Introducing 2012 ProInspire Fellow: Idelle Delapena
Name: Idelle Delapena
Hometown: San Diego, California
Previous Employer: Genentech and National Asian American Coalition
Current Organization: Year Up Bay Area
What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
After seeing the not-so-pretty side of the for-profit world, I realized that I wanted to work for more than just the bottom line. I couldn’t compromise my values for money anymore. I had spent a significant part of my life doing community organizing and really found meaning in it. I realized that I could do this type of work for a living, so from that moment on I vowed to work for the social good.
What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I head marketing/communications for the Year Up Bay Area site. Each day, I face new challenges and opportunities. Lately, I’ve been focusing on the Public Relations part of my job, which includes securing media opportunities, then recruiting and prepping students for being on-camera. Also, I manage the Year Up Bay Area social media channels, so I share with the online community various activities happening on site. Lastly, every Year Up site houses our young adult students as well, so a large part of my day is dedicated to supporting these students in their Year Up journey, which often includes advising time and teachable moments.
Where did you work prior to making the switch?
After college, I worked within the health care industry. First, I did medical billing at an ambulance dispatch company. Then, I moved on to work as a Foundation Specialist at Genentech screening and assisting patients who qualified for free drug. Prior to ProInspire, I did work in the nonprofit sector at the National Asian American Coalition, a HUD-approved home counseling agency working to empower those that were victims of the financial crisis (often minority homeowners). My primary role at this company was relationship liaison with media, corporate partners and elected officials.
What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
Community organizing, event planning, customer service, advocacy, and public relations.
What are you involved in outside of work?
Lately work has been so busy, so I haven’t had time for other commitments. But I am planning to enroll in marketing classes and take a few leadership seminars, including a workshop focused on networking.
Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
My experience with community organizing has proved very helpful in my current role. For example, managing a board of my peers has helped me because marketing involves working with all the different Year Up departments (Alumni Services, Internship, Development, Program, Academics, Outreach & Admissions). Therefore, I have to manage the needs and expectations of many different parties. Also, my experience recruiting members for my collegiate community organization has proved helpful in my interpersonal relationships and marketing work. The common denominator in both situations is the passion and belief in the organization’s mission and vision.
What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?
Does Twitter and Facebook count? (Professionally, of course!)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does this mean to you and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?
One of my biggest professional goals is to become a nonprofit CEO. While working at the National Asian American Coalition, I worked closely with the government regulators (FDIC, FTC, OCC, CPUC), and I realized the majority of these decision makers were older, white men. This served as motivation for me to excel professionally, so that the minority voice can be heard during major decisions affecting the entire community.
Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years?
In 5 years, I hope to be an executive at a nonprofit with an established and strong network of professional contacts within my field. At this time, I would also like to move closer to home in San Diego to be near my family. In 10 years, I hope to buy my own home. In 20 years, I see myself on a nonprofit Board of Directors and using my experience in the nonprofit sector to create innovative strategies to tackle society’s newest challenges. With years of work under my belt, I hope to use my strong professional foundation to empower young up-and-coming nonprofit leaders. (Maybe through involvement with ProInspire?)
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
Catherine Zeta-Jones
If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Quirky, generous, ambitious
If you won $20 million dollars in the lottery and had to donate it to a social organization – which one(s) would it be, and why?
Nonprofit organizations that support same-sex marriages, because I believe in equality.
What are you some of the myths surrounding working in the nonprofit sector that have been debunked by your experience?
That nonprofits do not have the resources to help in your professional development. Year Up awards each employee $2,000 for professional development, which can help offset the cost of school, conferences, or even books. There is also a strong culture of feedback at Year Up that I think is unprecedented, even within corporate America. Employees are encouraged to give feedback to one another so that the unit as a whole can improve and reach its full potential.
What is your dream career if money was not an option?
Beach bum
Where do you hang out in San Francisco?
Almost every weekend, I walk the Embarcadero. I love dancing in the Castro, eating gelato in North Beach at Naia and shopping in Union Square.
What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
Right now, I’m reading Social Media for Social Good and Ariana Huffington’s book, Fearless. One of my favorite books is Where the Wild Things Are.
Where else have you lived?
San Diego, Palo Alto, Berkeley