“The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
Our "why" is helping you find yours. We bridge the gap between young adults eager to start careers in social impact and organizations seeking to hire them. This is achieved through our Impact Fellowship, offering paid internships, career coaching, and training, and our Talent Development program, which enhances career readiness and provides ongoing support for mission-driven teams.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to dismantling inequitable talent pipelines into social impact careers by empowering emerging leaders with innovative opportunities, mentorship, and clear paths to meaningful work, ensuring that tackling the world's most urgent challenges is accessible and equitably compensated for all.
About Us
At Second Day, we focus on unlocking the potential of up-and-coming leaders by providing unique and hands-on experiences in the social impact sector. Our goal is to support the next generation of changemakers by offering them extensive career pathways, strong mentorship, and fair pay. We carefully design our programs to help them reach their full potential, creating a group of leaders who are prepared and eager to solve the world's biggest problems.
We achieve this goal by working closely with leaders in the field and building a supportive community that values growth, innovation, and teamwork, especially through our Impact Fellowship program. Our comprehensive approach ensures that every Second Day Impact Fellow has the essential skills, broad knowledge, and a strong network to lead significant change and thrive in their social impact careers.
We are proud to place and assist young people in meaningful, paid internships at top organizations focused on making a difference. Second Day Impact Fellows play a key role in tackling important social issues and contributing to the success of their host organizations.
Practical Guidance: Prioritizing actionable advice over empty words to provide tangible guidance.
Radical Transparency: Guiding our actions through honest and transparent communication.
Unwavering Ethical Standards: Striving to do the right thing, especially when faced with uncertainty.
Continuous Learning for Improvement: Embracing continual iteration and improvement for positive change.
Lived Experience Leadership: Believing in leaders with lived experience as drivers of sustainable social change.
Challenging the Norms: Dedicated to disrupting norms and questioning outdated conventions.
Our Values
Meet the Co-Founders and Leadership
Philip Dearing is an author, social entrepreneur, and consultant focused on unlocking the potential of others. He is the co-founder of Second Day, a nonprofit determined to dismantle inequitable talent pipelines into social impact. Prior to working full-time at Second Day, as a Consultant at Bridgespan, where he supported the work of some of the largest foundations, nonprofits, and impact investors in the country. He also served as the Chief of Staff at College Bound Dorchester, where his work focused on reducing violence in the Boston area. Philip lives in Boston with his wife, Anne, their son, Theo, and their dog, Bella.
Mariam Matin is one of the co-founders of Second Day. She led the organization for the first five years alongside the other founders, focusing on brand development and partnerships. She is currently launching a venture called forward, a tech platform to help better curate job opportunities and present qualifications and passions in the job application. Before Second Day and forward, she worked in digital advertising at Undertone and product marketing at Chase. She graduated from Georgetown with degrees in Economics and Psychology. She has worked on two podcasts, is learning Indian classical dance in her spare time alongside a group of eight year olds, and lives in Austin, TX with her husband and dog.
Brigit Goebelbecker, co-founder of Second Day, is an entrepreneurial organizational leader with a decade of experience in strategy and project management at the intersection of technology, behavior change, and social innovation. She has centered her career on understanding the internal and external levers of change that enable mission-oriented organizations to be successful at their work. To do so, she’s worked within various types of organizations (startups, consultancies, nonprofits, government) on various causes (road safety, cybersecurity, public health, workforce development, childcare, etc.). With a dual masters’ in policy and business from Oxford University and a bachelors in cultural studies from Georgetown University, Brigit is drawn to understanding how individuals adapt to broken systems. She is committed to designing services that are equitable, empowering, and joyful.
Erin, Senior Fellowship Manager, is dedicated to helping young people develop professionally and find their passions. Prior to joining Second Day, Erin served as a Fellowship Program Manager at Govern for America and a Career Counselor at University of Maryland. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with degrees in Political Science and Criminology. Erin resides in Frederick, Maryland with her partner and her three cats: Spencer, Avery, and Sméagol.
Jorge Méndez, the Executive Director of Second Day, combines a decade of experience in entrepreneurial initiatives with social impact, emphasizing the importance of practical education in shaping individuals' professional and personal lives. At Second Day, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction, fostering a community among Fellows, alumni, and partners, enhancing the organization's brand strategies, improving operational efficiency, and overseeing various programs. With a rich background in program design, community building, and facilitation within the social impact sector, Jorge brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. He resides in Denver with his wife and their two dogs, Honey and Enzo.
