Annual Report 2019

BECOMING

WE ARE SO PROUD TO BE PIVOTAL.

This was a tremendous year. We brought Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and TeenForce together to create Pivotal, the only Silicon Valley nonprofit that focuses exclusively on meeting the educational and career needs of foster youth. Our new name, brand, and identity reflect the urgency and commitment we carry when working with our youth. It’s opening new doors for us and the young people we’re so dedicated to serving.

Now, as one mighty organization, we’re on an exciting trajectory of growth with ambitious goals for the future. There are more youth who need us and we’re determined to reach them. With your continued support, in the coming year we’ll coach more young people than ever.

We’re building a bigger team, strengthening our organizational capacity, and deepening the level of service we offer to every youth who walks through our doors.

We can’t do it without you—our donors, partners, friends, and advocates. Pivotal wouldn’t be here without your generosity. As we look to the future, you will help us to ensure every young person has the opportunity to be happy and successful.

Our mission.

We support young people in and from foster care to realize their educational and career goals and ensure their equitable access to opportunity.

Our vision.

We envision a community in which every young person gets the education, career, and life they want for themselves.

THE PIVOTAL DIFFERENCE.

Imagine one young person’s journey.

Why we’re here.

More than 400,000 American kids are in foster care. Through no fault of their own, foster youth find themselves staring down obstacles most young people never have to overcome. Statistically, foster youth experience higher levels of homelessness, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, and have more trouble with the law. Being in foster care shouldn’t prevent them from determining the life they want.

Some of the realities of life as a high school and college foster youth:

Typically attends a different school for every year in high school.

Manages their own school, counseling, and therapy schedules, in addition to part or full-time work.

Experiences multiple social workers, many of whom hold overwhelming caseloads.

Grows up without parents or adult role models to guide them through the challenges of adolescence or preparing for a career.

What we do.

Pivotal works with foster youth to defy the odds stacked against them. We change the course of foster youths’ lives by serving as a one-stopshop for academic and employment coaching— supporting our youth with college scholarships, tutoring, paid internships, and professional development training. We listen to each youth’s vision for success, create a plan with them, and stick by them until they achieve their goals.

We begin working with youth as early as the 9th grade to give them the best chances for success. Our coaches lean in as key figures in the lives of each youth they work with. We teach them basic life skills like self-advocacy, time management, and interpersonal communication. Our programs empower youth and position them to be self-reliant, positive contributors to their communities.

THE EVOLUTION OF PIVOTAL.

Foster youth have been our focus for 20 years and counting. It’s hard to boil down our history, especially when we’re proud of every minute. But if you’re curious, here’s how we evolved to become Pivotal.

1989

A group of community members forms Silicon Valley Children’s Fund (SVCF) and manages the building of a children’s shelter in partnership with Santa Clara County. The 130-bed shelter provides a safe haven for our community’s abused and neglected children.

2000

Hoping to increase the rate of college-bound foster youth, SVCF starts a college scholarship program. Although a handful of youth qualify for the scholarship, we learn that many are significantly behind in school and don’t believe that college is for them.

2010

We launch a powerful academic coaching program for 9th-12th graders in partnership with Santa Clara County Office of Education and Department of Family and Children’s Services. The program earns a county-wide reputation for increasing the high school graduation rate among foster youth by 25 percentage points.

2013

SVCF develops a robust college-level academic coaching program to boost the college retention rate among foster youth. With the program in place, 89% of students stayed in school (up from 61%). A 10year pathway of academic support, from freshman year in high school to college graduation was born!

2015

As youth get closer to emancipation age, they ask us for employment support. We partner with TeenForce, a non-profit that delivers workforce development and paid internship opportunities. Our team considers combining academic and employment support into a single delivery model.

2017

SVCF and TeenForce merge into a powerhouse of academic and employment coaching, tutoring, workforce development, paid internships, and college scholarships. We begin expanding our corporate portfolio to offer more internships throughout Silicon Valley.

2018

We come into our own as Pivotal, a name that our youth chose to reflect the role that we play in their lives. We complete our first full year with youth voice on our board.

