Second Harvest of Silicon Valley announced today that it has named Shobana Gubbi as its new chief philanthropy officer. Gubbi will lead Second Harvest’s effort to raise an unprecedented $81 million this fiscal year to help offset the food bank’s increased operating costs as it continues to provide food to an average of about 500,000 people every month.
Gubbi joined Second Harvest as director of major gifts in 2015. After leading impressive growth in major gifts revenue, she was promoted to director of leadership gifts. Gubbi is credited with building a strong team of fundraisers, leveraging data analytics for insights to inform new fundraising strategies, and prioritizing and building deep relationships with donors.
“Shobana has already contributed immeasurable value to our organization. We’re so fortunate to be able to leverage her experience, institutional knowledge and strong leadership as our chief philanthropy officer,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest. “One of the things I appreciate most about Shobana is her ability to deeply listen to our donors while also being very strategic in her approach to this work. I’ve seen firsthand her passion for our mission, her ability to inspire others to give, and her deep and genuine commitment to her team.”
Gubbi started her career in the for-profit world, putting her UC Berkeley engineering degree to work as a project manager, software engineer and product manager for several Bay Area tech companies before answering the call to serve her community—first as executive director of the Los Altos Education Foundation, and then as a major gift officer at American Red Cross.
“It’s a privilege to step into this role during this pivotal time for Second Harvest. As we emerge from the pandemic continuing to serve 60% more people than we did prior to COVID, I’ll be working closely with our team to recalibrate a new fundraising baseline that ensures we can continue our mission to provide food to anyone who needs it,” said Gubbi. “I’m excited to continue strengthening our relationships with donors and deepening our engagement in the community, especially as we welcome back corporate and community groups in our volunteer efforts.”
About Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Founded in 1974, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of the largest food banks in the nation and a trusted nonprofit leader in ending local hunger. The organization distributes nutritious food through a network of nearly 400 partners at more than 900 sites across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Due to the prohibitively expensive cost of living in Silicon Valley and the dramatic reduction in pandemic-era government support, Second Harvest is serving an average of about 500,000 people every month. Second Harvest also connects people to federal nutrition programs and other food resources, and advocates for anti-hunger policies on the local, state and national levels. To learn more about how Second Harvest is responding to the incredible amount of need in Silicon Valley, visit shfb.org
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