectives for our next Executive Director.
Our next leader will be inspired by the great work done by all, and excited to join a connected and thoughtful group of people, all of whom work in support of our core mission. Our next leader will guide us in accelerating forward, launching us into the future, and creating a better and more impactful version of what we are today. Our next leader will be chosen in collaboration with the staff and will be offered the assistance of dozens of people on day #1, from staff to the Board to the ELC to the gala committee to each of our generous donors.
We cannot wait. Full speed ahead.
Tom Poser
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