2019

Today! We’re serving more youth than ever as the only one-stop shop for academic and employment coaching in Silicon Valley.

THE PIVOTAL IMPACT.

After decades of developing, testing, and refining our programs and with you by our side—we know what it takes to get results.

75% of Pivotal scholars graduate high school, compared to only 50% county-wide.

95% are first to attend college in their families.

80% of Pivotal scholars are staying in college.

Pivotal scholars graduate college

10x the rate of other foster youth.

94% of Pivotal interns now have a positive professional reference when they apply for jobs.

OUR COACHES SERVE UP UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT.

In 2019 Pivotal coaches supported 514 youth–high school and college–across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

Pivotal coaches are experts at guiding youth towards education and employment success. They know the ins and outs of what it means to be in foster care, what youth need to realize their academic dreams, and how to match them to internships that align with their career goals. They are also key figures and role models in the lives of our youth.

Whether they are helping them to meet credit requirements, develop professional communication skills, or supporting them through a housing transition, one thing is for sure: our coaches are consistent and steady sources of unconditional support.

Just a few of the ways Pivotal coaches support the youth they coach:

In High School In College At Any Age

• Preparing and registering for the SAT/ACT

• Completing FAFSA

• Helping students complete college applications

“

• Transferring to a 4-year university

• Pursuing and maintaining financial aid

• Private 1:1 academic tutoring

• Building a profressional network

• Professional skills training

• Resume-building

• Paid summer internships

My Pivotal coach was the closest thing to a family I had while I was suffering the consequences of my own actions. I owe everything to you wonderful people. It sucks that to others you’re just a counselor or a coordinator. To me, you’re all life savers.

- Pivotal scholar

MEET FRANKIE

BEATING THE ODDS STACKED AGAINST HIM.

Frankie is a passionate artist and college freshman who dreams of a career in animation. He was removed from his mother’s care when he was 12 years old. Getting through the instability of life in foster care has been particularly challenging for Frankie because he is on the Autism spectrum, which makes it tough for him to adapt to constant change.

While he shuffled between six different social workers, one constant in his life, starting in high school, was his Pivotal coach Sue. They worked together to create a career road map, and complete applications for college, scholarships, and housing. Through this process, they figured out which college was the best fit for him. Frankie also participated in Pivotal’s robotics and website development courses through our STEM Program.

As his coach, Sue was in communication with all of the people on “Team Frankie,” including his social worker, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), therapist, and “big brother” from Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Despite the many odds stacked against him, Frankie has been a consistent 4.0 GPA student!

Today, he lives on campus at San Jose State University and enjoys all the new things that college has to offer like football games and student clubs.

Frankie continues to work with Pivotal and his new post-secondary coach Marlysha, who provides him unconditional support every step of the way.

Frankie catching up with his new post-secondary coach Marlysha (left) and his CASA Marilyn (right).

GIVING THEM THE TOOLS THEY NEED.

“

Everyone deserves someone who believes in them. The individuals I work with know that I’m always there for them, no matter what. Often, that trust is the first step in working towards their goals. At Pivotal, we model the skills they need to take them as far as they want to go.

One of the cool things about our post-secondary coaching program is the partnership we have with local community colleges. Thanks to this alignment, our Pivotal coaches spend time each week on campuses throughout Silicon Valley. This makes them more accessible to the youth they support.

Elijah Valdeolivar is one of these all-star postsecondary coaches, working with youth at West Valley and Mission Community Colleges. His kind and gentle demeanor is the perfect match to coaching at-risk and trauma-affected youth. Elijah is a constant in the lives of 30+ young people who range in motivation and talents, while navigating challenges like mental health and housing instability.

Abraham, one of the young people Elijah works with, has a variety of professional interests and has shifted his focus several times. “He’s been interested in plumbing, retail, animation, costume design, and now entrepreneurship as career paths.”

