Sasha Rabsey

Activist, Brainstormer, Connector, Consultant, Idea generator, Parent, Philanthropist, Project manager

Sasha Rabsey is the founder and director of the HOW Fund and HOW Fellowship, which support international mentorship programs for girls, and is co-founder of the innovative Present Purpose Network, a group of highly engaged women funders in the US and Europe making critical grassroots grants through informed collective giving. Current HOW Fund and Present Purpose Network grantees include, for example, an anti trafficking program in Vietnam, a mentorship program for adolescent girls in Nairobi and a leadership program for Pakistani women. In addition to providing program grants through the HOW Fund and Present Purpose Network, Sasha’s HOW Fellowship program recognizes and supports grassroots leaders working with young women on issues of education, social justice and reproductive health. HOW Fellows are awarded a professional development grant and participation in the prestigious Opportunity Collaboration conference in Ixtapa, Mexico. Sasha blogs and is a frequent speaker on the empowerment of women and girls internationally, and she consults on effective philanthropic engagement with grassroots organizations.

Supporting young women on the road to becoming a future of educated and empowered women leaders from diverse economic backgrounds

Educate a girl, not because she will eradicate poverty or make the world a better place, but because it is the right, fair and just thing to do. Do it because she is a human being. Before you give or invest in an intervention for girls ask yourself "Is the intervention you see before you what you would want for your own daughter, niece, grand daughter, neighbor etc?" Put your girl in another girl's shoes. What would you do if you had all the support in the world? My work is focused on supporting the development and positioning of young women and girls as the next generation of leaders at the decision making table. Most of the women and girls we serve live in the developing world where I believe we often lower our standards of what is "good enough" for them in order to feel we have "done enough" and that includes me. I want to change this attitude in myself and others.

Board Development, Collective action for impact, Gender and development, Grant development, Grassroots Development, joy of giving, Philanthropy, young women's voices, sexual and reproductive rights for women a

I have been watching TED talks for a long time. I found myself sending them to colleagues, friends and family to tell them about a great idea, or to share in a moving moment or articulate and idea that blew my mind and very often for the purpose of winning an argument. I never thought I would attend a TED Event and now I am attending the first TED Women event in San Francisco and I am thrilled.

writing, seeing the forest for the trees, telling a story