Niko Everett, Girls for a Change
Posted by Adriana Dakin, Communications Strategist and Amy Wachler Communications Associate on March 27, 2007
Recently, my Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (YWSE) colleague Tania Hurter and I interviewed Niko Everett. At 31, she is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Girls for a Change. Awards and honors include the Draper Richards Foundation fellowship for social entrepreneurs in 2007, one of the “40 Under 40” up-and-comers in the Silicon Valley by The Silicon Valley Business Journal, and KQED Local Hero (Women’s History Month). Her hobbies are the outdoors, sailing, triathlons and marathons. My kind of person!
We talked with her because her organization is clearly dynamic and growing, from two sites in the Bay Area to a national organization, because she helped to found YWSE, and for inspiration to other entrepreneurs like ourselves. Both of us interviewing Niko are starting business and philanthropic nonprofit ventures, with all the challenges that entails.
Niko highly values sharing her life and career challenges with aspiring women. At a panel she attended recently, she felt overwhelmed by the successes of the $20-50 million companies. She wanted to hear about the challenging moments—what happened when they couldn’t pay the bills, when the staff staged a coup. But these people seemed so perfect, when in fact everyone has issues and failures.
After a challenging childhood and experience being poor, Niko worked with a coach to develop a vision for what she wanted her life to look like: “I want to transform the world for low income girls, so that they are incredible resources for themselves and their communities, and make an impact on how we see women in general. I want to be paid well; I want to be in charge, and I want to work with smart women to make it happen.” In 1999, she had helped to found Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (YWSE). YWSE and coaching gave her a first experience seeing how setting one’s mind on something can make it happen.
When we asked for her advice for women who are social entrepreneurs, she said, “The bottom line that I wish I had known is: You’ll hit your stride. Trust that. You’ll be doing what you want to do. It sometimes takes time. Now I’m running an organization that just got major investment because of its leadership—my leadership and my potential to grow further. If someone had said I’d be where I am now in seven years, I would have relaxed a little bit. I want women entrepreneurs to know that with charisma and vision to be what they want, they can do it, however they want.”
I asked Niko how political partnerships help her nonprofit. She said the organization works mostly with local politicians, who help make things happen for them. For example, Girls for a Change needed space for 1,500 girls, but didn’t have money to pay for it. Miraculously, a political leader found space. “Politicians are great connectors who can find resources. Many have written checks themselves to our organization. The also provide good marketing and PR because they are constantly trying to connect people, and will say, ‘You need to meet Niko.’”
She ended by saying, “There’s the saying that if you’re not getting No’s, you’re not asking for enough. You should get really good at going for the gold and falling flat on your face. It’s nice to stay in our comfort zone. That’s a good reminder for me to keep going for the no; it is hard to remember.”
To learn more about Girls for a Change, please go to http://www.girlsforachange.org/
The full version of the interview will be posted to the YWSE-SF listserv and the website. To subscribe to the online twice monthly mailing (free) with events and opportunities, go to https://www.123signup.com/mailinglist?Org=ywse
YWSE members are women in their 20s and 30s, who are committed to influential positions as founders of or leaders within business, not-for-profit, and political organizations. Their backgrounds are diverse with regard to race, culture, socioeconomic status, and level of education; these women are similar in their leadership, ambition, and socially conscious agenda. Join as a member if this sounds like you! https://www.123signup.com/enroll?Org=ywse