As a young person, finding your professional path and where you fit in isn’t easy. It’s even more difficult for foster youth who don’t have the direction and advice from a parental figure. That’s why Elijah’s thoughtful guidance and encouragement of Abraham is so critical. “Each time he suggests a new course, we talk about whether it’s a good fit for his personality and motivation and decide what steps and goals would be appropriate in that new pursuit.”

For example, when Abraham expressed an interest in drawing comics, Elijah gave him weekly “homework” assignments to motivate Abraham and guide him towards higher self-accountability. They explored storyboarding and character profiles together, visited comic shops, and even looked into courses at local community colleges.

The partnership between Elijah and Abraham has been life-changing. As the only constant for many of the young people he works with, Elijah’s ability to build trust and provide calculated and thoughtful academic and career coaching is truly invaluable.

OUR SCHOLARSHIPS SUPPORT THE GO-GETTERS.

89% of foster youth want to go to college but most can’t afford to.

Pivotal scholarship dollars are flexible, helping students pay the bills and cover everything from rent to books to child care to transportation. Because we want our scholars to graduate debt-free, our team works closely with students to help them apply for all the financial aid they’re eligible for as foster youth.

Our Scholarship Program helps young people feel like they aren’t alone in their educational journey. We’re always here, ready to listen and connect them to the resources they need.

Since 2000 we’ve awarded over $2.5M in scholarships making earning a college degree possible for foster youth.

In 2019

over $443,000

in scholarships was distributed to 161 scholarship recipients attending community college and 4-year universities in the 2018-2019 academic school year.

80%

of our community college students with the goal of graduating, transferred to a 4-year university or earned their AA.

“

My Pivotal scholarship was the difference I needed—I was able to focus on school and stay motivated to finish. I couldn’t have done it without Pivotal.”

- Pivotal scholar

I wanted a better future for myself and the scholarship went a long way towards helping me reach that goal. I feel like the sky’s the limit for me.

When Latif entered foster are at age 16, he was alone and disconnected from his family. Planning for his future felt like an impossible task. But he was determined to achieve a better life for himself. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at DeAnza Community College.

Even with the financial aid he received, he wasn’t able to make ends meet as a fulltime student in Silicon Valley. Thanks to Pivotal’s scholarship fund, Latif had money to help offset expenses like housing, books, and transportation to and from campus. His Pivotal coach helped him navigate the community college system, which can be tricky when you’re going at it alone. And when his internship seminar class required heavy writing, Latif asked Pivotal to pair him with a tutor to get the writing support he needed. With Pivotal’s help, Latif was able to focus his energy towards earning strong grades and meeting the transfer requirements for a 4-year university.

After successfully transferring to CSU Long Beach, he’s majoring in Criminal Justice. In 2019, Pivotal helped him get an internship at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, where he received invaluable, handson experience. Latif hopes to one day attend law school after he graduates.

THIS IS CONFIDENCE AT WORK.

Pivotal internships match young people from foster care to paid summer work experiences that align with their individual passions, skills, and career goals.

By age 24, the only former foster youth who are consistently employed, earning wages near the national average, are those that had a job while in the foster care system.

Only 25% of foster youth have work experience; that’s why our goal is to provide 100% of our youth with an internship opportunity in high school or college. Our Internship Program provides youth with the professional skills, career readiness training, and work experience they need to become competitive job candidates in Silicon Valley.

81

Pivotal high school and college students participated in a summer internship in 2019.

85% of internship supervisors would like to host a Pivotal intern again next summer.

$192,000

Estimated total earnings of our 2019 summer interns.

“

I learned so much in this internship. The words life-changing don’t do it justice.

- Pivotal intern

Andrea Tostado-Casillas started 12th grade with a superpower uncommon on a high school campus: She knew how to use Salesforce. She learned to use the CRM platform through a Pivotal summer internship at the Silicon Valley Organization.

“Although it started out as a complex system, I surprised myself at how well I learned to use it,” she said.

In summer 2019, Andrea completed another Pivotal internship, this time at Comerica. Working closely with the Comerica team, Andrea was integral to a major database migration project centered around Microsoft SharePoint—adding a second superpower to her resume!

