In this powerful episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy D, the Nonprofit Sector Connector, sits down with Kavita Mehra, Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors of Gender-Based Violence, for an honest, vulnerable, and inspiring conversation about what it means to build a life of service and stand with survivors. From her working-class Jersey roots and 100-hour weeks in her mother’s Hallmark store, to frontline overnight shelter work, to being fired from a fundraising role and coming back stronger, Kavita shares how every step of her journey shaped the leader she is today.

Kavita opens up about being a survivor herself, the loneliness of navigating class and identity as an Indian American woman, and how those lived experiences inform her leadership at Sakhi. She and Tommy dig into the realities of direct service vs. development, the importance of professionalizing the nonprofit sector, and why fundraising is really about storytelling, connection, and aligning passion with resources. Along the way, they talk about the Imagine Awards, sector stress, and why small groups of committed people truly can change the world.

You’ll also hear how Sakhi has grown from a small organization with a modest budget into a $7M+ movement hub with a 50-person team, offering holistic, in-house support for survivors across the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean diaspora: a helpline and text line, safety planning, immigration and family law support, trauma-informed counseling, housing assistance, culturally specific food access, economic empowerment, job coaching, and more. Kavita and Tommy emphasize that survivors are the agents of change in their own lives – Sakhi’s role is to clear barriers so they can safely make their own choices. They close with a call to action to support Sakhi or your local gender-based violence organization, because this work is truly life-and-death and impacts every community.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing gender-based violence and needs support:

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors

🌐 Website: SAKHI.org

📞 Helpline: 212-868-6741

📲 Text: 305-204-1808

A trained team member will respond as quickly as possible to support with safety planning, crisis response, and next steps.

⚠️ If you are in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number first.

🎙️ Show: Philanthropy in Phocus (with a PH!)

👤 Host: Tommy DiMisa, The Nonprofit Sector Connector

🌐 TalkRadio.NYC – Uplift. Educate. Empower.

👉 Learn more, donate, or get involved: SAKHI.org

👉 Support your local gender-based violence / anti-violence organization – this is one of the most important issues of our time, and everyone is impacted.

#PhilanthropyInPhocus #Sakhi #EndGenderBasedViolence #NonprofitLeadership #SurvivorCentered #SouthAsianCommunity #DomesticViolenceAwareness