Tessa Ashoff

Favorite inspirational quote:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin

Pronouns: she/her

Area of expertise: grant writing, root cause identification, case development, fundraising strategy, data management and analysis 

Causes I’m most passionate about: education, equity, poverty alleviation, food security, environmentalism

My fundraising story: I always felt connected to the philanthropic sector and compelled to share the important work nonprofits do to strengthen communities and make systems more equitable. Then I realized you could make a career doing just that! I have had the opportunity to do grant writing and case development for Teach for America and The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Why I care about helping nonprofits grow: Nonprofits are a vital part of every community. I think any organization that is actively trying to work themselves out of a job in order to make their community more equitable is worthy of all the support they need to achieve their vision. 

Hobbies: road running, listening to Brene Brown podcasts while walking my golden retriever, hiking in the Shenandoah’s with my husband, making and sharing new recipes with friends

Unusual talent: I am better at parallel parking than pulling into parking spots. I would rather parallel park in a cramped Traders Joes lot than pull into a spot!