Danny Mapes is a member of the Pencils of Promise Leadership Council in New York. A friend and former co-worker introduced Danny to PoP and, after learning more about the organization, he became eager to get involved in whatever capacity he could.

As a member of the Leadership Council, Danny already plays a huge role in supporting our organization, but he continues to go above and beyond to find new ways to spread the word about our mission of increasing access to education for kids around the world.

Most recently, Danny used his birthday as an opportunity to fundraise for Pencils of Promise. As the 2016 PoP Gala was just one week after his birthday, he encouraged friends to buy tickets to the PoP Gala Afterparty to benefit PoP (and celebrate with him)! In an incredible show of support, 80 of Danny’s friends showed up to learn more about PoP and global education. What Danny found most inspiring about the whole evening, was how many of his friends asked him about how they, too, could get involved with PoP.

For Danny, the “why”, of why he decided to greatly support PoP wasn’t just because of his emotional response to the work of providing thousands of kids with quality education, but also because of his shared interest in an analytical, data-driven approach. Working at Goldman Sachs, Danny focuses on long-term investments—and it is that long-term vision that Danny is particularly drawn to at Pencils of Promise.

“Pencils of Promise is differentiated to me from an organizational and strategic perspective. The organization’s approach to site selection and local involvement to encourage partnership, accountability and long-term sustainability is something which resonates with me tremendously.

The organization is also data-driven and metrics-based. Its ongoing educational data collection consistently informs its strategy, and causes your dollar to result in the greatest possible good. PoP’s ability to leverage both social media and emerging technology (such as virtual reality) are additional evidence of the forward-thinking nature of the organization. Further, the development model that PoP has nurtured is a highly scalable one, and one which I hope will continue to grow and impact so many more over the coming years.”

In addition, to Danny’s impressive hard work at Pencils of Promise and Goldman Sachs, he enjoys pursuing a variety of hobbies like theater, film, art, scuba diving, skiing, following Kansas City sports and spending time with friends.

With his great life motto, Danny truly exemplifies our vision at PoP, that working together is critical to creating sustainable outcomes. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

______________________

Our PoP family is always growing. We’d love for you to join us.

Learn more about joining one of our Leadership Councils here.