“ Pivotal taught me how to operate in the business world. I learned to write a resume and craft professional emails, speak professionally to my supervisors, and most importantly–I know what I want for myself.

Andrea’s supervisor at Comerica, Jessica Grant, describes her as hardworking, detail-oriented, and positive. “Andrea is unique in that she does impeccable work and has an exceptional attitude— people like her are very hard to come by. I’d serve as a professional reference anytime. We’re big fans of Andrea!” So, when it was time to get a job during her freshman year at Sonoma State University, she didn’t think twice about what type of opportunity she would look for. While many of her friends took jobs in campus food service, Andrea went in a different direction.

“I wanted a job where I could use the professional development and database skills I’d learned through my internships and where I could also be exposed to new things.” And she found one. She’s working at her university’s Financial Aid Office and increasingly gaining more responsibilities.

Pivotal interns Andrea and Tommy at their Comerica internship.

WE’RE ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES AND GETTING TO WORK ALONGSIDE OUR PARTNERS.

Foster youth deserve a team of key players who are aligned and working in coordination to make their experience in the system as positive as possible. That’s why we collaborate with the entire ecosystem of people serving our community’s foster youth.

By working alongside local government, educators, social services, employers, and other nonprofits, we’re building a movement to change the foster care system for good.

Thank you to our 2019 partners!

Government Agencies

City of San Jose

Santa Clara County Career Development Unit

Santa Clara County Education Services Unit

Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services

Santa Clara County Office of Education

San Mateo County Department of Children and Family Services

San Mateo County Office of Education

Community Organizations

Bill Wilson Center

California Youth Connection

Catholic Charities

CASA of San Mateo County

Central Labor Council Partnership

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley

Community Solutions

First Place for Youth

Foster Youth in Action HomeFirst

John Burton Advocates for Youth

Juma

Kids in Common

Law Foundation of Silicon Valley Manufacture: San Jose StarVista

Teen Success

The Silicon Valley Organization

Treehouse Foundation Uplift Family Services

Educational Institutions

California State University, East Bay

De Anza College

Eastside Union High School District

Evergreen Valley College

Foothill College

Gavilan College

Mission College

Opportunity Youth Academy

Palo Alto Unified School District

San Jose City College

San Jose Conservation Corps & Charter School

San Jose State University

San Jose Unified School District

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Unified School District

West Valley College

Internship Hosts

8X8, Inc.

Aura

Bill Wilson Center

Brand Via

Cambridge Management Company

City of Morgan Hill

City of Saratoga

Comerica

Decca Design

Excite Credit Union

Gilead

Mass Precision, Inc.

Netskope

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Redwood City

Santa Clara County Office of Education

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office

Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Snap-On Diagnostics

Symantec

Uplift Family Services

Vander Bend Manufacturing

INVESTING IN GROWTH.

In fiscal year 2019:

of our resources were devoted to programmatic activities.

50%

80% of our revenue was contributed by private philanthropy.

Pivotal has built a strong reserve balance through prudent financial oversight and many years of successful fundraising. Given the urgent needs for our services, in fiscal year 2019, our Board of Directors invested $1M of its reserves to support the organization’s ambitious growth strategy.

2018-2019 Financials

Unaudited financial data for fiscal year 2019

MEET OUR DREAM TEAM.

Board of Directors

Rick Williams

Pivotal Board Chair Community Volunteer

Former CEO - Sobrato Family Foundation

Lisa Sobrato-Sonsini

Pivotal Board Vice-Chair

Board President - Sobrato Family Foundation

Emmanuel “Manny” Amador Pivotal Alumni Specialist - Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office

Amy Cappellanti-Wolf Chief Human Resources Officer - Symantec

Lupe Diaz

Pivotal Alumni Enterprise Sales Representative - Pure Storage

Dr. David Lopez

Board President - National Hispanic University Foundation

Dianne McKenna

Former Santa Clara County Supervisor

Michael Saviage

V.P. of Investor Relations - Adobe Systems

Youth-led at our core.

