It’s the holidays, a time when many of us think of giving, both to our loved ones and to those in need, making this the perfect time to share our interview with Daniel Lurie, who has spent his career in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector focused specifically on supporting low-income individuals and breaking the cycle of poverty. 

In 2005, Daniel along with three other co-founders created Tipping Point, the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading poverty-fighting organization. Since its inception, Tipping Point has invested almost a quarter of a billion dollars in early childhood, education, employment, and housing programs, reaching over 600,000 people in need. 

In our conversation, Daniel shares the story of his career and offers advice for anyone interested in working in nonprofits.

Meet the Guest
Daniel Lurie founded Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit that aims to break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area, in 2005 at the age of 28. Since then, Lurie has led the organization as CEO, helping to raise more than $220 million to support the most effective front-line interventions in education, employment, housing and early childhood development. Tipping Point’s board covers all of its fundraising and operating costs, so 100% of every dollar donated goes where it’s needed most.

Based in San Francisco, a city that has become a symbol for the country’s economic disparity, Lurie has positioned Tipping Point as the leading philanthropic organization tackling poverty in the region, including its bold commitment announced in 2017 to reduce chronic homelessness in San Francisco by 50% in the next five years. He has convened the best of the business world to join in the fight and in 2014 partnered with Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, to raise more than $10 million in 60 days from top companies in the region towards Tipping Point’s poverty alleviation efforts.

And, after the historic fires broke out Northern California, Lurie rallied the region’s corporate community to step up in response. More than 60 corporate partners stood by Tipping Point’s side to host two benefit concerts, raising more than $20 million for Tipping Point’s Emergency Relief Fund, established to support the low-income communities hit hardest by the fires in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. To date the fund has raised more than $32 million, making it the largest philanthropic response to the fires.

In addition to his role at Tipping Point, Lurie served as Chair of the Super Bowl 50 Bid Committee, helping to bring the game to the Bay Area during its historic 50th anniversary year. After the successful bid, Lurie became Chairman of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, using the platform to put a spotlight on game-changing nonprofits in the region and helping to raise more than $13 million for community efforts, the largest philanthropic contribution in Super Bowl history. The Super Bowl and its surrounding events attracted over 1 million people to the region and had a net positive economic impact on the Bay Area of more than $240 million.

Prior to founding Tipping Point, Lurie worked for the Bill Bradley Presidential Campaign and the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City. He earned a BA in Political Science from Duke University and received his Master’s in Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley. Daniel serves on the Board of Directors for the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, and the Levi Strauss Foundation.

Links
If you’re interested in getting involved or donating to Tipping Point, visit:

• TippingPoint.org.
• Chronic Homelessness Initiative
• Initiative to support transition-aged foster youth: www.tippingpoint.org/betterfutures