The Silicon Valley Encore Fellows™ program has received top marks in an independent evaluation. The success of the 2009 pilot program, which tested a new way for experienced employees to transition from corporate to nonprofit careers, led to a new crop of fellows being matched with nonprofits during 2010 and plans for expanding the program to more cities.

In its examination of the first year of the program, the LFA Group of San Francisco found that Encore Fellows™ bring top-level talent and significant value to nonprofits, create a bridge for individuals eager to explore encore careers for the greater good and may help fill a looming leadership shortage in the nonprofit sector.

Read the research brief by the LFA Group.

In April 2010 a new class of 11 corporate employees started yearlong Encore Fellowships with San Francisco Bay Area education and environment nonprofits. In their temporary, high-level assignments, Encore Fellows™ provide immediate communications, research, business development and human resources support to nonprofits, and in turn gain hands-on experience to help guide them into long-term encore careers.

The interest generated by the 2009 pilot has also spurred the development of a number of new Encore Fellows™ programs nationally and the creation of the Encore Fellowships Network, an alliance of quality Encore Fellows™ programs.

Funding for the program, including each fellow’s $25,000 stipend, comes from a combination of support from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, corporate sponsors Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies and Legacy Venture, and participating nonprofits.