Nonprofit Speakers for 2023
Nothing makes my blood boil as watching people with all of the privilege in the world not stepping aside or calling out the lack of diversity in the nonprofit education space.
Instead, I see a lot of “pick me” people just happy to go along with what’s always been done.
Then I thought, “Maybe folks need an example of how to do it with a list of alternative speakers to invite to teach."
So that’s what I’m going to do 👇.
First, an example. A few months back, I was approached on LinkedIn to speak on a panel discussion. Here was my initial response in case you need a template:
From there, we went back and forth because at the time - there was only one confirmed person from the BIPOC community represented so I sent along suggestions - one of them confirmed and we had a great lineup of 3 panelists.
Easy peasy.
My guess is that people tend to ask who they see and whether it’s the algorithm gods playing mean or a lack of visibility - not enough people know about the talented, smart and diverse educators the nonprofit sector has to offer.
In alphabetical order - here is a vetted list of individuals who I know would be a great asset to any stage you are willing to put them on:
REGINA ALHASSAN | Prospect Research
Regina is an expert at finding donors in your data using her expertise in prospect research. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
ALANA V. ALLEN | Public Relations
Alana is both a nonprofit founder and a consultant to nonprofit organizations looking to get more visible. Her specialty is public relations and storytelling. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
NNEKA ALLEN | Leadership & Fundraising
Nneka is the ultimate relationship builder who provides coaching nonprofit leaders and fundraisers. Her passion is creating spaces where everyone belongs. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
TANIA BHATTACHARRYA | Thought Leadership
Tania is a nine-year nonprofit Executive Director veteran who has a passion for helping women in the social sector stand out as they stand up for their mission using LinkedIn. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
CHRISTAL CHERRY | Board Leadership
A longtime nonprofit leader and board member, Christal helps nonprofit boards learn (and like!) to fundraise. You can learn more here and DM her on LinkedIn here.
SONIA DANIELS | Strategy
Sonia is a nonprofit leader with an expertise in diagnosing a range of problems such as: restructuring organizations, designing programs for impact, and ideating solutions. You can DM her on LinkedIn here.
MEENA DAS | Data
Meena is an analytics consultant with a focus on helping nonprofit organizations ask the right questions, interpret answers and then use that information to make appropriate choices. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
MICHELLE FLORES | Fundraising & Communications
Michelle is a fundraising and communication specialist with a long history of raising money for nonprofit organizations. She also specializes in community-centric fundraising practices. You can DM her on LinkedIn here.
CAROLYN GAN | Programming for special events
Carolyn is a former Director of Development who now does programming for large scale special events. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
DEARONDA HARRISON | Grants
DeaRonda is a long-time successful grant writer who has won over $35M in grants for nonprofit organizations. Today, she helps train-up grant writers within nonprofit organizations to find, write and secure awards for their programs. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
MELANIE HO | DEI
Melanie is a former corporate executive who is also a visual artist. She helps leadership teams find more energy and clarity through the messy parts of change. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
JAS JHOOTY | Data
Jas is nonprofit expert helping organizations retain more donors using data. You can DM her on LinkedIn here.
MIMOSA KABIR | Major Gifts
Mimosa is a current major gifts officer at the University of Toronto with an extensive background in nonprofit fundraising with a focus on individual giving and campaigns. You can DM her on LinkedIn here.
Rickesh Lakhani | Leadership
Rickesh is a long-time fundraiser turned consultant who now helps social impact organizations and leaders do what they say they are going to do. You can learn more here or DM him on LinkedIn here.
KAMILAH MARTIN | Leadership
Kamilah is a former nonprofit leader whose talent is in helping organizations grow and evolve. Today, she helps women leaders in the social sector to reach their fullest potential - especially if it includes self care. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
OLANIKE MENSAH | JEDI
Olanike is a 20-year veteran of the nonprofit sector who is now an equity strategist. She offering advising, strategy and consulting to individuals and organizations seeking transformation. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
Hawwa Muhammad | Program Operations
Hawwa is a longtime nonprofit pro who helps organizations plan and execute their programs. She is also a systems wiz. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
CHLOÉ NWANGWU | Brand Strategist
Chloé is an communication expert based on the east coast who deems herself the “brand scientist”. Her super power is helping nonprofits and their leaders raise their profile. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
DAVID PHU | Video Marketing
David is a marketing expert with a emphasis on short and long form video. You can learn more here or DM him on LinkedIn here.
MARIA OCHOA | Communications
Maria is a bi-lingual comms specialist who has worked with everyone from nonprofit to political candidates on their social media campaigns. You can learn more here or DM her on Instagram here.
KISHSHANA PALMER| Leadership
Kishshana is a TEDx Speaker, Leadership consultant and founder of The Rooted Collaborative. She lights up any stage talking about teams, management and diversity. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
SHELEIA PHILLIPS | Grants
Sheleia is a master grant writer whose firm helps nonprofit organizations find, apply and secure grant funding. You can learn more here or DM her on Instagram here.
BROOKE RICHIE-BABBAGE | Strategy
Brooke is a former nonprofit founder and Executive Director who has shifted her focus to helping nonprofits get more clarity and confidence. You can learn more here and you can DM her on LinkedIn here.
CIERRA SELBY | Communications
Cierra is an internal communication expert who is passionate about helping more organizations tap into the power of internal communications. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
MARTICE SUTTON | Start up nonprofits
Martice is a current nonprofit Founder and Executive Director of Girls Going Global. In addition, she helps new nonprofits get set up with their 501(c)3 status and make programming and fundraising plans as they begin. You can learn more here or DM her on LinkedIn here.
ZACH THANASILANGKUL | Digital Communications
Zach is a digital marketer for nonprofit organizations. He helps nonprofit founders communicate their impact to raise more money. You can learn more here or DM him on LinkedIn here.
SABRINA WALKER HERNANDEZ | Board Leadership
Sabrina is a veteran nonprofit Executive Director turned nonprofit consultant to small and mid-size nonprofits. She specializes in trainings and workshops focused on board development and fundraising. You can learn more here or message her on Facebook here.
MARIAH WALTON | Sponsorships
Mariah is a nonprofit pro who teaches nonprofit organizations how to position, package, and pitch their events and programs to sponsors. You can learn more here or DM her on Instagram here.
TYCELY WILLIAMS | Major Gifts
Tycely is the Chief Development Officer at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington DC. She has an extensive career as a fundraiser with an emphasis in face-to-face relationship building. You can DM her on LinkedIn here.
RHEA WONG | Major Gifts
Rhea is a bi-coastal former Nonprofit Executive Director who now spends her days coaching nonprofit leaders and fundraisers how to raise more money through major gifts. You can learn more here and DM her on LinkedIn here.
I know this list is missing folks. Please comment below with other speakers who should be on more stages in 2023 and beyond! 👇