Today we’d like to introduce you to David Zarraga.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My involvement as a member of the board of directors for Gawad Kalinga USA, a registered 501-c3 non-profit anti-poverty organization, began as a challenge presented to me by my wife, both of us immigrants to this wonderful country: With so much good in our lives, how can we give back to society?
The answer to this challenge, for me, came through a chance introduction to Gawad Kalinga USA, and its parent organization, Gawad Kalinga (a Filipino phrase that means, “To give care”), in 2014. GK has the lofty mission to eradicate poverty for 5 million families by 2024. I was surprised, and convinced, by the impact the organization has had in developing sustainable solutions to poverty in the Philippines, through over 3,500 communities built by GK for the poorest of the poor. GK, and its US partner organization GK USA, accomplishes this through a variety of ways, starting with community development and home-building, before introducing other initiatives in the areas of community health and livelihood. At the core of GK’s approach to poverty, however, was something that resonated with me, an immigrant in a land of opportunity: fostering dignity among those without access to the means to rise up out of poverty, and ensuring that no one is left behind.
GK’s inclusive, sustainable approach to poverty eradication convinced me that this was an organization with the infrastructure and vision through which I could visibly impact the lives of poor people in the Philippines, my home country, and around the world. I started by helping to organize fundraising activities in the Boston area – the GK 5K Run to Build, a 3-year old 5K event held yearly at Danehy Park in Cambridge, as well as the yearly Mesa Natin (Our Table) Meal Series that introduces participants to Filipino cuisine. I also helped where I could, coordinating a grant from TripAdvisor, my employer at the time. The TripAdvisor Charitable Foundation disbursed $140,000 over the past two years, helping GK USA build 30 homes at GK Ark of Noah, a community of 78 families relocated from shanties along the railroad tracks of Bocaue city in Bulacan Province in the Philippines. As a member of GK USA’s board of directors, I am leading the transition into digital channels for fundraising and community development, working closely with the leadership of Gawad Kalinga in the US and the Philippines.
My participation at GK USA has influenced the direction my life has taken. My wife, who is a physician, takes a similar view of channeling our volunteer efforts towards organizations that create sustainable and impactful solutions to poverty and healthcare access. Our two children have visited GK communities we personally support in the Philippines, and have seen first-hand how the poor, more than anything, crave to be treated with dignity, and granted access to things we take for granted, such as affordable education, nutritious meals, and a place to live and play in safety. I have also focused my professional endeavors towards mission-driven initiatives as well. My wife and I, together with a wonderful physician partner, started a concierge primary care practice, Tranquility Health, focused on delivering comprehensive healthcare in the Plymouth area. We also invested in a Philippine-based education marketplace called AdmitAll.com that aims to make it easier for students to discover and apply for affordable college programs around the world. I am currently their head of product. I am also a full-time digital product manager, currently consulting for Eversource, and have worked for some of the biggest technology companies in the Boston area, including TripAdvisor, Care.com and DraftKings.
My mix of entrepreneurial, general management and technology experience comes in very handy in my work with Gawad Kalinga USA. I am happy that everything I have learned throughout my professional and personal journey I can make use of in making the lives of the poor that much better.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working for any non-profit is a labor of love, but it’s not always a smooth path. Balancing family, friends, work, entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as Gawad Kalinga can be a challenge sometimes. I’ve learned to compartmentalize and allot specific hours of the day to each initiative I’m working on. However, there are days when I do feel depleted, when all the demands of the day weigh upon me heavily. Fortunately, I’ve been learning to set aside time for myself, whether through exercise, basketball or meditation, to replenish my reserves. I also take a whole lot of comfort from my wife and two boys – they have supported me through all these endeavors and have been nothing but encouraging and positive.
Navigating all the relationships I have at all the organizations and companies I work for can also be tricky at times. I like to make sure that what our volunteers and beneficiaries – whether they are fellow board members, fundraisers, day-of-activity volunteers or community residents – get what they want out of the GK relationship. If there is misalignment as to the goals of each party in a relationship, even a mission-driven one, it makes it so much harder to ship a project and achieve the team’s broader goals. And because people are people, communicating and aligning on a team’s different needs does happen and can cause friction and stress.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Gawad Kalinga Boston – what should we know?
Since I am involved in several not-for-profit and for-profit endeavors, I will give a brief overview of each:
Gawad Kalinga USA, in partnership with its Philippine-based parent organization, Gawad Kalinga (a Filipino phrase that means, “To give care”) is a non-profit 501c3 antipoverty organization with chapters around the United States. GK has the lofty mission to eradicate poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
GK’s success in helping families rise from poverty lies in its approach to developing sustainable solutions to poverty., So far, GK has built and developed over 3,000 communities for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines, and country chapters in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the United States. We accomplish this through a variety of ways, starting with community development and home-building, before introducing other initiatives in the areas of community health and livelihood. At the core of GK’s approach to poverty, however, was something that resonated with me, an immigrant in a land of opportunity: fostering dignity among those without access to the means to rise up out of poverty, and ensuring that no one is left behind.
The key element that differentiates GK’s approach to those of other large-scale home-building and anti-poverty organizations is community development. GK has a volunteer force on the ground in the Philippines that works with potential home beneficiaries up to 1 year before they receive the donation for the first home. This fledgling village works with GK volunteers to undergo a values-formation program based on building dignified community together. This approach creates an enabling environment that opens up the possibility of living a life of dignity, free of poverty, for the community’s residents. Once the mental and behavioral foundations are in place, the physical changes begin: homes are built, funded by donations and fueled by residents’ sweat equity. Once homes are built, the local government, with the help of volunteers and project-specific donations, help develop initiatives that deliver specific and measurable interventions in community health, and jump-start village-specific livelihood programs.
I am most proud of the fact that we at GK have had such measurable, sustained impact since its founding in 2003, despite a relatively shoestring budget (last year was the global organization’s largest donor year, at a little over $11 million dollars in donations). Despite the financial limitations, GK has built over 3,500 communities, supported by the efforts of over 4,000 volunteers worldwide, and impacting 350,000 families.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Communication – the ability to speak one’s thoughts and intentions clearly and concisely, and, more importantly, the ability to listen to both what is said and left unsaid.
Relationships drive the success of my endeavors – whether it’s raising funds or mobilizing volunteers for GK USA, talking to a potential member about the benefits of our primary care practice, or coordinating with designers and developers on a mobile or web project.
Pricing:
- To build one home for a family in need: $3,800 (each village is composed of a minimum of 10 homes)
Contact Info:
- Address: Gawad Kalinga USA country headquarters: 14241 Firestone Blvd;, Ste 400, La Mirada CA 90638
Tax ID number: 35-2361640 - Website: www.gk-usa.org
- Phone: 949-424-5872
- Email: contact@gk-usa.org
Image Credit:
Photos: David Zarraga, Mia Lim and Tytana Yap-Karamitis
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