Meet the Board: Q&A with Caroline Whistler

Caroline Whistler is a dedicated leader in the social impact space, bringing expertise as the CEO of Third Sector, a nonprofit focused on making government services more responsive and outcomes-driven. With a deep commitment to economic mobility and equity, she joined the GitLab Foundation’s board to help drive its mission of increasing lifetime earnings for individuals worldwide. 

In this Q&A, Caroline shares what drew her to the GitLab Foundation, the milestones she’s most proud of, and why she’s excited about its future impact.

What first drew you to the GitLab Foundation and its specific approach to philanthropy?

As someone passionate about social impact and making government more responsive, I see tremendous opportunities to ensure philanthropy is also responsive to community needs. It’s exciting to support GitLab Foundation’s talented team in this space.

What resonates most with me at the GitLab Foundation is the North Star focus on increasing lifetime earnings. Many organizations have broad focus areas, but the foundation is laser-focused on a tangible outcome — ensuring people have access to opportunities that change life trajectories. I love how we constantly ask: How do we evolve our grant-making to achieve that? How do we listen and learn from the people impacted? That mindset is transformative for philanthropy.

How has your experience at Third Sector informed your perspective on the field and the foundation?

At Third Sector, we help government agencies define and achieve better workforce and post-secondary opportunities, behavioral health, early childhood development, and justice outcomes. A major focus of our work is not just helping people get jobs but ensuring they have pathways to grow and increase their incomes over time. That’s why the GitLab Foundation’s mission resonates so strongly with me—its focus on real economic mobility.

As a board member, what foundation milestones are you most proud of?

At the end of 2024, we saw results from 21 completed grants — impacting more than 200,000 people worldwide and generating nearly a billion dollars in increased lifetime earnings. For every dollar spent, there’s been a return of $174 in earnings. That’s an incredible early validation of the foundation’s approach. 

One of the biggest challenges in social impact is sustaining change. Too often, programs show strong short-term results but fail to maintain gains over time. I’m excited about how the GitLab Foundation is tackling this head-on — by tracking impact over the long term, sustaining progress, and partnering with others to drive lasting economic mobility.  

Another exciting area is our growing focus on systems change and tackling the policy and funding conditions that limit economic mobility. The foundation has already invested in direct-service programs with strong ROI, but now we’re exploring how to reshape structures to drive greater, lasting impact. It’s harder to measure, but I believe we have the talent and ambition to be a field leader in this space.

Learn more about Caroline and Third Sector’s work here.