“See—it makes for a great clutch too.” Proudly tucking her newly published tome, The Spark: Portraits of Purpose, under her arm, Gina Sanders greeted those who had gathered at Bibliotheque in SoHo to celebrate her latest endeavor.
Some seven years after the media powerhouse launched Gina’s Collective, her purpose-driven advisory firm, she figured it was time to collect and publish the inspiring stories of the nonprofits she works so closely with. While yes, the result is beautiful and ornamental—thanks to its orange facade and page designs inspired by the work of 1940s Italian artist Lucio Fontana—it’s not just another coffee-table book designed by Print NYC. Inside, the pages are filled with the moving mantras and personal mission statements of the founders who make up Gina’s Collective. Halfway through, the color palette shifts to hot pink, and it’s time for some hopeful “Gina-isms,” penned with encouragement by the woman herself. There’s also a DIY workbook to help readers ignite their own spark.
At an intimate reception at the library-like wine bar on Mercer Street, Sanders, a 29-year veteran of Condé Nast, was commended by Anna Wintour. “I presume Gina produced a draft during a ‘quick breather’ between launching tech start-ups, showing up to equestrian competitions, and her daily meditation sessions. She’s one of the world’s foremost multitaskers and a creative dynamo. We have all benefited enormously from her talents, and she has been a dream partner for so many of us here.”
A visibly moved Sanders graciously thanked the evening’s co-hosts—editors Samantha Barry, Jamila Robinson, Versha Sharma, and Fran Tirado—and her collaborator on the book, Jezz Chung, before welcoming four members of her Collective to join her in a fireside chat. “The reason I wanted to create this book is that I believe passionately that the most important gift we can either give or receive is the spark of inspiration,” she told the room.
Brett Hagler, CEO and co-founder of New Story, spoke about how the nonprofit is transforming thousands of vulnerable families’ lives by reconfiguring the path to home and land ownership. Bronx native Rose Afriyie, co-founder of mRelief, explained how the national organization is transforming access to social services with easier-to-use protocols and is leveraging AI to help millions of people sign up for SNAP benefits. AnnieCannons CEO and co-founder, Laura Hackley, shared more about their mission to train and guide those who have experienced human trafficking to forge a sustainable career path forward in tech. Manu Chopra, CEO and co-founder of AI trailblazer Karya, is laser-focused on this transformational time in technology—and being on the right side of the change. Karya, which means “dignified work” in Sanskrit, is utilizing emerging technologies to accelerate learning and earning opportunities in rural India and beyond, and is proudly paying its 30,000 workers twenty times the local minimum wage.
“Social impact is contagious,” Afriyie told Sanders, when asked what keeps her motivated for the future. “When we were talking about some of the harder realities, I noticed that a lot of you here actually started leaning forward. Usually, the reaction is that people pull away. That gives me a lot of hope,” Hackley echoed.
As they departed with their own copies of The Spark, guests clutched some newfound inspiration, too.
