Josephine Schultz: Getting Started with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits
Through the LSB Community Fellows program, I have had the opportunity to intern with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, also known as SVCN. SVCN is an “advocacy and training network of nonprofits” that empowers nonprofits through policy research and advocacy, partnerships, and leadership development. There, I work as the Policy Intern in which I research and advocate for local policy that affects the Silicon Valley community and the nonprofit sector. Specifically, I have been working in the social issues of housing affordability, homelessness, and early childhood education and childcare.
SVCN graciously gave me the opportunity to participate in two candidate forums on housing affordability in the Bay Area. Despite the economic prosperity of Silicon Valley, housing prices have soared and forced many to leave their homes in the Valley. As a direct result, homelessness is an epidemic that quickly needs a sustainable solution. Along with helping with set up of the forum, I took notes on what the local candidates had to say about how they would solve this crisis through policy and advocacy. The candidates are running for state senate, state assembly, and local council. Though they differed on their answers, they all agreed that housing in Silicon Valley needs a dramatic solution.
On October 24th, SVCN hosted its annual fundraising event called “Be Our Guest.” It is a luncheon in which local celebrities volunteer as servers and work for “tips” which are donations to SVCN. The heart of the event is the pumpkin auction. In preparation, organizations decorate pumpkins with beautiful or comedic designs, or in theme of relevant popular and political culture. I personally designed a Nightmare Before Christmas themed pumpkin that I was quite proud of. Prizes and awards are given out to individuals and organizations who greatly impacted the community this year; as well as those who created the best pumpkins. It was an amazing experience to see how nonprofits and nonprofit allies can unite and support each other through this event.