From 20 Tools to 2: How Amazon Fellows Helped Solace House Grow

When Solace House joined the Amazon Fellows Program, the challenge seemed straightforward: strengthen fundraising systems and build a more sustainable donor engagement strategy. 

The Amazon Fellows Program, run in partnership with SVP Seattle, pairs teams of Amazonians with local nonprofits for six months of hands-on capacity building. It's part of a broader culture of community engagement championed by Amazon's senior leaders, who actively encourage their teams to apply their skills beyond the workplace. 

When the Fellows team starting digging into Solace House's project, they realized the real challenge wasn't fundraising. It was capacity.

"There is no service like ours in New York and New Jersey," says Dr. Nandini M. Collins, CEO of Solace House. Founded in 2015, the organization provides free mental health counseling and suicide prevention services at no cost and with no insurance required. But demand continues to grow faster than the organization's ability to keep up. 

The original project focused on donor management, data systems, and fundraising infrastructure. The Fellows planned to improve donor tracking, automate communications, and create systems that would support long-term growth. But early conversations revealed an even bigger opportunity.

"We went through the scope together, and then they asked, 'Do you have any other ideas?'" recalled Dr. Collins.

That question changed everything.

For Fellow Tawnya Scott, the project initially felt overwhelming.

For many nonprofits, capacity isn't measured only in dollars. It's measured in time.

The changes implemented through the project helped Solace House save time, save money, strengthen fundraising efforts, and reduce administrative burdens.

Most importantly, they gave valuable time back to organizational leadership.

"It was such a perfect fit for what we've needed," said Dr. Collins.

She also highlighted the trust that developed throughout the partnership.

"There was such a sense of trust and ownership."

Both Solace House and the Fellows pointed to the strength of the partnership as one of the biggest reasons for success. The Fellows didn't arrive with predetermined answers. They listened, adapted, and worked alongside the organization to understand what would actually work in practice. Dr. Collins noted that she was impressed by how the team rolled up their sleeves, thought outside the box, and quickly implemented solutions that met the organization's needs.

The impact wasn't one-sided.

For Tawnya Scott, the experience changed how she thinks about impact.

She joined the Amazon Fellows Program because she wanted to become more involved in her community. Working alongside Solace House gave her a firsthand look at the realities facing many nonprofits today.

"How can I have a bigger impact in my community?" Tawnya said when reflecting on why she applied for the program.

What she found was an organization doing critical work while operating with extremely limited resources. Like many nonprofits, Solace House was busier than ever but operating with a lean team and limited capacity. The experience challenged the Fellows to rethink assumptions and adapt their approach.

Rather than implementing the solution they originally envisioned, they listened, learned, and designed systems that fit the organization's actual needs. They learned that successful capacity building isn't about implementing the most sophisticated tools. It's about finding solutions that are practical, sustainable, and aligned with an organization's realities.

For Vish Khemka, the project revealed just how much complexity a two-person nonprofit was managing. She began asking a different question: How can we create true value and help people get time back? Through the project, she discovered approaches to simplification and rapid problem-solving that she plans to bring back to her work at Amazon.

For Lavina Iyengar, the project provided an opportunity to work across different perspectives, experiences, and skill sets while contributing to a mission-driven organization. “At Amazon we work across large cross functional teams and everything we do ultimately traces back to customer impact. What this experience reinforced is that when a team is truly aligned around a shared purpose, regardless of size or resources, that is when the most meaningful work happens. Sometimes the clearest path to impact is not doing more but focusing on what truly creates value for the people you serve.”

By the end of the project, Solace House had stronger systems, cleaner infrastructure, new donor engagement tools, and more capacity to focus on its mission. The Fellows had gained something equally valuable: a deeper understanding of how to lead, innovate, and create impact when resources are limited.

The partnership demonstrated what happens when skilled employees apply their expertise in a community setting and remain open to learning along the way.

By helping Solace House simplify systems and build sustainable infrastructure, the Fellows created lasting value for the organization while gaining firsthand experience in innovation, leadership, and problem-solving under real-world constraints.

That's the power of the Amazon Fellows Program. When Amazon's leaders invest in their teams' growth beyond the workplace, the impact multiplies — stronger nonprofits, stronger leaders, and solutions that benefit both the community and the company.