Executive Staff

Elise Cutini Chief Executive Officer

Melissa Johns Executive Vice President

Jane Machin Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Marie-Christine Busque Vice President of Programming

We pride ourselves in being a youth-led organization and believe that we must base our decisionmaking on feedback from the population we serve. We have two alumni serving as voting members of our board of directors. Lupe Diaz and Manny Amador are instrumental to our strategic decision-making process. As the only people in the room who raised themselves through foster care, enduring the harsh realities and trauma of growing up without parental support, their words matter. We’re incredibly grateful to have Lupe and Manny part of the leadership team; their voices ground us and keep the organization focused on what matters most—the young people we serve.

Meet Lupe Diaz Board Member

I was 13 years old when I entered the foster care system. By the time I graduated from high school, I’d attended 13 different schools and I had a 1.7 GPA. I was broke, homeless, living in my car and the future looked bleak. I needed a fresh start and Pivotal was there for me. I still remember the day that I received my first Pivotal scholarship letter, because it was the first time I’d ever seen my name on a formal document that wasn’t affiliated with the court system.

Pivotal gave me the confidence I needed to start over, earn a college degree from San Francisco State, and thrive as a young adult. What I love most about Pivotal is that youth voices matter to them: Nothing for us without us. I should know; I’m their newest board member. Fourteen years later, Pivotal continues to be a huge part of my life. I’m honored to help my foster brothers and sisters get the opportunity that I was once given.

Meet Emmanuel “Manny” Amador Board Member

In my family home, I grew up seeing things that no kid should ever see. One of my earliest childhood memories is watching my dad choke my mom and stab her with a screwdriver. When I was ten, I slept on a park bench to escape the violence at home. The next morning, I woke up covered in dew, and still managed to make it to school. The police picked me up and placed me in a group home where I lived with a bunch of older, teenage drug-dealing thugs. I cut class, shoplifted, and did whatever I had to do to survive life on my own.

That means that school took a backseat for a long time. I found Pivotal when I was 18 years old. With their help and unconditional support, I earned a college degree from San Jose State University and built a successful career. Now I can pay it forward and give young people from foster care the opportunities I was once given. I am honored to serve on a Board of an organization that I personally know is changing lives.

YOU MAKE IT P OSSIBLE.

Thank you to our donors who gave between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

$50,000+

Connie & Bob Lurie

Resonance Foundation for Children’s Health

Lisa & Matthew

Sonsini Family Fund

$10,000 to $49,999

Liza & Ray Beshoff

Ranae DeSantis

Hawes Family Fund

Mary & Mark Stevens

$1,000 to $9,999

Brian Annis

Shiloh Ballard

Christina Barrese

Roy & Michele Bolton Fund

Elaine Cardinale

Sue & Robert Davis

Linda & John Ellis

Kevin & Celeste Ford

The Dave and Evelyn

Heagerty Estate

Emily Lo

Ginny Lockhart

Dennis & Carol Martin

Sophina McDaniel

John & Ginger McDonald

Dianne & Regis McKenna

Priya Mistry & Carl Haywood

Mark Moser

Deborah Noel Tham

John & Shelly Paiva

Renée & Baptiste Paquier

Kendra Ragatz

Lainey & Bruce Richardson

Rosendahl Family Fund

Lynn Sakamoto

Michael & Leslie Saviage

Tracey & Kent Seymour

Greg Simpson

Oscar Tovar

Debbie & Brian Tuck

Amy Underwood

Emily Ward & Howard Ting

Amanda Wayman

Werner Family Fund

Rick and Barbara Williams

Charlie Wilmoth

$500 to $999

Jeffrey Ben

Deborah Blacker

Amy Cappellanti-Wolf & Douglas Wolf

Patricia & Gene Carter

Lin Florinda Colavin

Pat & Ron Eastman

Lynda Ellingson

Brian Fox

Nicholas & Katherine Galiotto

Patricia James

Mary Ann Jankord

Marcia Klein

Timothy Leets

Katie Matice

Doug McCutcheon

Anita Nunes

Kate Paisley

Rocky & Laurie Pimentel

Karl & Theresa Robinson

Allen & Cindy Ruby

Ruth Sherer

Rosabel Tao

Donna & Bill Terman

Shuang Xu

$100 to $499

Anonymous (3)

