Advisory Council
Meet Chariot's Nonprofit Advisory Council
At Chariot we believe that great products are built in collaboration with the stakeholders who use them. We are privileged to have an incredible advisory council of high impact nonprofit leaders who are helping us shape the future DAF giving.
"DAFs are one of the most promising sources of new revenue for nonprofits and I'm so excited at how Chariot is helping us unlock more of it. It's an incredible innovation that is so badly needed in our sector."
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"As the donor landscape changes and donors are giving more non-cash assets, I am excited to provide them with a way to easily give from their DAF. Chariot is providing a donor-friendly, donor-centric tool which will automate internal processes and improve accuracy. It's a win for donors, a win for staff, and a win for our mission!"
"Our product development philosophy at ACS is built around 3 core tenets: anticipating audience needs, reducing friction, and deepening relationships. Chariot’s solution hits all three of those marks. I am excited to work with a partner who is focused on understanding the user’s needs and sharing those insights to help as well as facilitating collaboration within the space."
Susan G. Komen
Director of Planned Giving & Major Gifts
I'm the National Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving at Susan G. Komen where I’ve focused my time on building a new mid-level team, major gifts, planned giving, and a national stewardship program. While at Komen, my biggest accomplishment has been leveraging technology to do more, with less. I have a lean team that is super high-performing and efficient, which means more donor engagement and higher ROI. We are excited to continue building a sustainable and scaleable program for increasing retention and revenue by cultivating relationships with our donors. I’m obsessed with the intersection of philanthropy and technology - this year we have taken technology and processes we proved on a small team (10+) and scaled it organization-wide (100+)! I'm also an Air Force veteran, a lifelong volunteer, and a puppy raiser for police k9's.
March of Dimes
VP of Major, Principal, & Planned Giving
Karyn is the VP of Major, Principal, and Planned Giving at March of Dimes and has been with the nonprofit since 2000. She has raised over $200M and secured some of the largest gifts from individuals in the history of the organization. Karyn led the March of Dimes California Chapter for several years, which was a top chapter in mission, advocacy, fundraising, communications, and operations. She then moved into the Major Gifts department and was quickly asked to serve as the VP. Karyn is a fierce advocate for donors and has extensive experience in field management, strategy, integration, and execution.
American Cancer Society
Senior Vice President of Digital Product
Jay Jump is the SVP, Digital Product for the American Cancer Society. In this role, Jay is responsible for providing leadership and vision for the American Cancer Society’s entire digital ecosystem, including cancer.org, fundraising properties, microsites, etc. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, Jay spent the last decade in digital product and innovation at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/ALSAC. Rounding out his more than 20 years of experience, Jay has also led digital product development at Amerigroup, GEICO, and Radiant Systems.
"I’m excited to leverage Chariot and create a low barrier and seamless DAF giving experience to our donors."
Michael J. Fox Foundation
Director of Planned Giving
Shirley is the Director of Planned Giving at The Michael J. Fox Foundation and has been with the Foundation since 2016. She is passionate about empowering donors’ philanthropic journey and ensuring they have the best experience. She is responsible for securing long-term and short-term funding for the Foundation through complex gifts. Shirley has been in the Planned Giving space for over 10 years and is always excited to connect with fundraising professionals.
"Chariot’s inaugural DAF Benchmark Study is sure to revolutionize how non-profit organizations effectively analyze donor data through the lens of DAF giving. I am most excited about delving into my organization’s data to uncover individual giving trends and conversion rates via our omnichannel approach."
"Donor Advised Funds are a growing segment of the giving channels and I feel there is a great need in the industry for this option to become more streamlined in ways that reduce opportunities for donor error, enhance the data flow to organizations, and generally increase transparency of the process while accelerating the distribution of funds to the organization."
International Rescue Committee
Director of Donor Advised Funds
Carlos Pena is a native New Yorker who has transitioned to the non-profit sector after an almost decade long career in finance. Currently serving as the Director of Donor-Advised Funds at the International Rescue Committee in New York, Carlos manages a diverse global portfolio of DAF and advisory relationships, forges strategic partnerships and has pioneered cryptocurrency acceptance for the organization. After completing a Global Executive MBA at Copenhagen Business School, Carlos was inspired to pursue more impactful, humanitarian-focused work. His time studying abroad, particularly in Kampala, Uganda, immersed him in learning about entrepreneurship and innovation as a means of necessity, solidifying his desire and commitment to making a positive global impact. With a career spanning roles at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, J.P. Morgan Private Bank and the International Rescue Committee, Carlos brings expertise in Donor-Advised Fund and advisor relationship management, innovative finance, blockchain technology and stakeholder engagement. Fluent in Spanish and proficient in multiple languages, Carlos possesses a versatile skill set tailored for global philanthropy.
Lustgarden Foundation
Technology & Business Intelligence
As the Lustgarten Foundation’s SVP of Technology & Business Intelligence, Glen plays an integral role in the selection, implementation, adoption, and day-to-day support of the technologies and solutions supporting the organization’s mission to transform pancreatic cancer into a curable disease. Prior to joining the Lustgarten team, Glen spent nearly 7 years with Susan G Komen, overseeing all aspects of the Greater NYC affiliate’s data management, fundraising tools, and all aspects of their digital footprint and contributed substantially to the organizations national technology decisions. These leadership roles are the natural evolution of expertise earned advising and supporting hundreds of organizations across the country in the selection and use of a broad range of solutions from homegrown tools and web apps to complete platforms and SAAS solutions for fundraising, P2P, and email marketing needs.
"There’s no denying the power of DAFs for nonprofits, and this is an exciting time to be at the forefront of how to tap into this valuable resource with great strategic minds in the industry."
"I am a huge fan of Chariot because they have made it easy for donors to make DAF grants directly from a non-profit website. They have removed the challenges that impeded putting DAF dollars to work. Unlocking the $230 billion in DAFs will have a huge impact on the philanthropic landscape. Bravo!"
"Chariot's DAF solutions for non-profits are very exciting for us because it provides an immediate call-to-action to our donors from our online donation pages and encourages them complete that commitment in real-time. The untapped potential of DAF dollars locked away needs creative solutions to make it easier for donors to make their gifts. Chariot is smoothing the way to this goal."
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dir. of Development & Digital Technology
I’m deeply rooted in the nonprofit tech world, leading the charge in digital operations at Memorial Sloan Kettering's Development Department for over 11 years. My role centers around managing our mar-tech stack, ensuring seamless data integrations, and bolstering the digital facets of MSK's fundraising efforts. Outside of work, living in Brooklyn, I indulge in my love for cooking, blending creativity with the precision I apply in my professional life.
Pan-Mass Challenge
Chief Financial Officer
Michele Sommer is the Pan-Mass Challenge’s CFO, overseeing the organization’s financial, fundraising and administration. Her focus is on ensuring that the PMC continues to be the leading peer-to-peer athletic fundraiser and a model for efficiency and transparency in the nonprofit industry. Prior to joining the PMC, Michele was a partner at PwC and ran her own company. She first rode the PMC in 1999 and joined the PMC full time staff in 2012.
Central Park Conservancy
Director of Development & Info Systems
My career began working in Information Technology in operations and software development, following graduation from Villanova University. After working in the for-profit world for about 10 years, I applied my system implementation and integration skills in the non-profit sphere at Learning Ally, an organization committed to providing audiobooks to those who were unable to read standard print materials. This was followed by a move to the New York Publick Library performing complex data analysis and system integrations. Presently, I am the Director of Development Information Systems at the Central Park Conservancy where I oversee multiple platforms in support of the Philanthropy team's donor management, gift processing, prospect research, and complex data analysis.