Change Can’t Wait 

Stupski Foundation

Stupski Foundation came to Spitfire in 2018 for help developing its core messaging and to launch its communication channels. We started by doing a communication audit to better understand its current brand, communication strengths and opportunities for improvement. This included conducting stakeholder interviews with key staff and stakeholders, reviewing Stupski’s existing communication materials and making strategic recommendations for how to take its communications to the next level. For over six years, we acted as Stupski’s firm of record — helping the foundation launch and run its new website, social media channels and e-newsletter and supporting its program directors on strategic communication efforts in their grant-making areas, including food security, end-of-life care, early brain development and postsecondary success. We are currently entering our third year facilitating a strategic communications program for cohorts of grantee partners to build communication capacity.

Stupski is unique in that it is a place-based spend-down foundation — investing approximately $250 million over the next 10 years in the communities it calls home, the California Bay Area and Hawaii. We have worked closely with its team to identify opportunities for the foundation to be a thought leader in philanthropy, sharing what it has learned through its strategic investments and encouraging other foundations to give with greater urgency. This effort has included helping the foundation to land on its tagline, Change Can’t Wait, and supporting its CEO and communications director to develop compelling blog posts, op-eds and digital communications to make the most of its voice and influence before Stupski closes its doors in 2029. Mostly recently, we worked with Stupski to develop and launch its new “Break Fake Rules” podcast.