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Young Professionals’ Society

The St. Francis House YPS is made up of young professionals who strive to make a lasting impact on the Greater Boston community – and make social responsibility inspiring, thought-provoking, and fun!

The Society’s mission is to engage Boston’s diverse and accomplished young professionals’ community to support St. Francis House by:

  • Raising vital funds to further our charitable work
  • Increasing awareness of our work and our needs
  • Contributing directly to our cause through volunteerism and service
The Young Professionals’ Society (YPS) is made up of two tiers of support – Partners and Advocates.

Learn more about each tier and how to join below!

What are Partners and Advocates?

What does a YPS Partner Do?
  • Participation:
    • Attend monthly group meetings
    • Attend and manage planning and execution of signature YPS events
    • Attend quarterly volunteer sessions
  • Contribution:
    • Financially support SFH by giving an annual contribution of at least $200 per fiscal year
  • Connection:
    • Leverage professional and/or personal networks for event planning and attendance, general fundraising, recruitment, and advocacy of SFH’s mission.
  • Enthusiasm:
    • Brings a passion, interest, and dedication to the mission and guests of St. Francis House.
Partner Benefits
  • Professional Growth and Networking
    • Opportunity to connect with St. Francis House Leadership.
    • Professional reference letters upon request.
    • Chance to network with other like-minded young professionals.
    • Gain experience working within a non-profit organization.
  • Special Events and Experiences
    • Discounted tickets to all SFH events.
    • Exclusive opportunities to participate in group volunteer activities and social gatherings.
  • Recognition
    • Member recognition through SFH social media channels, website, and newsletters
What does a YPS Advocate do?
  • Option to participate in exclusive YPS volunteer opportunities and special events
  • Stay up to date on SFH news and new initiatives, and advocate for our mission within your community and corporation.
  • Help spread the word about YPS events and activities, such as our Winter Walk partnership
  • Opportunity to support Partners in the planning and execution of signature events and activities
Advocate Benefits
  • Professional Growth and Networking
    • Opportunity to connect with St. Francis House Leadership
    • Chance to network with other like-minded young professionals
    • Get experience working with a nonprofit organization
  • Special Events and Experiences
    • Exclusive opportunities to participate in group volunteer activities and social gatherings
  • Recognition
    • Member recognition through SFH website

How do I join?

Complete and return the PDF version via email to yps@stfrancishouse.org. If you have questions or want to learn more, send us an email!

Current Members

Charlie Coffman has been involved with the Young Professionals’ Society at St. Francis House since 2016 as a way to volunteer, advocate, and fundraise for some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in the Boston community. He was introduced to St. Francis House through volunteering in the kitchen to assist in meal preparation. Prior to St. Francis House, Charlie had significant experience volunteering with community, veteran, and academic organizations. Charlie’s professional background is in healthcare private equity investing and operating. He is currently the Vice President of Corporate Development at StageBio, a healthcare research company, where he oversees the commercial team and M&A activity. Charlie holds a B.A. in Economics-Mathematics with a concentration in financial markets from Colby College.

Maxine Harvey joined the Young Professionals’ Society in the winter of 2021. She has a long history of helping those in her community, having co-founded a non-profit (Debbie’s Treasure Chest) that supports low-income families and foster children in her hometown of the Merrimack Valley. Now living in downtown Boston, she is thrilled to be working with the YPS to support the guests of St. Francis House. Maxine currently works as a Coordinator in Recruiting Operations at Grubhub and holds an MBA and B.A. in Psychology from Clark University.

Mufaddal Mahesri joined the Young Professionals’ Society in 2019. As part of the Downtown Boston community, Mufaddal had been a supporter of the organization’s work and mission for many years and had truly seen how it helped the most vulnerable members of the community. He joined the YPS to contribute more effectively to the mission. Throughout high school and college, Mufaddal was actively involved in voluntary work and community service in Karachi, Pakistan. His experience includes organizing fundraising events as well as providing operational, and administrative support. Mufaddal works as a Senior Research Specialist in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He received an MD from Ziauddin University and an MPH from Boston University School of Public Health, concentrating in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Emily Perrotti has been involved with St. Francis House since 2017 and joined the Young Professionals’ Society in the spring of 2018. Emily discovered St. Francis House while working with many human services organizations around Boston during her time at Boston College. This experience, and her continued work with St. Francis House, have made her passionate about improving the lives of those experiencing homelessness and poverty in Boston and building a better community for all. As a Database Analyst/Programmer at Blackbaud, Emily works with a variety of non-profit clients and fundraising data daily. She has both professional and personal experience in fundraising, non-profit data and program analysis, and event planning. Emily has a B.S. in Business Analytics and Marketing from Boston College.

Rachel Sears got involved with St. Francis House in 2018 through volunteering in the kitchen before joining the Emerging Leaders in the fall of 2019. She discovered St. Francis House while looking for a place to give back to and advocate for in the community and loved the mission statement and work that St. Francis House does. In addition to working with the Emerging Leaders, she also assists with teaching financial literacy to students around the Greater Boston area. Rachel holds a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.

Brendan Stack began volunteering at St. Francis House in 2018 and joined the Young Professionals’ Society in the early part of 2019. As a resident of downtown Boston, he is appreciative of the opportunity to engage with an organization that provides such vital services to an in-need segment of our community. He has previously held volunteer positions with other local nonprofits supporting human health and education. Brendan currently works on the Corporate Development & Strategic Partnership team at Halloran Consulting Group, a life science consulting firm based in Boston. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston University.

SFH Liaisons

Tracy Belle O’Leary was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a natural talent for connecting with others. With over 4 years of experience managing and organizing late-scale events, Tracy is a media marketing professional who joined the Development Team at St. Francis House in July of 2022 where she manages SFH’s signature fundraising events, supporter engagement opportunities, and third-party events program. In her Coordinator role, Tracy is also serving as liaison to the Young Professionals’ Society.

Key Volunteer Opportunities

Holiday Gift Drive, our annual holiday gift program to ensure the residents of our supportive Next Step Housing and our students in the Sullivan Family Moving Ahead Program feel the love they deserve on Christmas every year.

Women’s Day of Renewal, our annual all-day event for the guests of the Carolyn Connors Women’s Center to reclaim their identities and escape the stress of their everyday lives.