Lisa Sobrato Sonsini

 

One of the qualities partners value most about SV2 is the opportunity to learn from their peers – individuals like Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, a seasoned grant-maker who is a local and national leader in philanthropic circles.

Sonsini signed on as one of SV2’s first board members, in part to pass along the knowledge and experience she had built up over years of involvement with Community Foundation Silicon Valley and her family’s own foundation, which she founded in 1996.

Just as partners appreciate SV2’s educational aspects, Sonsini enjoys working in a leadership role to advance the field of philanthropy. Her enthusiasm has motivated partners to recognize their “untapped potential” and realize how much of a difference they can make in the community.

“I can make a grant to a non-profit myself,” she said. “But if I’m inspiring other people to contribute, I am able to expand the field of givers. I feel like my time is well spent that way.”

Sonsini said she is pleased to see SV2 expand its approach with the addition of “affinity groups” in which five or more partners can join together to award grants to non-profits in their specific areas of interest. “It’s really rewarding to network with others who care about the same causes,” she said. “Otherwise, you feel like you’re just doing it on your own.”

Groups have been formed on issues as far-ranging as youth health, the environment, international giving, and emancipated foster youth. The ideas for the groups “percolated from the bottom,” Sonsini said. “Affinity groups allow people to follow their passions.” She hopes those passions will motivate partners both within and beyond SV2.

“It’s a great group of people, and with a little education and a little push, hopefully they’ll do more than they otherwise would have done,” she said. “I like the idea of taking whatever knowledge people have gained from SV2 and applying it to their personal giving.”