Social impact is no new space in today’s world, with rising social justice challenges, governmental issues, and environmental crises: our world is crumbling, and we know it. Enter the nonprofit. Organizations that are built for the sole purpose of changing that- helping people, saving the planet, innovating the way we think, work, speak, and live.

I’ve been working in the nonprofit space for over five years now, and I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs:, leadership challenges, financial issues, teamwork troubles, events being featured in the news, people providing testimonials where they tell us how impacted they’ve felt, and many, many more. One thing that never changes throughout all of my time working in nonprofits is the fact that every single person who has worked in the space for longer than a few months has demonstrated intense passion, drive, and determination for the issue they’re working on. They make things happen.

My Nonprofit Journey

I started my nonprofit journey in freshman year of high school, when I started writing for various social justice nonprofit platforms - Gen Rise Media, politics magazines, Redefy, and several others. These organizations were a way for me to start expressing my views on the world, something I had seldom been allowed to do as a child growing up. I had opinions, and I wanted them to be heard. So, I wrote. This led to other roles in nonprofits- editing, and later managing. I joined and supported all sorts of causes, getting a taste of what it was like to be making a difference. And, I loved it.

Plannr Consulting

I founded my own nonprofit about a year later for a cause I was deeply passionate about - mental health. After going through mental health hurdles myself - getting on antidepressants, therapy, and more - I realized I wasn’t alone out there, especially in the South Asian community. The stigma around mental health has created a space in our communities where we feel unsafe to even discuss our mental health and wellbeing.

Plannr Consulting is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and we host free peer mentorship consultations with mentees all across the country. In addition to our primary goal of working one on one with students, we hosted dozens of digital media campaigns and built an online community to destigmatize mental health. We’re currently in the process of preparing for our Mental Health Expo at the University of Texas at Austin, where we have organized exhibitors to come in and discuss their resources with students.

These past four years I have learned so much about leadership, mental health, and nonprofit work through Plannr. It’s been the primary way that I have developed as a person, and has even been my own support system. Meetings where we can’t stop laughing, long nights working through event planning, shopping trips, and photoshoots - Plannr has brought me unforgettable moments that I’m absolutely obsessed with. We’ve been through a fair share of employee troubles, and it wasn’t picture perfect. Post-pandemic, we faced a huge dip, and even faced some dormancy in activity, but today, I am still so proud of the impact we’ve been able to make.

One of my favorite memories from working at Plannr is from two months after I founded the organization. I had hosted my first ever consultation reviewing a peer’s essay that she was stressed about. The client sent me a glowing testimonial, and it was so striking to me that I had actually helped someone, from a completely different side of the world. The feeling from one-on-one impact is unmatched, and it’s been the most fulfilling part of working with nonprofits.

Youth Enrichment Services

I got involved with Youth Enrichment Services (YES) more recently in 2022, when my lab advisor referred me to the organization. I joined as a Media & Marketing Intern, where I worked on redeveloping the website, strategizing for social media, spearheading the monthly newsletter, and worked on the ground for short periods of time collecting content from events.

YES works with students in the Pittsburgh area by providing them career development resources, enrichment programs, and empowering youth and communities. The resources this organization has provided for 30 years have been invaluable to the community, and their programs and mentorship truly has impacted thousands of students on a deep level.

After a summer filled with getting involved with this incredible community, I became Media & Marketing Manager, working on similar projects, with a media team collecting content. This past Summer, we hosted a Teen Gun Violence Prevention Symposium, where hundreds of students convened to discuss an action plan for stopping gun violence for youth across Pittsburgh. Mayor Ed Gainey and Senator Jay Costa were in attendance (and yes, I did get to meet both of them!!), and after some performances and speeches, youth went into breakout rooms, listened to a panel, and some reconvened for a second day filled with action planning.

It was an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to attend and assist in hosting the event, and collecting and collaborating with the media team was always a lovely part of working there. My love for students and seeing how YES impacts students keeps me so passionate about their cause, and I can’t wait to see where we go next.

What’s Next?

As a Business Major, I’ve been planning to go into the corporate world for a while, hopefully working in the social impact space in some way. Eventually, I hope to go into further nonprofit work, and continue to expand on the work I’ve done with Plannr. Every organization has its pros and cons, and no nonprofit is perfect, but with the right passionate people, and some funding, I’ve realized how large of an impact you can make.

Happy National Nonprofit Day!