BrainWaves: Transparency You Can Check, Stories You Can Share

Hi friends,

Here’s a quick check-in for the season from our global team. We have good news on transparency, new winter hours for our weekly show, a few must-reads, and simple ways to give back. Grab a warm drink and skim what matters! 🍵🤗

In this issue

• Candid Gold Seal - why it builds trust, and our direct profile link

• Meet Your New Neighbors - winter hours, guests, and where to watch

• Around the Web - a data-driven immigration video, a border-tech explainer, and a positive policy shift for clinicians

• ICYMI - our Fall and Halloween meetup replay

• From the Vault - Maria Osep’yants on adapting to life in Uzbekistan

• Volunteer spotlight - Coordinator and Social Media Helper roles

Thanks for reading. Share this issue with one person who cares about talent, trust, and impact.

Did You Know? Undocumented workers contribute an estimated $32.1B to Social Security and Medicare each year without receiving those benefits. Get the facts below! 👇👇

🗓️ Upcoming Events

Meet Your New Neighbors 🌍 returns every Monday with rotating guests, cultures, news, and eye-opening conversations about international talent. Expect engineers, clinicians, founders, and creators, plus real talk on visas, careers, and life between countries.

❄️ Warm up every Monday with us at 9:00 AM Pacific, 12:00 PM Eastern, 17:00 UTC. Mondays on YouTube and live on Instagram. Bring your coffee ☕ and your questions, and come meet the people who keep America’s ideas humming.

🚀 Lead story

Candid Gold - Transparency You Can Check

We are proud to share that Brain Drain Unlimited has earned the Candid Gold Seal of Transparency. Candid is the largest independent hub where donors, partners, and the public can verify a nonprofit, see who we are, and understand our impact in one place. Gold is a strong signal of credibility. It shows that we share key information about our work and keep our profile current so supporters can see how their help drives real outcomes.

What this means for you, and for us: our Candid profile makes it easier for employers, volunteers, and funders to find and vet our organization, learn how we use donations, and track our progress over time. You do not need to create an account to view it. Use our direct access link below, then share it with anyone who wants to understand our mission and results.

View our Candid profile (no login required) with the link below. You will also see our Gold Seal badge there. We’ve also added will add the seal to our website so partners can click through and review our latest information at any time.

If you believe in skilled immigrants rebuilding their careers in the U.S., this is a great moment to introduce Brain Drain to your network. Share the link with a potential employer partner, add us to your company’s matching-gift portal, or forward this newsletter to a friend who cares about transparent, high-impact nonprofits.

P.S. We are also listed on GreatNonprofits, the “Yelp” of nonprofits. A short review on either platform helps more people discover our work. 😉

Key Takeaways

• Candid is the independent hub where anyone can verify a nonprofit’s leadership, programs, and finances.

• Our Gold Seal shows we share up-to-date details that donors and partners care about.

• You can view our full profile without an account using our direct link:
  
  https://app.candid.org/profile/15280250/brain-drain-unlimited-foundation/?pkId=7fe641c0-5bbc-4368-9887-a0821843e266&isActive=true
  

• Gold improves visibility in grant portals and employer match systems, which strengthens fundraising.

• Share the link or leave a review on Candid or GreatNonprofits to help more people find our work.

🛜 Around the Web

READ some good news! The American Medical Association reports that at least 17 states now have new licensing pathways for foreign-trained physicians, creating faster routes to serve in shortage areas and easing duplicative barriers like repeating full U.S. residencies. This expands opportunities for skilled immigrant doctors and helps patients in underserved communities.

LEARN: A cautionary explainer on U.S. border device searches under “Trump 2.0,” outlining why inspections are up, what agents can ask for, and why some travelers carry clean “burner” phones to protect their data.

WATCH: Data first, politics later. A clear walk through authorized vs unauthorized immigration, hearings, the border, and the workforce.

🔥 In Case You Missed It…

Video Replay - Costumes, Candy, Candid Gold

A warm Fall & Halloween meetup with Konstantin, Manus, Eric, and Tamara, trading holiday stories from the U.S. and abroad, plus quick org updates including our Candid Gold milestone and a note on guest safety. Watch the replay.

If you like this video, click the 👍and subscribe - it really helps us out! 😉

Articles from Our Vault

This month we feature two reflections from our team member Maria Osep’yants, offering a candid look at life in Uzbekistan and how to adapt without losing yourself. First, a gentle arrival story about leaving without haste, a New Year’s tree that outlasted the seasons, and finding community and hope in Tashkent:

Next, practical lessons on language, climate, and customs, showing how to blend in while keeping your identity:

✨💫 Make Your Impact Before Year’s End

The holidays get busy, but they are also a time to give back. If you are making year-end plans or setting New Year’s resolutions, put your skills to work for good. Brain Drain helps skilled, displaced professionals rebuild in the U.S. Your time can change a trajectory.

Here are a couple of the ways you can help.

We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator who can keep our moving parts moving, from simple outreach lists to quick follow-ups and light CRM notes. If you like organizing people and projects, you will help turn interest into action and connect GRUMs with mentors, employers, and partners. Clear communication, steady follow-through, and a calm inbox are your superpowers.

We also need a Social Media Helper who listens first and posts second. You will draft short updates, queue posts, watch comments, and surface the best questions and stories from our community. If you enjoy clear writing and keeping a friendly pulse on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, this is a great fit.

Ready to help? Send your CV and a brief note on your interest to [email protected]. Or, DM us on Social Media - we’re on all the platforms!

👉 Get your volunteer hat on! 👒🎩🧢

Did You Know? Many undocumented workers pay payroll taxes through ITINs or mismatched Social Security numbers. Their contributions are credited to federal trust funds, not refunded to them, and help stabilize programs millions of Americans rely on. It is a quiet reality that undercuts the myth that immigrants are a “drain.”

Our Take: Talent should not be shut out. Brain Drain supports legal, transparent pathways so skilled newcomers can work openly and contribute fully. Help us keep the door open: donate, volunteer, or partner at braindrain.work.

Talent wins when we act.

The Brain Drain Unlimited Team

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