Bay Area Non-profit Among Nation's First to Be Certified for Outstanding Volunteer Program

CaliforniaVolunteers recognizes The Shanti Project as a Service Enterprise, providing support to San Francisco's most vulnerable individuals

San Francisco, CA (I-Newswire) December 18, 2013 - The Shanti Project announces today that it was chosen to be one of the first U.S. non-profit organizations to be certified as a Service Enterprise. Shanti scored the highest of the 18 non-profit organizations assessed in the San Francisco Bay Area, with its volunteer time valued at $25.84 per hour and the total services provided to the community valued at $361,760 during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The designation by CaliforniaVolunteers recognizes organizations that fundamentally leverage volunteers and their skills across all levels of the organization to deliver on a social mission.

Research conducted by the TCC Group demonstrates that nonprofits operating as Service Enterprises receive a 600 percent return on donor investment through more efficient program delivery. The research also shows that when an organization leverages volunteers and achieves an effective volunteer management model, not only do they lead and manage their organizations better, but they are also significantly more adaptable, sustainable and better resourced to do their work, and therefore able to sustainably go to scale.

The Shanti Project enhances the quality of life, health and well-being of people living with life-threatening illnesses, including Breast Cancer and HIV/AIDS, by providing compassionate practical and emotional support to more than 1,800 clients each year. The Shanti Project currently engages over 250 volunteers, who served over 14,000 hours throughout the 2012-2013 fiscal year. According to the Service Enterprise standard, that equates to $361,760 in services provided to the community.

"For the last 40 years, Shanti has been training 'ordinary people to do extraordinary things' to quote Shanti founder Charlie Garfield "We've trained over 15,000 individuals, and over 600 organizations worldwide," says Kaushik Roy, Executive Director of Shanti. "To be recognized at the forefront of the Service Enterprise movement, with this elite group of organizations, is an honor and validates the services our volunteers have been providing, and the work we've been executing. A Shanti volunteer often represents their sole source of support-the difference between having one compassionate advocate by their side, or no one at all."

"The CaliforniaVolunteers Service Enterprise Initiative diagnostic, delivered to over 80 organizations in California so far, has given us the opportunity to shine a light on organizations such as Shanti that are already operating a close to optimal volunteer practice and to certify them as Service Enterprise organizations. As well as simultaneously identifying nonprofits that may want to invest their resources into attaining this Service Enterprise status," says Jill Blackburn, Director of Programs at The Volunteer Center. "Not surprisingly, after administering the inaugural round of the Service Enterprise Diagnostic, The Shanti Project showed-up as a champion among champions at leveraging the time and talents of volunteers. As the Service Enterprise initiative rolls out to a national audience, we anticipate that Shanti will continue be at the top of the curve."

About The Shanti Project
Founded in 1974 by Dr. Charles Garfield, Shanti has been at the forefront of a growing national movement to enhance the quality of life for persons living with life-threatening or chronic illnesses by providing volunteer-based emotional and practical support. For more information, visit www.shanti.org.

Shanti staff member Derrick Mapp wins The 2013 Bridget Murtagh Award



Derrick Mapp

The AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) held its bi-annual Full Group Meeting in DC this summer. HIV researchers and HIV community advocates and advisors from around the world met and discussed the state of HIV and AIDS research that is being done and planned. At this meeting several awards are given to Network members among the Investigators, Research Staff and Community Advisors are recognized for their outstanding contributions.

The 2013 recipient of The Bridget Murtagh Award is Shanti L.I.F.E. Program’s Derrick Mapp. This award is given to the Community Advocate who demonstrates the goals and achievements of volunteerism and advocacy for clinical research and the HIV community. 

The ACTG is one of five networks currently funded by Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to do clinical trials to combat the Global AIDS pandemic.

Volunteer Profile: Jason Bennett

Jason Bennett

Jason would like people to know that he was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy and is passionate about raising awareness around issues concerning adults with disabilities who are also living with HIV.

How did you hear about Shanti and what prompted you to become a Shanti peer facilitator for the L.I.F.E Program? How long have you been a volunteer?

Right after I moved from Georgia in 2010, I was diagnosed with AIDS and I started searching for HIV/AIDS support groups. When I first found out about Shanti, I started coming to the Shanti L.I.F.E Experience potluck, and then I found out about the Shanti L.I.F.E 12-week Workshop and so I thought, "Hey! I can learn a lot more about HIV and about self-care." The Workshop really taught me so much about myself and about HIV/AIDS, and not only that, but about how my peers in my L.I.F.E. Experience class gained a lot from the beginning to the end. Each time I attended a L.I.F.E Workshop cycle, I learned so much about myself and it’s been a great experience. When I moved out to San Francisco, I did not know one soul in the city. My family is deceased, so Shanti was really my first extended family – the family that I adopted into my heart.

In your time as a peer facilitator, what is one of your most memorable moments?

