According to the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, reported in Public Source, there were 8,500 nonprofits in Southwestern Pennsylvania as of last year, representing an 11-county area. Many of our region’s nonprofits benefit from strong, female leadership. In a two-part series, North Hills Monthly will feature six women who are at the helm of some of the most impactful nonprofits that call Pittsburgh home.
Grace Coleman, CEO, Crisis Center North
For Grace Coleman, working for a domestic violence organization was a family affair. Coleman’s late husband was a child survivor of domestic violence. “I got involved in the work because of him. I felt driven to do something, as I saw the impact it had had on his family of origin,” said Coleman. Her husband spent his research career collecting data about the effects of victimization, and Coleman applied this research to the programs offered by Crisis Center North. Together, they worked to ensure that they were meeting community needs.
In addition to a 24/7 telephone hotline and a 12-hour daily text chat line that is always staffed by a live person, Crisis Center North offers many other services for those impacted by domestic violence, from legal and medical advocacy, economic empowerment, referral services, counseling, and a new service called PAWS: Seeking Safety for Victims and their Companion Animals, which helps women fleeing abusive situations be able to take their pets into their new housing as well as give them veterinary stipends.
Like many nonprofits, securing funding is a constant challenge, but despite the financial worries, the rewards greatly outweigh the challenges. “When I go to bed at night, and my head hits the pillow, I never need to wonder if my day was spent in a worthwhile fashion. When our organization works to empower even a single person in our community, when we ensure that a person is safe from harm, when we provide them with the basic essentials, we, in effect, assist them in the process of becoming the best they can be,” said Coleman.”
Coleman has been at the helm of Crisis Center North for 25 years, an eternity in the corporate world but perhaps two eternities in the nonprofit world. “I have stayed at Crisis Center North for 25 years because it is a place where you can create and innovate. Nonprofits allow for the possibility of new ideas and new concepts. In the right nonprofit, you can provide solutions more quickly than you can in a more structured system where many employees have to work through an endless hierarchy to present a new idea or concept. Some of the greatest community solutions have come from nonprofits. The very best nonprofits are like incubators for societal solutions,” she said.
Carey Harris, CEO, Literacy Pittsburgh
Carey Harris has worked in the nonprofit world for her entire working life, with her five-year stint as CEO of Literacy Pittsburgh being the fourth time she has been a CEO for a nonprofit. Initially trained as a community organizer, holding an MSW and a Master’s in Public and International Affairs, she decided she wanted to move from policy and budget advocacy to the delivery side, particularly in the field of education.
“I fell in love with the organization, and I have not regretted it. It is probably one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had in all my life; the kind of impact we can make here is just amazing. There was a lot of opportunity to grow and strengthen our organization and a great team of people to work with, and we’ve been growing the team since,” said Harris.
Harris said that the definition of literacy is about interacting with and interpreting the information around you, whether that information is in words, numbers, or presented digitally.
Not being literate can restrict the ability to earn a living wage. “It can be dangerous in taking medication and interacting with health care. It can make it hard to support your children. It can limit your life experience and ability to contribute, and so it has consequences for all of us,” said Harris.
With a growing enrollment and the help of over 500 volunteers, Literacy Pittsburgh works with people on basic literacy skills and with those whose native languages are not English. Ultimately, the goal of the nonprofit is to equip people with the tools needed to sift through information in a coherent way, to go ‘from learning to earning.’ The nonprofit serves adults in two main programs: college and career readiness, and English language learning, the latter of which includes citizenship preparation.
“I feel super privileged to be able to do meaningful work; it is part ofx my gratitude prayer every morning. What is most rewarding here is just to see students succeed, to see them build their confidence, to see them achieve new things, get new jobs, get that GED. Our students are adults, and no one makes them come to Literacy Pittsburgh; they come because they want to learn, and so they are very, very appreciative. It’s a privilege to be with them on their journey,” said Harris.
Bobbi Watt Geer, President and CEO, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania
For the past 17 years, Bobbi Watt Geer has worked for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, moving into the role of president and CEO in 2019. The nonprofit, which will turn 100 in 2027, invests about 33 million dollars annually, funds 110 partner agencies in a five-county area and serves one million people each year.
Watt Geer has worked in the nonprofit world for 35 years and especially feels connected to working in the human services arena. “At our core is an organization that mobilizes the community to help improve lives, specifically around meeting human service needs. We help people meet basic needs so that they can be successful in school and in life as well as achieve financial stability,” she said.
One important component of the United Way is its free, anonymous and confidential hotline, 211, which people can call, text, or chat 24/7 to connect to 9,000 agencies that provide assistance. “The most common reasons why people call us are for housing needs, food insecurity, paying utility bills, or seeking help for older adult relatives,” said Watt Geer, adding that the 211 number was contacted 563,000 times last year. At the height of the pandemic, the United Way was also able to schedule vaccines for older adults who could not navigate the Internet, coordinate food deliveries and provide critical health information.
Watt Geer said that her agency relies heavily on its 5000+ plus volunteers who engage in hands-on activities throughout the year. A recent event was “Build a Bike,” in which volunteers helped to assemble 600 bikes, which were then distributed (along with helmets) to kids and families in the region.
Though Watt Geer did say that needs typically outstrip resources when you run a nonprofit, the rewards outweigh the challenges. “One of the things that is really compelling to me is the ability to partner with so many people in the community—community leaders who care about creating positive change. That really is an honor and a privilege, to see and experience their commitment to create a stronger, more livable community,” she said.
“The reality is, some of these issues are not going to be solved in my lifetime, but being able to work seriously to address complex community challenges is really compelling to me. I can’t imagine working outside of the nonprofit sector,” she added.