NONPROFIT • TRI-STATE BASED
No Head Start
Required.
Just You.
── SERVING THE TRI-STATE AREA • NY • NJ • CT
Some people entered the workforce with a network, a mentor, and a family playbook. Others figured it out alone. The Unparented Project exists for everyone who is still figuring it out — at any career stage — and deserves real support, without judgment.
ABOUT US
Built on Purpose.
Grounded in Truth.
The Unparented Project is a Tri-State area-based nonprofit serving NY, NJ, and CT. Whether you are just starting out or years into your career and still filling in the gaps — this community was built for you. We bridge what was missing with real tools, certified expertise, and a space that meets you exactly where you are.
We meet people
where they are —
without judgment.
🌱
Our Mission
To equip individuals who grew up without consistent parental support with the professional skills, emotional tools, and workplace knowledge they need to build sustainable careers and confident, self-sufficient lives.
🔭
Our Vision
Our focus is workforce development and career development for the individual. A world where the absence of parental guidance is no longer a barrier to professional success, where every unparented individual has access to the mentorship, training, and resources needed to compete, contribute, and lead with confidence. We bring this work into communities and into companies because the people we serve are everywhere: just starting out, stuck in place, or rising without a roadmap. Every person deserves someone in their corner who can show them how the professional world really works. We go wherever we can meet the person who needs our resources. We are here to partner with local community organizations, churches and faith communities, workforce development boards, and American Job Centers. We are here to collaborate with community colleges, vocational and trade schools, apprenticeship programs, public libraries, and adult education centers. We are here to reach young people through foster care and youth aging-out programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and school guidance offices. We are here to support people rebuilding their lives through reentry programs, shelters, and transitional housing providers. We also work alongside the United Way, Urban League chapters, chambers of commerce, local SHRM chapters, and any and all employers who are committed to developing talent from within. Together, we are building a pipeline of opportunity so that no one has to figure out their career alone.
⚖️
Our Values
Everything we do is anchored in dignity, equity, and radical compassion. We lead without judgment, serve with excellence, and build programming that honors the real, complex journeys of everyone we serve.
🏠
Community as Family
For many of those we serve, this community may be the first experience of consistent belonging. We build environments where people are seen, supported, and genuinely celebrated — and where hope is the engine of everything we do.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our Core Values
Not aspirational words on a wall. These are the standard we hold ourselves to in every program, every interaction, and every person we serve.
🫁
Dignity Above All
Every person who comes to us carries a story. We honor that story by treating every individual with unconditional respect, regardless of their background, history, or circumstance. No exceptions.
💛
Radical Compassion
We lead with empathy. We understand that what looks like a professional gap is often a wound — and we create space for healing alongside growth, without judgment and without rush.
🔓
Equity in Access
Professional development resources should not be reserved for those who already have privilege. We are committed to making world-class career support accessible to those who need it most.
⭐
Excellence in Service
The people we serve deserve our absolute best. We hold ourselves to the highest standards in our programming, training, and every community partnership we build.
🕊️
Faith-Forward Hope
We believe deeply in the capacity of every person to transform their circumstances. Hope here is not passive — it is the engine of everything we build and every life we are privileged to walk alongside.
🤝
Community as Family
For many of those we serve, this may be their first experience of consistent belonging. We build environments where people are seen, supported, and celebrated.
Megan Hope
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · THE UNPARENTED PROJECT
Megan Hope is a seasoned Human Resources executive, author, and thought leader with over 15 years of progressive HR leadership across healthcare, nonprofit, and Fortune 200 corporate environments. She coined the term "Unparented" to name and validate an experience she recognized throughout her career — professionals whose gaps in workplace readiness were not laziness or apathy, but the invisible inheritance of growing up without consistent parental guidance.
Her lived insight, combined with deep expertise in workforce development, compliance, and organizational leadership, led her to build The Unparented Project — a space where compassion meets strategy, and every person is given the tools they were never handed.
MBA
SHRM CERTIFIED
HRCI CERTIFIED
PUBLISHED AUTHOR
HR EXECUTIVE
MEET THE FOUNDER
A Space Where Compassion Meets Strategy
The Unparented Project was not built in a boardroom. It was built from an understanding of what it means to navigate professional life without the map most people inherit — and from a conviction that no one should have to figure it out alone.
"I built this organization because of the countless unparented professionals I encountered throughout my career — individuals of extraordinary potential who were held back not by lack of ability, but by gaps in foundation. Things most people quietly inherited. They walked into professional spaces without a blueprint, without someone in their corner who had been there before. The Unparented Project exists so that no one has to keep figuring it out alone — and so that the tools most people were simply handed can finally be available to those who never got them."
— MEGAN HOPE, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
15+
YEARS HR LEADERSHIP
Fortune 200
CORPORATE EXPERIENCE
2 Books
PUBLISHED AUTHOR
NY • NJ • CT
TRI-STATE REACH
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP
Better Workplaces
Start Here
When employees enter the workforce without foundational professional skills, the entire organization feels it — in communication breakdowns, conflict, turnover, and performance gaps. Supporting The Unparented Project is not just philanthropy. It is a direct investment in the talent pipeline and workplace culture of your industry.
