SVP Boston Insider November 2025

Dear Partners, Grantees, and Supporters,

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thinking about how grateful I am for the board members, partners, non-profit partners, and community members who have embraced the many new initiatives and ideas that we have launched in the past year, and are planning for next year. It has been a time of growth and change, and I feel the tremendous support and passion for our work together.

If you are as excited as I am about the potential impact of SVP Boston, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Your gift will help community members achieve the food support, housing, education, and workforce development they need to achieve economic mobility. Our work with community-based, front-facing non-profits builds a legacy of effective, long-lasting impact. 

Thank you, as always, for your commitment to the SVP Boston mission. I am always available for a chat by phone, video, or over a cup of coffee! 

With gratitude,

Karin Cassel Mitterando, CEO

Members, Friends and Guests,

Space is limited — don't delay!!

Join us at the offices of Holland & Knight, 10 St. James Avenue, 11th Floor, Boston

For more details, visit our website.

sponsored by

Josh & Patty Krumholz

Anonymous

Michael I. Schwartz

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

December Lunch & Learn: Optimizing Board Impact on Fundraising

The Board of Directors is a critical part of your fundraising strategy. Learn how to recruit, engage, and leverage relationships to build your board into a fundraising powerhouse. 

You don't want to miss this Lunch & Learn on December 3, from 12:00 - 1:00 pm with Karen Ann Engelbourg, philanthropic consultant and former senior vice president for development at Boston University.

📅SAVE THE DATE: January 28, 2026, Lunch and Learn

AI-Powered Impact: Your Roadmap to the Future

Facilitator: Darian Rodriguez Heyman, Founder of AI for Nonprofits: AI for Good, and author of AI for Nonprofits (Wiley, 2025). 

The Lunch & Learn Series is free and open to the public.

2026 Grant Round Update

The SVP Boston Investment Committee is busy reviewing finalists for our 2026 Grant Round. We will be excited to announce the nonprofits selected to participate in a consulting engagement at our end-of-year celebration on December 16, and we look forward to another year of fruitful collaboration! 

Welcome Resource Team Member

Celeste Hogan

Fiore-Hogan Consulting Group 

“Having dedicated a significant portion of my career to supporting non-profit organizations, I am honored to join The Resource Team. I'm excited by the opportunity to leverage my financial and operational experience to support SVP Boston's mission.”

Celeste is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience in both non-profit and for-profit sectors. A proven leader in driving financial strategy and operational excellence, Celeste brings a hands-on approach to creating long-term sustainability. Her expertise includes strategic planning, financial management, system implementation, and board relations. She has a Master's Degree from Bentley University, a Bachelor's Degree in Finance & Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, and is a licensed CPA.

Welcome Brandeis Board Fellows

Brandeis Board Fellows are undergraduate or graduate students who spend a year on the SVP Boston Board of Directors. They perform a special project to advance the work of SVP Boston while learning the roles and responsibilities of non-profit boards.

Iryna Kordunian

“I joined SVP Boston to help translate vision into measurable impact — building clear

KPIs and data-driven frameworks that show how collaboration drives real community change.” - Iryna Kordunian

Iryna is a certified mediator and Peace Scholar at the Brandeis School of Business and Economics, where she is completing her MBA. She specializes in strategy and facilitation, focusing on helping organizations align diverse stakeholders around shared goals and purpose. She has co-authored two books on mediation - The Path to Mediation (2022) and Healing the Wounds of Conflict: Mediation Can Help (2024) - and delivered guest lectures on negotiation, mediation, and post-war reconciliation at institutions such as the Salzburg Business School, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Connecticut College, and MIT. She also holds a certification in advanced negotiation from Harvard University.

Fitz Wangaru

"I joined SVP Boston because of its mission to provide resources for the Boston community. I’ve always enjoyed volunteering and giving back to my community, and SVP Boston allows me to continue doing that in a more strategic and impactful way."

Fitz is currently a senior at Brandeis University studying Computer Science and Business. Throughout his time at Brandeis, he has worked on several social-impact and technology-driven projects that bridge innovation with community engagement. He has also been an active member of the Brandeis community through leadership roles in campus organizations, service projects, and events that bring connection and impact.

Welcome New Catalyst Partner

Cameron Marshall

“Early in my life, I experienced the full beauty and power of a community that was dedicated to supporting the groups of people most impacted by issues spanning from healthcare to housing. I was inspired to find that same dedication and impact at Social Venture Partners, and I am elated to collaborate with the SVP Boston.”

Cameron graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied Economics and Mandarin, and has done fundraising and public speaking for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth and Dartmouth Cancer Center, among others. In Boston, Cameron began his career in investment research across the capital structure, covering alternative energy, industrials, technology, and therapeutics. As a passionate community member and young investor, he is committed to learning and doing his part in building a brighter future for the next generation.

Coming Soon!

As part of our commitment to nurturing young executives to become informed, effective, and generous philanthropists, we are developing a NextGen Philanthropists Program for our Catalyst and Corporate Partners. Stay tuned for details!