The Positively Produced Foundation facilitates employment opportunities for adults with autism. They provide training on social language communication skills, community interaction, and employment preparedness for un or underemployed adults with autism. But they don’t stop there. The Positively Produced Foundation recognizes the structural side of this issue—that the bosses have plenty to learn as well. The Foundation offers resources and training for employers, to help them understand how to accommodate neurodivergent workers.

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“Our vision is to create a safe environment where adults with autism can thrive in the world, including full community engagement.” Claire Malfaro, President

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Background

As a therapist and mother to a son with autism, Claire Malfaro was frustrated by the communication gaps she saw in the professional world. Over and over again, Malfaro saw smart, talented, and hard working adults with autism miss out on work opportunities where they could have done well.

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“Through my practice experience and parenting my gifted son, I saw firsthand the difficulties individuals with autism faced in competitive employment. Although many are highly intelligent and have above average skills (plus incredible work ethics!), their social communication deficits make it difficult to maneuver through the job search process.” Claire Malfaro

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Malfaro began offering guidance to adult jobseekers with autism, training them on communication throughout the interview process and afterward, but after monitoring the employment landscape for adults with autism for over a decade, Malfaro realized that communication difficulties went both ways. 

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Yes, many adults with autism could use training in how to navigate interviews and professional politics. But most employers could also use training on how to accommodate a neurodivergent workforce—as well as a better understanding of why having a diverse set of employees would benefit their organizations. When they find employers that are willing to learn, Positively Produced supports both employer and interviewee throughout the hiring process.

As Malfaro saw it, the problem of finding fulfilling jobs for underemployed adults with autism was two-sided and solvable. But Malfaro had never run a nonprofit before. 

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“I knew an enormous amount about autism, psychology and work/educational systems to support individuals with disabilities. I knew very little about business or nonprofit management. Some members of the community offered support, so I took a leap of faith and began to set up a nonprofit: Positively Produced Foundation.” Claire Malfaro

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Malfaro was starting from scratch, but she had her community’s support. A local business offered to host a fundraising gala for Malfaro’s new project, The Positively Produced Foundation, but the offer was initially intimidating. Malfaro had never tried to raise money, much less throw a fundraising event. At first, the logistics—like selling tickets, collecting revenue, tracking donors, and issuing receipts—seemed intimidating. Malfaro only had so much time, and she couldn’t spend it designing gala tickets.

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Malfaro turned to the local community of nonprofits again.

To learn how to run her new organization, Malfaro volunteered with another local nonprofit’s fundraiser. She saw on their website that they used Zeffy and decided she’d give it a try. 

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“To call myself a computer novice is a compliment, yet I had no difficulties whatsoever in setting the Positively Produced Foundation up with Zeffy.” Claire Malfaro

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It turned out that Zeffy was exactly the tool Malfaro needed to run her first fundraising gala without a single full time staff member. 

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“It was easy and allowed us to have a successful event with coverage on ticketing, depositing of funds, keeping track of donors and donations and even getting receipts to donors. We could not have done it by ourselves with our shoestring budget and volunteer base.” Claire Malfaro

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After the success of her first event, Malfaro reached out to Zeffy for help setting up a second. She was thrilled by their quick response and personalized her with her questions. 

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Malfaro had worried about the business end of setting up and running a nonprofit, but with Zeffy all she needed to bring was her passion for helping adults with autism navigate the workplace. She knew she could count on her partners at Zeffy to cover all the logistical bases. Their comprehensive platform and quick support provided all the foundation a first time nonprofit organizer could need. 

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“Zeffy was a Godsend for us... Zeffy has allowed us to do the good work within our community—for which we were prepared from the psychological and educational end but without business and technology acuity. A match made in heaven!”

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Malfaro’s final diagnosis of Zeffy? “Easy and true.”