🏢
Strengthen Your Workforce
Employees who receive foundational professional development show measurably better communication, retention, and workplace conduct. Better equipped workers build better workplaces.
📉
Reduce Costly Turnover
Many workplace exits trace back to unaddressed readiness gaps — not performance. Investing in programming that closes those gaps upstream benefits employers directly.
🤲
Meaningful Corporate Giving
Align your CSR strategy with a mission that has direct community impact — and connects your brand to workforce equity, a cause your employees and customers increasingly care about.
🎓
Custom Training Partnerships
We partner with organizations to deliver tailored de-escalation, communication, and professional readiness training directly to their teams. Inquire about corporate training packages.
OUR WORK
Programs & Services
Our programs serve anyone navigating the professional world without the guidance most people take for granted — at any career stage. No judgment. No assumption. Just practical tools grounded in professional expertise and delivered with radical compassion.
📄
Resume Writing
Whether you are building your first resume or have never been shown how to represent yourself well on paper — we help you tell your story in a way that opens doors.
👔
Workplace Grooming & Etiquette
The unwritten rules of professional environments that most people learned at home. We teach them here — dress standards, communication norms, and how to carry yourself with confidence.
🎤
Interview Preparation
Mock interviews, behavioral question coaching, and strategies for presenting your best self when the stakes are high — whether it is a first interview or a senior-level transition.
🗺️
Career Mapping
Not everyone had someone sit down with them and help them envision a future. We do exactly that — helping you clarify where you want to go and building a real path to get there.
💬
Corporate Communication Training
Build the confidence to speak up, advocate for yourself, and communicate clearly at every level of an organization — written, verbal, and in difficult conversations.
🧘
De-escalation Training
Conflict and high-pressure moments happen in every workplace. We equip participants with tools to manage these situations with composure, professionalism, and constructive outcomes.
📊
LinkedIn & Personal Brand
Networking and professional visibility are tools many unparented individuals were never introduced to. We bridge that gap with practical guidance for building presence and expanding reach.
🏗️
Workshops & Group Training
Community workshops and training programs covering workplace readiness, professional development, and foundational career skills — open to individuals and organizations across the region.
SHOP & SUPPORT
Our Products
Every purchase supports The Unparented Project's nonprofit programming. Browse our HR services, books, and Unparented merchandise — and wear your story with pride.
Important Notice: HR Strategy Review Sessions are not legal advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. Responses are provided by a certified HR professional and represent professional perspective and recommendation only. Outcomes are not guaranteed. This service is for informational and guidance purposes.
STANDARD SESSION
HR Strategy Review Session
$50
Standard Rate
🕖 Written response within 24 hours
Share your workplace HR situation and receive a written strategy recommendation from a certified HR professional (SPHR / SHRM-SCP). Thoughtful, experience-based guidance to help you understand your options and your next best step.
Not legal advice. Does not guarantee any specific outcome. For professional HR perspective and recommendation only.
RUSH SESSION
HR Strategy Review Session — Rush
$75
Rush Rate
🕖 Priority expedited response
Need faster turnaround? The Rush Session prioritizes your submission for an expedited written response from our certified HR professional. For when timing matters and you need guidance quickly.
Not legal advice. Does not guarantee any specific outcome. For professional HR perspective and recommendation only.
✦ Revenue from HR Strategy Review Sessions directly supports The Unparented Project's nonprofit programming and community services. ✦
EVENTS & TRAINING
Upcoming Events & Workshops
From community workshops to career training programs, we bring our work directly to the people who need it across the Tri-State area. Check back often — new events are added regularly.
ACTIVE CAMPAIGNS
Help Us Make an Impact
Your support fuels real programming for real people. Every campaign addresses an immediate need in the communities we serve across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
GIVE TODAY
Support the Mission
When you give to The Unparented Project, you are handing someone the tools they were never handed. Your donation funds scholarships, workshops, career resources, and community programming for those who need them most.
GET INVOLVED
Volunteer With Us
If you have skills, time, or lived experience to share, we have a place for you. Join our community of volunteers across NY, NJ, and CT.
🎙️
Workshop Facilitator
Lead or co-facilitate workforce development workshops in your area of expertise — in person or virtually.
📝
Resume Review Volunteer
Provide resume feedback for individuals in our network. Flexible and done on your own schedule.
🤝
Mentor
Be the person someone never had. Share your professional journey with someone navigating their career without a support system. Your story matters more than you know.
📢
Event & Outreach Volunteer
Support community events, resource fairs, and outreach activities across the Tri-State area.
💻
Administrative & Operations Support
Help with communications, coordination, and behind-the-scenes work that keeps our programs running.
STAY CONNECTED
Join Our Newsletter
Programming updates, community stories, events, and resources — delivered to your inbox. For everyone who believes where you started should not determine where you end up.
CONTACT US
We Would Love
to Hear From You
Whether you need our services, want to partner, volunteer, or simply learn more — our door is open. Every message is read and responded to personally.
📍
LOCATION
Tri-State based • Serving NY, NJ & CT
🕐
RESPONSE TIME
General inquiries within 48 hours. HR Strategy Review Sessions within 24 hours.
🏢
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
Interested in supporting The Unparented Project as a corporate partner or scheduling organizational training? Let us talk.