My family instilled in me the importance of investing locally in important areas of concern for our world. I give to Next Door Solutions because investing in their work – in their mission – is investing in ending intimate partner violence.
Happy 50th Anniversary!
– Susan Packard Orr
Supporter Spotlight: Susan Packard Orr
Susan’s support for the last two decades has been unrestricted which allows Next Door Solutions to respond immediately to the needs of survivors of domestic violence. Unrestricted general operating funds allow us the flexibility to be nimble and address the needs of survivors of domestic violence and launch initiatives that will benefit the community especially as we recover from the impacts of COVID.
One example of how we have most recently benefitted from her support is our “Client Assistance” fund. This fund is available to cover expenses such as first month’s rent for a client and her children that have escaped their abuser and are in need of a new home or childcare expenses so that she can be employed while her kids are distance learning. Over the last 3 years, that budget line item has been around 30k, however, in the last fiscal year, we have distributed over 130k to help support those impacted by COVID.
Under Susan’s leadership, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, expanded its programs, from working on population and reproductive health in parts of Africa and Asia and helping children living in poverty to conserving coastal ecosystems and mitigating climate change to protecting wilderness in the western United States. Nationally, the Foundation’s health care strategy saw the number of children in the U.S. without insurance reach an all-time low of 7 percent in 2012. Globally, the Foundation provided grants to organizations focused on population growth and reproductive health, helping countries such as Ethiopia double its modem contraceptive use.
Susan transitioned the Foundation into one of the most influential and respected family foundations in the nation. Under her tenure, the foundation expanded its grant-giving globally while tackling some of the world’s biggest issues.
Susan is considered an icon in the philanthropy world, and in May 2014, Ms. Orr was named the first Distinguished Fellow in Family Philanthropy by the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) and shared her experiences with foundations nationwide on everything from how to give money away to how to navigate family issues.
For more than three decades, Susan has provided nonprofits around the world with support services and software she developed for the management of fundraising and grant-making activities when few others served that niche.
“Silicon Valley has a rich history of innovative businesses starting in garages – and Next Door Solutions is one of them. Growing up in Silicon Valley, my family instilled in me the importance of investing locally in important areas of concern for our world. Over the last five decades, Next Door Solution’s innovative spirit has been responsible for providing caring support and innovative solutions for those seeking to transition from a life of abuse to one of greater self-reliance – offering hope and a pathway forward. I give to Next Door Solutions because investing in their work – in their mission – is investing in ending intimate partner violence – for the individual, for the families, and for the community. Happy 50th Anniversary!”
