• Partner With Us
  • Focus Areas
    • Cause Selection
    • Global Health & Wellbeing
      • Abundance & Growth
      • Effective Giving & Careers
      • Farm Animal Welfare
      • Global Aid Policy
      • Global Health & Development
      • Global Health R&D
      • Global Public Health Policy
      • Scientific Research
    • Global Catastrophic Risks
      • Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness
      • Forecasting
      • Global Catastrophic Risks Capacity Building
      • Potential Risks from Advanced AI
    • Other Areas
      • History of Philanthropy
  • Grants
  • Research & Updates
    • Blog Posts
    • In the News
    • Research Reports
    • Notable Lessons
  • About Us
    • Grantmaking Process
    • How to Apply for Funding
    • Careers
    • Team
    • Operating Values
    • Stay Updated
    • Contact Us
  • Partner With Us
  • Focus Areas
    • Cause Selection
    • Global Health & Wellbeing
      • Abundance & Growth
      • Effective Giving & Careers
      • Farm Animal Welfare
      • Global Aid Policy
      • Global Health & Development
      • Global Health R&D
      • Global Public Health Policy
      • Scientific Research
    • Global Catastrophic Risks
      • Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness
      • Forecasting
      • Global Catastrophic Risks Capacity Building
      • Potential Risks from Advanced AI
    • Other Areas
      • History of Philanthropy
  • Grants
  • Research & Updates
    • Blog Posts
    • In the News
    • Research Reports
    • Notable Lessons
  • About Us
    • Grantmaking Process
    • How to Apply for Funding
    • Careers
    • Team
    • Operating Values
    • Stay Updated
    • Contact Us

Day in the Life: Nick Ravazzolo, People Operations Associate

  • Content Type: Blog Posts
  • Content Type: Day in the Life

Table of contents

Day in the Life

Published: December 11, 2024 | by Nick Ravazzolo

Open Philanthropy’s “Day in the Life” series showcases the wide-ranging work of our staff, spotlighting individual team members as they navigate a typical workday. We hope these posts provide an inside look into what working at Open Phil is really like. If you’re interested in joining our team, we encourage you to check out our open roles.  

 

Nick Ravazzolo is a People Operations Associate at Open Philanthropy, where he coordinates HR processes, employee experience, and onboarding. Nick graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in Marketing and Italian. Previously, he managed large teams at a payroll software platform, focusing on process improvement initiatives and the small client experience. Fun fact: Nick collects wristwatches — his favorite is the Hamilton Boulton, which he has permanently “borrowed” from his mom (with her permission). 

Nick enjoying the beautiful Sicilian countryside!

Day in the Life

One thing I love about Open Phil is our relationship to our operating values. It’s easy to be cynical about organizational values — too often they’re symbolic at best. But at Open Phil, our values are living principles that shape our daily work and decisions. This morning, I get to share my experience watching these values in action (and striving to embody them myself!) while welcoming our new Director of Partnerships, Liz Givens, with an orientation session. 

While discussing Open Phil’s history and organizational culture, we explore concepts like ownership, which I’ve come to understand differently throughout my time at Open Phil. Before joining, my impression was that ownership meant giving 110% to every task. However, I now think that ownership also looks like having candid conversations about priorities and scope — asking questions like “How should I prioritize this project alongside my other responsibilities?” or “Should we aim for the best possible version or a minimally viable product?” I like that OP is comfortable making unconventional choices when it serves our mission better.

Next, I connect with our HR consultants to plan for the week ahead. I think of myself as “air traffic control” for our various HR initiatives, like administering and expanding our benefits line-up. We’re currently preparing for end-of-year performance reviews, which involves creating project timelines, drafting communications, selecting the right software tools, and reviewing opportunity areas from last year’s processes. Large-scale, open-ended projects energize me — it’s exciting to watch the whole organization move through a system I helped to create. This year, our team streamlined our org-wide performance review templates to minimize time investment for both managers and individual contributors. I’m looking forward to receiving feedback on our changes! 

After lunch, I have a series of weekly one-on-ones. In my previous role, I managed a team of 30–40. In my current role, I have two direct reports. I’ve learned that managing fewer people with complex, varied responsibilities can actually be more challenging than overseeing larger teams with more standardized roles. But what I love most is the opportunity for collaborative problem-solving — working through challenges alongside my teammates. As a research and grantmaking organization focused on doing the most good, Open Phil is inherently non-competitive. When one person succeeds, we all move closer to our mission. 

I wrap up my day helping Meiko Flynn-Do, a People Operations Coordinator, prepare to lead our upcoming All-Hands meeting. Each month, our entire staff meets virtually to receive updates from our Leadership team, ask questions about org-wide happenings, and watch staff present on topics ranging from international computer chip governance to “how to get better at Twitter.” Helping to organize events like the All-Hands, quarterly co-working weeks, and our annual retreat is deeply rewarding. There’s something special about seeing over 100 colleagues in one space, laughing, cracking jokes, and building connections. These moments make our culture tangible in a way that’s hard to capture in day-to-day operations.

Are you passionate about building strong organizational cultures and supporting teams to do their best work? Join us! Check out our open roles or submit an Expression of Interest.

Subscribe to new blog alerts
Open Philanthropy
Open Philanthropy
  • We’re Hiring!
  • Press Kit
  • Governance
  • Privacy Policy
  • Stay Updated
Mailing Address
Open Philanthropy
182 Howard Street #225
San Francisco, CA 94105
Email
info@openphilanthropy.org
Media Inquiries
media@openphilanthropy.org
Anonymous Feedback
Feedback Form

© Open Philanthropy 2025 Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT