Thrive Alliance

I was referred to Thrive by a colleague, when I decided to transition to working in the non-profit world. Porcia graciously spoke with me about non-profit work, and invited me to one of Thrive's networking events. It was an amazing event, where I saw non-profits collaborate -- sharing what they needed and what they could offer to others. I met several new contacts, all of whom were incredibly helpful. I also met someone looking to hire for a program position. We chatted and hit it off, and after a couple of interviews, I was hired! I am incredibly grateful to Porcia and to Thrive for creating this opportunity. Thank you!!

Thrive Alliance is a great place to make meaningful connections, and to receive and share information and offer - I sure have! The Quarterly Forums are particularly impactful... but I have attended MANY helpful workshops and trainings concerning everything from how to run a Board meeting, to Development trainings, to ED Leadership lunches. This organization is great whether you are "new to nonprofits" or an established professional, or a government and business entity. I find the fees and memberships quite reasonably priced - and they now have a pay-by-the-month plan!

Thrive Alliance is a critical part of our community. Thrive harnesses its connections in the nonprofit community and leverages its political goodwill to address local needs. I have countless examples of Thrive introducing me to new funding opportunities, potential supporters, trainings, and so much more. In fact, I find myself counting on Thrive to keep me apprised on certain topics. My organization is a Thrive member and I feel fortunate to have their tireless leadership looking out for all of us!

Thrive is a great resource for San Mateo County nonprofit organizations. Their quarterly forums, Leadership Circle luncheons, and other programs provide resources, learning opportunities, and connections to other groups making an impact in our community. In addition, Thrive members are able to share messages about programs, events, job postings and other resources through the Thrive email list-serv to extend our reach and learn about what others are working on. This is a great organization that is well worth the membership for the value they provide!

Thrive has been a tremendously helpful resource to me, individually, and in helping to create a connected community. Their forums and events are spot-on in terms of relevant topics and the speakers are top-notch. I look around the room and know I am in the right place. Thank you Thrive!

Thrive is a highly effective alliance of nonprofits in San Mateo County. It has grown from humble beginnings to a large membership base because it provides a potent voice for the vital role of professionals and community members working for the common good so everyone has the opportunity to THRIVE.

Thrive does a great job providing non-profit professionals with valuable opportunities to come together and discuss the issues of our day. I'm glad to participate

Thrive is great resource for nonprofit organizations and the community. Their meetings provide valuable networking experiences, and the workshops I've attended have been excellent. Thrive also helps nonprofits connects with potential funders and board members. I encourage others to become members of Thrive!

Thrive has been a convener, informer, organizer and advocate for all of us nonprofits in San Mateo County. They're both our voice and the place where we can share our voices with one another toward the common good. Thrive is very well respected and their reputation as a key component of our community is well-deserved. It's hard to place a value on such an organization in the context of direct service, but it's easy to show how much value they have provided toward ensuring that all kinds of services continue to "thrive" in our community.

A fantastic organization that helps bring people together to amplify their causes, increase their effectiveness, learn best practices, and yes... enjoy each other's company.

I've been attending Thrive events for years, first as a consultant, then as executive director of a nonprofit, and now as a foundation ED. Every time I attend a Thrive event, I come away with something valuable -- whether it's the content or the connections I make with colleagues. I'm proud to be a part of this network and truly appreciate what Porcia and Thrive bring to our sector.

I have been a member of Thrive for less than a year. They put on terrific events with excellent content and speakers. It is a really nice opportunity to network and connect with peers and different players in the nonprofit sector. I highly recommend it!

I have been a member of Thrive almost since the beginning 2003. I have watched the organization grow and provide more & more services in San Mateo County from information, events, training's, to networking. Resulting in a strong organization from which collaborations have blossomed. I appreciate Porcia starting meetings with a small chime and a moment of silence to bring us all together in a focused way.

I was so skeptical about how Thrive Alliance can help non-profits. One day, I visited their quarterly meetings. I wasn't expecting much. I had a lot of assumptions the day before the meeting. I thought it was just another raw-raw meeting where everyone cheers on everyone else on then go home.

Well...I was wrong. Thrive Alliance is a great place to get information on how to run a non profit organization. I got to meet others who were in the same boat. Thrive continues to set the pace to make sure everyone knows each other. Attending Thrive meetings is like joining a team. Everyone helps everyone else out.

Porcia is the coach. She's friendly and wants to make sure you're taken care of.

You can get the most out of Thrive is to attend the quarterly meetings. It's such an encouraging place to let your guard down. You also get to meet the who's who of the non profit world. If I didn't join Thrive, I would have not personally meet the movers and shakers of the industry. It was like a dream to personally meet and speak with those who like they're out of reach. With Thrive, this makes all interactions possible.

Visit the quarterly meetings and you won't be disappointed!

Senior Coastsiders has been a part of Thrive since its beginning. We get invaluable support and connections through Thrive. We just participated in a volunteer fair of UCLA Alumni and it was well organized, well attended, and we felt we made some good connections and it will bring us new volunteers. Thank you for hosting this.
Cara

Thank you for hosting the UCLA event. We got to meet some very interesting people and made some good connections. Couple of them have already reached out to us. The questions they asked really helped us understand what people think about when they want to volunteer. Thank you for inviting us. The resources you bring to our nonprofit community are priceless!

I have been a member of Thrive since 2001. I originally joined the organization to network with non-profits on behalf of my students for potential internships. What I received was so very much more. I had access to a wealth of resources via the listserv and networking which assisted me in building a strong service-learning, volunteerism and leadership program at the college. Currently I'm a member of the board of Thrive. As a board member I am able to network and make connections for my colleagues in education, local government and non-profit to services and support that are not easily obtaining in other ways. Lastly, I'm a resident of San Mateo and on the board of my local homeowners associate. As a local resident it is validating to know that in San Mateo County we have an organization that is truly the voice of non-profit for the betterment of our community. Thrive is an invaluable organization in continuing to keep San Mateo County on the forefront of creating a collaborative community for all.

if you don't know about Thrive and you work in a non profit in San Mateo County - you are missing out.

I love the connection with younger people who are doing great service in helping our community and providing leadership inspiration in a variety of organizations. Really - I learn about more good, mission driven work each time I attend an event.

I joined Thrive for my organization - Mercy Center in Burlingame - as a sustaining member so that we can help Thrive meet its goals of developing relationships and serving the common good. We are a religious non profit, but I meet like minded individuals who are so committed to those they support that I come away filled with hope for the world.
Thanks Thrive - and all who come to be part of this vibrant community.
Suzanne Buckley
Board member and grateful supporter

Our organization, Pacific Stroke Association, has been a Thrive member for over 5 years. As an ED, I thank Thrive for its continued commitment and attention to the need of small non-profits. The best reward from Thrive membership came to us recently by the way of having one of its staff member (trained and ready to take on a bigger role in non-profit) join our organization. Thank you Thrive!

As an independent contractor to nonprofits, a nonprofit staff member, and a nonprofit board member, I have been able to access excellent training and networking opportunities in all three roles with Thrive. I belong to several regional nonprofit alliances and Thrive far surpasses what is offered by others! I always look forward to their events and training because I know I will gain something valuable from the experience!

THRIVE is more than a resource - it's a catalyst. The diversity of nonprofit, government and for profit members builds community and encourages cross fertilization in all sectors and on all issues. It's like a continuous flow of information, learning, partnering and sharing - all for the betterment of San Mateo County.

There is no other organization like it and I'm so grateful it's there

Thrive is a great place to network. I'm on the Board of California Clubhouse, mental health model we are bringing to San Mateo. We knew we'd be needing a location shortly after gearing up. Lo and behold if I didn't get a tip on a great location at a Thrive meeting. We're here now. One of our Advisers is also a Thrive connection. Plus I've made many other valuable contacts. All smart, interesting people.

There is nothing quite like Thrive! I am a new member and am already feeling the energy and benefits that come with joining this group. Such a collaborative community – a real ecosystem working together to make the County a better place for all. My practice serves nonprofits and I have connected with folks in need, as well as experts on the nonprofit landscape, that I would never have met without Thrive. Every Thrive event is a learning experience and a chance to meet and collaborate with wonderful people. And Porcia's personal outreach deepens those connections and makes everyone feel welcome. I look forward to many many years as a Thrive member!

THRIVE's networking events are amazing. They are scripted so that you meet and have discussions with many people during the morning, but the special part is the opportunity to announce "a need". When attending one of these events, I announced a need of a nonprofit I was doing an Interim position at relating to starting a capital campaign when it didn't have stakeholders beyond participating families. A couple of people raised their hands, but someone with many many years of expertise in this area who I had not seen in quite a few years came over to me and offered to meet with the Board and give them some coaching and ideas. He came to a special meeting and spent 2 hours giving such important advice that we created a plan to do everything he suggested, began it all right away, and now this org has a head start on the key things to build a bigger constituency before beginning the capital campaign. Without THRIVE's event and the resulting opportunity to get such critical advice from the most experienced person in the area, none of this could have happened and this org probably would have failed completely to generate the funds they will need to build the new site! THRIVE's true unique and wonderful strength is this ability to connect people, that's for sure.

THRIVE is a wonderful consortium of nonprofits that assists nonprofits in:
- finding collaborative partners
- learning about grant opportunities and funders
- sharing information about other organizations that host leadership and funding seminars

As a member of Thrive I have attended many workshops and seminars on many topics other than my primary interests. As a past Director of CARD of SMC, we trained San Mateo County Nonprofits how to survive and serve their cliental during and after a disaster, small or large.
Thrive not accomplishes this, but cover so many other issues and concerns. It is one of the best resources in the area for information, training, networking and more.

In my view, the primary purpose of Thrive is make useful information available to medium and small nonprofits that otherwise could not hope to get it in a personal forum. (I attended a presentation by Emmett Carson, CEO of SVCF, who basically said "I can't talk to every individual nonprofit, I can only talk to them together through organizations like Thrive.") Thrive does a good job of bringing in speakers, programs, etc., that are truly useful and thought-provoking for nonprofits. Also, Thrive does a great job of encouraging camaraderie and communication between nonprofits. At a Thrive forum, it feels like we the attendees are a true community, maybe even family, which is crucial to our sense of being in the same boat and ultimately on the same team, as well as being able to share, talk, think things through and otherwise process things as a group in ways you could never do on your own or at a really large forum of strangers or even with a few friends. Porcia and Cindy put so much professionalism and spirit into things. I think all these things help foster positive leadership in our local nonprofits.

I was a member and volunteer for Thrive before joining the board in July 2013. Thrive is a hidden gem of a resource, that deserves wider visibility and appreciation. They do wonders with a two person staff. I value the Chamber of Commerce-like camaraderie and networking, their promotion and support of the larger nonprofit community of San Mateo county and beyond. No other organization provides such easy accessibility. The programs offered are diverse and worthwhile, and for members, often free of charge. I receive announcements and communications via their listserv that I would not receive through other channels. Thrive's programs have directly benefited me and my own professional development, many organizations I have been actively involved with and friends/colleagues in the nonprofit realm. I have personally hosted two friendraiser/outreach gatherings to spread the word about this valuable community resource.

Our organization has been a member of THRIVE for years. Their quarterly meetings are interesting and timely. They add to our network and help us to make our nonprofit work.

Thrive continually offers a large variety of presentations and programs for it's member non-profits for free or very little additional cost. They operate as their mission states including having a focus on wellness for it's employees and members alike. They go out of their way to serve and connect non-profits with each other to support not only viable partnerships, but ones that can exponentially increase their positive impact in the community.

Thrive offers a very broad array of learning opportunities for the nonprofit community in San Mateo. These are always well organized and well attended with good speakers. I loved the last one on local giving with a stellar and unusual cast of speakers from small business to large business to foundations.

Having worked with so many nonprofits as a municipal governmental liaison, I saw the importance of the regular convening of nonprofit organizations, enabling nonprofit leaders to connect and collaborate around issues and topics that effect their agencies and the whole sector. I joined the board because I saw how Thrive could help be a conduit across sectors and help provide a voice, networking and education opportunities to all agencies and staff - helping the sector thrive, which in turn, helps our communities thrive. For a small organization, it has made a big impact in San Mateo County.

We are so grateful to be a member of Thrive! The meetings are incredible resources for information that have helped our nonprofit immensely and also given us the opportunity to help other nonprofits. The connections we've made have been invaluable. Because of our Thrive membership, we connected with an organization that will provide us with exactly the right personnel we'll need to execute a crucial part of our program. Thrive is such a powerful force for good in San Mateo Country. Every county should have one. My best advice to you is, Join Today!

As a former CEO of a nonprofit organization and now a board member, I see how Thrive is able to support and strengthen the sector here in San Mateo County. Thrive provides a venue for nonprofit leaders to come together to network, build relationships with funders, county leaders and other nonprofit leaders. The quarterly meetings provide a valuable resource for Thrive members. No other organization represents the entire nonprofit sector.