Marijke & Caleb Annis

Dora Beyer

Keith Bielat

Rachel Borovina

Michael & Virginia Bowman

Kevin & Manisha Brodie

Judy Bruzus

Marie-Christine Busque

Tim Bussey

Joan & Glenn Cross

Suzanne Davis

Sandy De La Cuesta

Dana & Elaine Ditmore

Pamela Dougherty

Laura Duganne

Mary Fields

Katy Fitzgerald

Maryanne Flynn

Deborah Swan Gorman

Jan Hagemann

Patty Hanford

Briana Hanson

Stephanie Hata

Pamela Hawley

Nancy & Dennis Heinen

John & Lisa Hogan

Carolyn Kenady

Janice Key

Hui Lancaster

Melissa Lelaind

Patricia & John Lindsay

James Lindsay

Jeanne Matysiak

Austin Marie McCord

Sandy & Mark Moore

Jaime Orendac

Evan Parker

Sam Pilch

Jessica Poulin

Adrian Power & Aimee Kilmer

Katie Radonich

Ed & Linda Selden

Paul & Jennifer Silverglate

Roger Smith

Kalle Snyder

Meena Stromqvist

Martha Toschi

Ilanit Unruh

Jennifer Van Every

Mary Ann Van Paul

Joyce Vineyards

John Vlahos

Pat Wahler

Lawrence Weinberg

Andrew & Doreen Williams

Marlene Zapata

Ronald Zraick

Up to $100

Anonymous (4)

Jennifer Abrams

Carlos Aguila

Denise Alberto

Ariel Alvero

Anamaria Amador

Paul Anderson

Aude Anquetil

Kevin Armstrong

Elaine Bedell

Aaron Paul Bolosan

Ann Bowers

Sherri Brooks

Marilyn Bryson

Kristina Bullock

Andre Busque

Howard Carnell

Jemiyah Ann Castro

Joy Caves

Patricia Chappell

Isabel Chou

Jennifer De La Cruz Vargas

Jane Doyle

Dora Espinoza

Kindra Fanoe

John Fioretta

Kathleen Fitzgerald

Martha Frank

Bridget Gibbons

Donna Gilmour

Essence Gresham

Michael Grossman

Arvin Haywood

Sara & Ricardo Jenez

Melissa Johns

Paul Jones

James Kao

Lisa Ketchum

Katherine Kim

Martin Kimani

Jayaprakash Kirankumar

Valerie Kortz

Justine Kuehn

Ujjwal Kumar

Bala Lakkaraju

Jimmy Lam

Alana Laudone

Samantha Lester

Robin Lutgert

Natasha Marston

Irene Martinez

Julie Mason

LaNor Maune

Nicky McAllister

Sarah McCann

Jamila Mcintosh

Jack McMurry

Fiona Meier

Mike Messinger

Susan Micheletti

Evan Miller

Jennifer Mullins

Ashley Nevins

Johnnie Nguyen

Davor Nikolic

Chris Norwood

Alondra Orozco

Richard & Patricia Pantoja

Bill & Maggie Parkin

Marc Parkinson

Kelly Peaton

Glenn Perkins

Barbi Phipps

Sam Pohlenz

Laurie Prestine

Deepti Racherla

Trish Rehert

Marilyn Rogers

Annette Ruiz-Esparza

Aashni Ruwala

Lisa Samaro

Jason Schalkham

Andrea Schwartz

Diana Seoud

Lydia Sherrill

Lucia Shiffer

Simeon Shigg

Georgianna Smith

Kenneth Smith

Sarah Sozzi

Barbara & Donald Springett

William & Dana Starling

Savonna Stender-Bondesson

Lee & Bonnie Stone

Susan Stone

Sean Sullivan

Amin Tayebi

Airene Tomboc

Neil Tuch

Jose Valenzuela

Nivedita Varadharajan

David Verdugo

Dan Weidman

Kate Wilkinson

Kim Wilkinson

Roger Winer

Ryan Wong

Karen & Richard Wylie

Kathy Jacobsen

Pivotal Donor & Creative Director at Netskope with Pivotal intern John

Foundation & Corporate Supporters

$100,000+

Bank of America

$1,000 to $4,999

Adobe Systems, Inc.

