Network For Good Staff Profile: Onias Dickson

As the Partnerships Program Manager, Onias works with Network for Good’s partners, including Facebook and Google, to ensure a seamless experience and operations. He works with partners to support donors and non-profits by offering guidance of best practices to follow. Onias has an extensive nonprofit background working and volunteering with numerous organizations. In his free time, Onias enjoys urban exploration and discovering old, man-made structures.

“I enjoy the opportunity to work with bright and inspired young entrepreneurs struggling to bring about change in their world.”

Q&A with Onias Dickson, Partnerships Program Manager

What do you do at Network for Good?

I work cross functionally with Network for Good Support, Product, IT, Donor Advised Funds-Operations, and Business Analytics to position, build, maintain, and deprecate Network for Good’s donation Webservices for a specific user community within a specific business context.

I work with each partner throughout the life-cycle of their relationship with Network for Good to build solutions at each point of our service delivery value chain. I engage by identifying the value proposition in our partner’s business model and connecting its market viability with Network for Good’s institutional goals both from a philosophical-marketing perspective but also from a Development Operations-feasibility point of view.

When a partner on-boards, I work closely with their technical teams to shape our requirements such that we can help align their operational responsibilities with the standards of our disbursement engine and Donor Advised Fund compliance rules. I work with partners to support donors and non-profits; offer guidance on help desk best practices, and draw up specs for support channels that best meet the partner’s stake holder demands.

What is your experience with nonprofit organizations outside of Network for Good?

I spent a number of years advocating for homeless youth outreach with E.G.Y.H.O.P. in Seattle WA – It is quite impossible to nail down a  single experience that provides the most personal satisfaction – but I’d say that my work with E.G.Y.H.O.P was the most interesting. There is never a dull moment when providing direct support to people living on the streets. Other notable experience: Vice President of the East Kensington Neighbors Association (EKNA) in Philadelphia, grant writing consultant for small galleries in south Jersey, and project managing coordinated action at Temple University Media lab’s “Media Mobilizing Project”, and volunteer digital literacy tutor at Philadelphia Free Library.

What attracts you to nonprofits? 

I was brought up by hippies who taught me to believe that what you do is more important that who you are – so I try and do some good.

What do you enjoy most about your work? 

I enjoy the level of creative problem solving it demands. I also enjoy the opportunity to work with bright and inspired young entrepreneurs struggling to bring about change in their world. It’s really feels like I work for a startup most days.

What do you enjoy doing outside work?

Urban exploration: discovering old man-made structures and learning about urban design type stuff.

Lightning Round

Dream vacation? Ganymede

Most recent book read? Constituting Feminist Subjects by Kathi Weeks

Last movie seen in movie theater? Rocketman

Theme song? The Observer – by The Flaming Lips

All time favorite athlete? Muhammad Ali

Favorite food? Asian Street Food

Favorite hobby? Tinkering. Right now I am restoring a 45 year old Japanese road bike.