Shannon Cain (she/her)
Founder and Principal Strategist | United States
A lifelong agitator for progressive social change, Shannon has more than 30 years' experience in philanthropy, communications and fundraising. She begun her career as a street activist for AIDS awareness and reproductive justice in the 1990s in New York, and went on to direct three nonprofit organizations: a feminist literary press, an advocacy group for women in shelters, and a residency program for Black writers. She has also led a private grantmaking foundation, served on dozens of nonprofit boards and funding panels, and helped move millions of dollars toward social justice causes.
Shannon’s writing has been recognized with the O. Henry Prize, the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and a fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. ​
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Jonathan Alvares (he/him)
Managing Partner | United States
Jonathan Alvares has spent over two decades supporting mission-driven and advocacy organizations to grow effectively and sustainably. He's served as a cross-functional leader, building out and streamlining operational systems that gets projects across the finish line.
Most recently, Jonathan served as Executive Vice President of Operations for a political media firm, overseeing business strategy and day-to-day operations across policy development, production logistics and compliance, people operations, and workplace experience. Prior to this, he held key operational roles at the Obama Foundation, several political campaigns, and an LGBTQ nonprofit, shepherding special projects from large-scale construction build-outs and organization-wide security overhauls to high-profile public events.
He holds a BA in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago and an MA in Applied Politics from the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute.
Mame Yacine Bakhoum Diop (she/her)
Senegal
Yacine has helped move millions of dollars to multi-year and multi-sector projects that improve the lives of people in West and Central Africa. For more than ten years, she worked in fundraising and project management with international relief organizations such as Oxfam, Millennium Promise Alliance and the Norwegian Refugee Council, serving as principal contact to grantmaking program officers. Bilingual in French and English, Yacine has a masters' degree in Business Administration, a passion for social justice and women’s rights, and is serves on the board of directors for Justice and Dignity for the Women of Sahel.
Khaled Farrag (he/him)
United States and Palestine
Born in Palestine, Khaled is co-founder and former director of Grassroots Al-Quds and co-founder and current lead of the Public Narrative Committee for the Urfod movement, which helps Druze youth who refuse to serve in the army against their values. Based in NYC, Khaled consults on management, strategy and resource development, and serves as board treasurer of Eyewitness Palestine. Over the past decade Khaled has worked with dozens of organizations and movements in the MENA region, with a focus on the Arab World. He is part of global professional and activism networks that work to advance justice and human rights, and has cultivated deep connections with movements, organizations, academic institutes, foundations, activist organizers and professionals in over 40 countries.
EJ Jacobs (he/him)
Canada
EJ has worked for more than 15 years to expand the definition and reach of philanthropic resources. He has been a leading voice for gender equity, human rights, and the effort to eradicate violence against children globally. He was the Program Director of the Nduna Foundation, where he oversaw the foundation’s philanthropic giving and partnerships, with a focus on human rights in conflict and post-conflict regions, predominantly in Africa. He is the founder and host of the resource center and podcast series Virtual Philanthropy, the author of The Conversation: Candid Perspectives and Advice on Fundraising Shared By Donors and Nonprofits, and the co-creator of donor funding networks responsible for coalescing tens of millions of dollars.
Fernanda Ordaz (she/her)
Mexico
Fernanda Ordaz is a global communications and PR strategist with a decade of experience shaping narratives across art, architecture, politics, and cultural projects. She specializes in brand positioning, strategic communications, and content strategy, leading international teams to craft compelling stories that resonate. She has collaborated with renowned curators, scholars, and institutions on award-winning publications and exhibitions. She combines critical thinking, cultural analysis, storytelling and creative direction with expertise in digital strategy and editorial leadership to ensure brands and thought leaders make a lasting impact worldwide.
Kathryn Pauso (she/her)
Philippines
​Our donor prospecting work is led by Team Strategist Kathryn Pauso, an accomplished grants specialist with more than a decade of experience in international development spanning Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. Kat's lead generation system leverages funding databases and tax filings and offers a range of tools to streamline funder research, including in-depth donor intelligence reports, financial insights, and tailored pathways to maximize opportunities. An Edward S. Mason Fellow, Kat earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.
​Gina Rigol i Sala (she/her)
Catalonia (Spain)
Our team specialist in communications for NGOs in Europe and Latin America. Gina leverages her background in progressive politics to inform her work shaping, narratives and creating engaging content across diverse social media platforms, transforming complex ideas into clear, accessible messages and compelling stories for the public. Her multidisciplinary background in the public sector, including with the Ministry for Foreign Action as Deputy Head of Office in the Catalan Government and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, equips her resourcefulness, systemic thinking, and creative approach to communications.