May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust

PayPal

Sobrato Family Foundation

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation

Tipping Point Community

$25,000 to $99,999

“

Here in Silicon Valley, so many of us have the great fortune of working for successful companies. I think it’s almost an obligation that we share that with those who haven’t had the kinds of opportunities that many of us have. I’m lucky to work for a company that is committed to reaching out and helping our community.

Adobe Foundation

Epic Foundation

In-N-Out Burger Foundation

Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation

Pinpoint Foundation

Sand Hill Foundation

Sanders-Dickinson Foundation

Symantec Corporation

The Marie Calderilla Scholarship Fund

Westly Foundation

William & Charlene Glikbarg Foundation

$5,000 to $24,999

Battery Powered Foundation

Brandenburg Family Foundation

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Casino M8trix

Comerica

Cupertino Electric

Dreams 33

Enterprise Trust & Investment Company

Excite Credit Union

Intero Foundation

Junior League of San Jose

Juniper Networks

Rotary Club of San Jose

Thomas & Ellen Hogue Family Foundation

UA Local 393

US Bank Foundation

Warmenhoven Family Foundation

Western Digital Foundation

Whittier Trust

Anonymous Fund of Silicon Valley

Black Sheep Brassiere

Community Foundation

Comcast

DTex Systems

Gilroy Foundation

Integrated Device Technology, Inc.

Los Gatos Morning Rotary Foundation

Mission Bell Manufacturing

Nagi Universal Noodle USA

Oak & Rye

Table for Three

TOSA Foundation

Umpqua Bank

Up to $1,000

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Gates Pass Advisors, LLC

Google

Laguna Seca Racetrack

Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials

Portola Hotel & Spa

Raytheon Company

Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority

VCBC Organization

ZAG Technical Services

PAYPAL PAYING IT F ORWARD.

It takes a village to support the 514 foster youth we served this year. We are incredibly thankful for all our corporate and foundation supporters and we were especially thrilled to welcome PayPal to Team Pivotal in 2019! PayPal awarded Pivotal a grant in the amount of $125,000 to help us fight the good fight and provide high school and college-aged foster youth in Santa Clara County with more opportunities to achieve their career goals. After all, we all know that public-private partnerships are pivotal to strengthening and growing our local communities.

When it comes to showing others how it’s done, PayPal is on top of it. Their 35 global GIVE Teams actively promote the health and inclusivity of the communities where their employees live and work. Apart from its grant, the PayPal GIVE Teams also get employees involved in volunteering, legal pro bono work, and youth mentorship work. Through its hackathon “Opportunity Hack” PayPal coders build solutions for nonprofits. “In addition to all of our funding, we’re trying to bring our expertise and resources to bear,” said PayPal Gives Director Julie Vennewitz-Pierce.

With PayPal’s help, we continue to help foster youth graduate from high school and college, prepare for professional jobs, and reach a life of self-sufficiency. When we say that we help foster youth determine their own path, we mean it. And now, with PayPal’s partnership, we’re on our way.

Pivotal has a comprehensive approach where they support youth not just for the short term, but for a number of years. They help youth get through high school, college, connect to internships, and overall, have access to these critical surrounding services. “

– Julie Vennewitz-Pierce - PayPal Gives Director

Dan Schulman, PayPal CEO; Adanta Ahanonu, Year Up site director; Elise Cutini, Pivotal CEO; & San Jose Major Sam Licardo at PayPal’s grant announcement event.

ARE YOU OUR NEXT CORPORATE PARTNER?

