Susan K. Thomas

The skills and insights I gained as a former business consultant have proved invaluable in nonprofit settings as well. My career in philanthropy began at United Way of Greater Atlanta during a difficult economic period when both corporate donors and grantees had reason to be anxious. Clearly, a fresh fundraising approach was needed. Migrating the grant model from tier based to impact based was the answer that restored transparency to the grant-making process and is now the norm among the best-managed global nonprofits. My next opportunity with City of Atlanta’s homelessness initiative was equally as challenging and rewarding. Because I lacked an implementation budget, I reached out to potential partners with similar missions and formed a 501c3 public/private entity that still operates to sustain and grow systems that increase the number of housing placements and reduce street homelessness. A key takeaway from my nonprofit/advocacy experience to date is that there are no easy or direct pathways to ending housing instability and homelessness without addressing racial equity and housing justice. Experience confirms that social justice issues can’t be solved with programmatic approaches; effective solutions require broad and deep systemic change. Millions have been spent in well-intentioned efforts to end homelessness, and yet we fail to address/eradicate its root issues. I am convinced that hope for progress lies in connecting research to practice. I trusted these insights to shift internal priorities at the Melville Charitable Trust from ending homelessness to a broader focus on social justice. We maintain our momentum toward that goal through collaborations and partnerships that are expanding the Trust’s reach and influence far beyond its geographic roots. Having often been tasked to create something from nothing, my heart tells me that anything is possible and worth a shot. I remain committed to improving outcomes and results for the Trust and the people we serve. Justice requires nothing less.