One thing that really inspired me is to see long-term survivors and newly-diagnosed people connect together and see how each of them learned from and support each other. I became very close to the people in the workshop with me. We kept meeting for a few months after the workshop was over. Little bits and pieces of the relationship with each person I met added up to a monument, and that would never have happened without Shanti.

Are there any valuable lessons you have learned from the community?

There is hardly a day in the week in San Francisco without seeing someone that I met through Shanti. It really makes me feel like I am making a lot of friends and extending my family. In all the workshops and groups there are familiar faces and fresh faces – it’s always a balance. I’m very surprised about how much my peers can tell me about different HIV access to care throughout the city, facts about what’s available for all the different aspects of HIV care. If I hear someone needs some information and I know something, I share. You can only learn so much from the computer: word of mouth and face-to-face contact cannot be underestimated.

What would you say to someone who was considering becoming a Shanti volunteer?

I would tell them how Shanti had changed my life and would invite them to come to Shanti L.I.F.E Experience potluck to learn more about the benefits at Shanti. Several months ago I graduated from SF State RAMS Peer Mental Health Specialist Certificate Program, and so often in that program I talked about my volunteering at Shanti. The instructor was looking for places that RAMS graduates could volunteer, so I told her about Shanti.

What are some fun facts you can tell us about yourself? What might someone be surprised to know about you?

I grew up in a very, very small town called Pine Log, Georgia. It’s not on many maps, but it is on Facebook. Pine Log does not have any stoplights, but we do have a school and a fire station. But the post office is in another town a mile away, across the railroad tracks. I’m a small-town country boy. People might be surprised that in 1994 I graduated from University of Georgia, and I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. A lot of people don’t know about that. And my tattoos: let me tell you about them. In college I would go with my fraternity brothers to tattoo parlors when they would get tattoos, and every time I would chicken out. But since I’ve been in San Francisco, I had thought about it a lot. I met someone at RAMS who introduced me to a tattoo artist he trusted, so I went for it! I decided to go with SF-themed tattoos, so I have the Ferry Building, the Cliff House, and Lombard Street on my arms, and a Golden Gate Bridge across my chest. Tony Bennett sang "I left my heart in San Francisco." I took the liberty of changing the words to "I found my heart in San Francisco." All of my family is deceased. My parents passed away, and my sister died when she was a baby. I’m so glad that Shanti accepted me. Now I have a really good excuse to stay in San Francisco.

Donor Profile: Paul Colfer & Jon Gatto, and Veronica & Gerald Colfer

Paul Colfer and Jon Gatto at Glacier National Park

Paul Colfer and his partner Jon Gatto have been supporters of Shanti for decades. Paul grew up in DC, and came out to his parents in 1977, in the midst of the Anita Bryant anti-gay campaign. He recalls that his parents, Gerald and Veronica Colfer, were strong Catholics who at first had trouble accepting the fact that their son was gay. Shortly thereafter, Paul followed his long time dream of moving to California and came to San Francisco. While Paul’s parents had a difficult time with his coming out at first, he witnessed them go through "a journey of acceptance," eventually becoming tireless advocates for LGBT rights in the U.S. and throughout the world. They were very active with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and Dignity USA, an organization that works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities in the Catholic Church.

Tom Altieri on Sentinel Dome, Yosemite

Paul’s first contact with Shanti came in the 1980s. His partner at the time, Tom Altieri, was a Shanti volunteer in the early 80s and was matched with a client with HIV/AIDS. Tom would help his client with transportation, laundry, errands, whatever he needed. Several years later Tom received an AIDS diagnosis himself and he became a client. Tom was matched with a volunteer who provided practical support for the 2 1/2 years that Tom was fighting the disease. Tom lost his fight to AIDS in 1988. About 6 months later, Paul started going to a Shanti bereavement group, which helped him through the grieving process of losing his partner. Paul recalls that his parents showed a lot of love and affection for Tom, and were very supportive throughout Tom’s illness.

Veronica and Gerald Colfer

 Gerald and Veronica Colfer learned of Shanti through Paul, and when they were planning their estate, decided to include Shanti in their trust. Of this gift, Paul said, "I saw a wonderful change happen in my parents and see their gift to Shanti as a beautiful example of their strong support for the community." Gerald Colfer passed away in 2002 at the age of 90, and Veronica at age 100 in 2012. Shanti is touched by the generosity of these two compassionate individuals and is honored that they chose to include Shanti as part of their legacy. We are also enormously grateful for the unwavering support of Paul and Jon, which has helped us to continue to provide emotional and practical support to our most vulnerable neighbors for nearly 40 years.


Paul lives in San Francisco with his partner Jon and works as a Senior Consultant at Kaiser Permanente. Jon is an artist and retired art framer. Paul loves to hike, and Jon and Paul both enjoy travel, theater, and getting together with friends.