Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) raises awareness about the importance and value of public mass transit. By working together directly with transit riders, drivers and supporters, PPT maintains the Transit Bill of Rights as a basic, essential form of mobility and an important part of residents well being in the Pittsburgh area.
Casy Stelitano is the current PULSE Fellow serving at PPT as a program coordinator.
Molly Nichols, the community organizer for PPT, reflects on PULSE in the interview below.
ET: Why did your organization decide to work with PULSE?
MN: We have just one full-time staff person and were looking to increase our capacity before we had the resources to hire a second full-time staff person. We were excited about having a PULSE fellow who was versatile, enthusiastic, and ready to learn about, support, and eventually help lead our community organizing–which is at the heart of PPT.
ET: What is the most rewarding part of working with PULSE?
MN: Having such a great PULSE fellow (see below) and knowing that she is getting support, resources, and other valuable learning experiences through the PULSE program.
ET: How has your partnership with PULSE impacted your organization?
MN: Without Casy, PPT never would have been able to conduct the 3 community campaigns for bus service this fall. She was instrumental to their success–quickly taking on key leadership roles to facilitate and organize. She has played a fundamental role in our communications–helping to lead the launch of our new website and to increase our social media reach. She initiated our online fundraising campaign, developed our real-time campaign, and has developed a handbook and workshop as resources for community groups advocating for more bus service.
ET: What do you like most about your current PULSE fellow and/or other fellows you’ve worked with?
MN: Casy is versatile and excellent at completing a variety of tasks. She has taken risks doing new things and has always done them well. She is also reliable and hardworking. Casy consistently thinks critically about our work and comes up with new ideas for how we can be more inclusive, progressive, and effective as organizers. To sum up: Casy is awesome.
ET: What would you tell other Pittsburgh nonprofits about PULSE?
MN: I highly recommend becoming a partner organization with PULSE. Working with them has gone very smoothly. I know if I ever have a concern or question, Chris and Amanda are available to address it.
Story by PULSE Associate Emma Toner.
Check out more great Partner Stories.
This is part of a series of posts about the Nonprofit Partner experience with PULSE. If you would like to learn more about a Nonprofit Partnership, please visit our Partner Page.