Berklee Sati
Philanthropic Partnerships Associate
Why do you do what you do?
I can’t imagine not working to make the world a better place.
What drew you to the foundation?
A friend of mine/mentor/former colleague works here. When I asked him for career advice, he told me how great San Francisco Foundation is and that there was a position he thought would be a good fit for me. One of the first pages I visited on the SFF website was the staff page; I was impressed by the diversity of people working here, and honestly that diversity, especially so many people of color in management positions, is what initially drew me in. I wanted to work in an organization that is walking its talk on equity and creating tangible change for the Bay Area.
How would you describe your role?
Most community foundations give money out from their own funds and from local individuals, but one of the unique things about SFF is that we also raise funds from other philanthropic organizations to support specific programs housed here. I support those fundraising efforts in many ways, from creating a communications strategy, to helping improve our data systems, to getting my colleagues trained and excited about using Salesforce, to helping write and edit grant proposals and reports.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by being a mom, and by being a survivor of intimate partner violence. Although I don’t identify as a person of color, I’ve faced some serious hurdles trying to create a safe and secure life for my son and myself, and that’s with my privilege as a college-educated, middle-class, white woman. This has given me immense amounts of frustration, but also deep empathy for others. Knowing how hard the system is to navigate even with privilege, I can only imagine what it’s like to be operating in a system specifically designed to keep people from achieving success. I’m also very inspired by my training in Expressive Arts Facilitation. I see a lot of possibility in using the practice to support social change makers as well as others facing life challenges. And more than anything, I’m inspired by my son and his endless creativity and resilience.