Elana Solon
Philanthropic Operations Officer
As Philanthropic Operations Officer, Elana works to cultivate, engage, and build purposeful relationships with donors and the community.
A native to Santa Cruz County, Elana wishes to be an integral part of this new era of giving and the ever-expanding realm of philanthropy. This work comprises tracking and reporting gifting trends; gift processing; and executing community events and workshops, including co-producing the recent TEDxSantaCruz, which served to elevate the brilliance of local leaders of color.
Nonprofit work has been a common thread throughout Elana’s life, volunteering with youth-, education- and culturally based nonprofits since childhood, including The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., Women and Youth Supporting Each other (WYSE) at Yale, and, locally, Black Surf Santa Cruz, Reggie Stephens Foundation, the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, and Santa Cruz Sister Cities Shingu Subcommittee. Elana also serves on the boards for Boys & Girls Club of Santa Cruz County, Project Daraja, and the board for Leadership Santa Cruz County as well as being a Class 37 graduate.
Ask Elana about...
Ask her about becoming a new fund holder and other opportunities to give back locally! A natural networker, Elana loves connecting like-minded people and organizations to each other. Let her know why you love Santa Cruz County, and she’ll help guide you toward the individuals and groups who place what you love at the heart of what they do.
