First 10 days at my new job!

I am employed!! I started on Wednesday, May 5 as the new Philanthropic Services Associate at the Tides Foundation (www.tidesfoundation.org) which is a part of Tides Inc. (www.tides.org). I feel so blessed and fortunate to have landed a job so soon after moving, and am so glad now that I did not start work before the wedding!! The first 3 weeks here without any commitments, except for wedding planning, were spectacular.

Tides has been in business, connecting philanthropists with organizations and nonprofits around the world, since 1976 and is committed to positive social change, promoting human rights, justice, and a healthy, sustainable environment. There is the Tides Center (acts as a fiscal sponsor for over 200 projects around the world), Tides Shared Spaces (stable and collaborative work space for nonprofits), and the Tides Foundation, which partners with individuals, foundations and other institutions interested in using us as a vehicle for their grantmaking as well as donors who are interested in funding some of the Foundation's initiatives. So what do I do? In a nutshell, I am working on a team that supports individuals, foundations, and corporations interested in grantmaking internationally and domestically across a wide range of issues. Clients will come to me (when they turn me loose to contact clients, which may be several weeks yet) to facilitate their grantmaking to organizations in many different countries. So similar work to what I did at SunTrust but I will be learning lots more about making philanthropic grants around the world!

I have had a great experience so far- everyone has been so friendly, my co-workers are diverse and have incredible experience in their field, the dress is casual (which is actually a bit hard to get used to, will still probably dress up many days of the week, just no more suits :), there is awesome energy in the office, lots of people around my age, events happening all the time, etc. Everyone works hard, but there is plenty to distract you if you need to take a break. For example, tomorrow I am going to have a 15-minute chair massage sponsored by Tides HR and then going on an organized run with several of my coworkers over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito!!

One more note about my new job- I work in the Thoreau City for Sustainability in the historic Presidio of San Francisco! The Presidio spans 1,491 acres at the northern tip of the San Francisco peninsula. It was once the most important military post in the United States and today is a national park site within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It's great- I can walk outside to take a break, walk about 50 feet and automatically be in a beautiful park with views of the Golden Gate Bridge! I'll post some pictures soon :)