Miles Libbey (he/him)
Miles is a rising senior at Macalester College and is pursuing a major in Data Science with minors in Psychology, Spanish, and Political Science. For the past 5 years, he has worked closely with nonprofits in the Bay Area, forging a close relationship with a few. Miles is interested in continuing this on a broader scale through aiding the Council’s nonprofit review tool and assisting prospective donors. Outside of working, Miles likes to bike, play chess, and climb.
Email: miles@smartgivers.org
What excites you about joining the Council team?
The Council is one of the most unique nonprofits I have ever heard of and appears to have the potential to make great change in any and all sectors nonprofits occupy. It strikes a unique balance between focusing on the broad and specific by helping nonprofits one by one on a grand scale. It seems like it is one of the best places to learn about nonprofits as a whole.
How have you seen nonprofits play a role/show up in community?
I’ve worked with many local organizations doing small scale impact projects ranging from helping teens realize their own projects to tutoring to installing free solar panels in community spaces and private homes. Personally, witnessing summer programs provide free daycare and tutoring to underprivileged kids and seeing Habitat for Humanity houses under construction highlights how nonprofits strengthen communities by addressing real, pressing needs. These experiences have shown me that nonprofits are essential community allies, solving problems that directly affect the people they serve.
What are you most looking forward to in this new role?
I am most looking forward to the novelty of joining a new community and experiencing a whole new type of nonprofit. This position offers a unique opportunity to develop skills and achieve goals in ways that no other position would allow. I’m excited to discover areas I never knew existed and learn about the elements that connect and strengthen nonprofits.
What is your favorite nonprofit cause or focus area?
Although it is incorrect to view homelessness as a single issue rather than an intersection of multiple factors, I believe it deserves special attention. Shelter is a basic human need that provides many protections against constant stressors that people with homes may take for granted– physical security, a consistent place to sleep, and access to services such as healthcare, education, and employment. Charities like Tubman provide lifesaving resources that let people without homes to give space to distance themselves from these obstacles and heal. Rebuilding lives starts with these fundamentals.
When you’re not connecting with donors and nonprofits, what do you like to do for fun?
Biking while listening to music is one of my happy places because it can be as relaxing or challenging as I want it to be. I love going on as many outings with friends as possible—I strive to be a ‘yes’ person to any and all activities because I enjoy trying new experiences with others. As a result of this, recently, I’ve been spending some time at a new board game cafe.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’m the fifth Miles Libbey in my family, which makes our family tree look a little unique and adds a suffix to my name. While it’s interesting, living with another Miles Libbey can be confusing for people trying to find one of us, and government offices aren’t fond of me because their systems only recognize suffixes up to IV. Though, it has given me a really good reason to be better with Roman numerals.
