Who am I and why the name “Osa Philanthropy”?

Good question!

I, Lara Pimentel, have always been intrigued by being part of something bigger than myself. As a child in Upstate New York, where my family has lived for generations, I always felt that there was something out there for me to tap into that would not only change my life, but change the world. And even now as a mother of two, who has seen the good, bad and ugly sides of the world, I still feel pulled by this call. It’s not just a call to something bigger than me, it’s a call to make a positive impact, especially for people who did not grow up in the loving, resource-rich way that I did.

One of the ways that I have tapped into the larger world is by being a learner. I love traditional and nontraditional learning. I remember when I worked at United Colors of Benetton during college (anyone else?!) I heard my peers chatting about their experiences of being brought up in Greece and Albania and some of the atrocities that happened to their families during the Kosovo War. This was something that was so outside of my own lived experience that I while I couldn’t relate to it, it cemented my interest in knowing more about how other people live and what their lives are like.  

To continue my journey, I joined the Peace Corps. I did my service in the Dominican Republic where not only did I meet the love of my life and get married but I also grew up quite a bit. I learned a heck of a lot about the developing world, and that the framework I had been using was just that, a frame. Not right or wrong. Just another way of operating and seeing the world. This was hugely liberating, as I was able to free myself of strictly relying on my lived models, and take some latitude in how I carry myself, what I do, and started to question everything. 

We travel back to the DR almost every year, and it’s a place where I feel very at home and at peace. It is why Osa Philanthropy is called Osa, or one of the reasons anyway. My oldest child enjoys the Berenstain Bears books so when it came time to name my business I wanted a name that evoked all of my reasons for establishing my business; to pay homage to the Dominican roots of where this journey started (Osa means “bear” in Spanish), to visually see my kids as the cubs in my logo and to let clients know that I am as much “mama bear” in the way that I’ll fight for their mission. 

After working in grantmaking and nonprofit space, and getting my Master of Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit management, and seeing all the ways that good can be done in the world (I’m glossing over a lengthy part of my work experience here, more on that another time), I realized that I can have more impact using my talents in fundraising and knowing how to navigate the social impact space than focusing on one organization at a time. I wanted to expand upon my talents and work with others who have the same drive toward positive impact. I also get to learn about all sorts of organizations, and go deeper into sectors that I’ve never worked in before, and develop community. This feeds my learning and my need to connect with others, and it works for me and my family.