If your company wants to implement innovative and fun social impact initiatives, look no further! We’ve got a wide variety of engagement opportunities that can leverage the community spirit and sense of purpose felt by your employees. We know you want to make a difference, and we make it easy for you to do it. It’s a win-win story for social good.

We have many volunteer activities to offer to employees, and our expert team is standing by to help you craft the perfect experience. Whether it’s through sponsorship, employee volunteerism or some other aspect of your corporate social responsibility strategy, we look forward to partnering with you to help our community’s foster youth.

Want to help but aren’t sure how? Here are a few easy ways to be a Pivotal corporate partner:

Summer Internship

Host a Pivotal scholar for a summer internship and help them build professional skills.

Professional Experience

Invite a Pivotal youth to an informational interview, job shadow experience, or mock job interview practice so they get more face time with career professionals.

Get in touch to learn more about how you can become a corporate partner:

Become a Sponsor

Sponsor a Pivotal youth event or Pivotal fundraiser.

Collection Drive

Host a collection drive for gift cards our youth can use to buy professional attire for their first job experience.

Marilyn Rogers - Corporate Relations Officer

650.269.6037

BEC OME A DREAM MAKER.

Pivotal’s newest giving club.

The Pivotal Dream Makers Circle is a special group of supporters who believe deeply in the potential of foster youth. By contributing $3,000 or more annually, Dream Makers invest in our students and help them turn their dreams into reality. The generosity of these individuals ensures we can serve every foster youth that walks through our doors.

As a member of the Dream Makers Circle—Pivotal’s newest giving club—donors receive expanded recognition, invitations to the annual Dream Makers Circle Luncheon and Scholarship Application Screening Party, as well as other exclusive opportunities.

To learn how you can become a Dream Maker, contact:

Janelle Blakely

Director of Development

janelle.blakely@pivotalnow.org 408.484.6202

“I remember the first time I heard the stories of the youth that went through the Pivotal program. I was in tears hearing about the tragic lives they lived. Many were raised in broken homes, lost everything, didn’t have basic survival needs, or an education—all the things no kid should have to endure. Pivotal changed their lives by providing them with a bright future. Every child deserves to be loved, and I’m thankful and touched by Pivotal and all of their supporters for the love they give foster youth and difference they make.”

Lynn Sakamoto Pivotal Donor & Dream Makers Circle Member

Dianne McKenna, Regis McKenna, and Nancy Heinen with Pivotal scholar Miguel, at the annual Dream Makers Circle Luncheon.

HELP US MAKE AN IMPACT.

Our goal is to give every young person an opportunity to be happy and successful. We’re here for them, and we ask you to help us give them what they need: more scholarships, coaches, internships, and passionate people working to change the system for good.

Whether you can give a little or a lot of your time, money or resources, there’s more than one way to be pivotal. Here are some ways to get involved:

Donate

We hold ourselves to the highest standard of ethics and transparency. Rest assured, your gift will directly impact a young person’s life.

Help with professional skill building

Pivotal provides professional development trainings to ensure successful work experience. Donate your expertise to help with informational interviews or job shadowing.

Get in touch to learn more about how you can help—as a donor, volunteer, or partner:

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Host a care package party

Do you have a circle of friends who would be excited to send care packages to our Pivotal scholars? Shop for one of our scholars and help us send a little package of love their way.

Refer a company that’s interested in partnering with Pivotal

Make an introduction to a business that could host a summer intern or sponsor one of our community-facing events.

408.484.6202 info@pivotalnow.org

JOIN THE PARTY.

Don’t miss Mix Masters 2020! Event details coming soon. Be sure to sign up at pivotalnow.org to get Pivotal news and invitations delivered to your inbox.

A big thank you to everyone that joined us for this year's Mix Masters in support of Silicon Valley's foster youth.

Let’s get social.

Facebook /ThisIsPivotal Twitter @ThisIsPivotal

Instagram @Pivotal.now

LinkedIn /company/pivotalnow/

HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE IN FOSTER CARE CREATE THE LIFE THEY WANT www.pivotalnow.org