ABOUT US

Co-Founders Laura Ferretti and Amita Swadhin built ChangeRaisers from the cornerstones of shared social justice values and complementary skillsets, designing the program they each wished they had taken when they were starting their nonprofit careers.

Too often, nonprofit fundraisers function apart from the rest of the team and are given unrealistic revenue goals and few, if any, resources. Unsurprisingly, frustrated fundraisers frequently leave their positions; every 16 months on average.

OUR
SOLUTION

To scale social change, nonprofits must retain fundraisers. And to retain fundraisers, the culture of nonprofit fundraising must shift.

Our Beliefs

  • The world we all need will be ushered in by the leadership and wisdom of communities who have been systemically and historically oppressed (e.g. Black, Indigenous and of color people, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, colonized people, poor people, and those living at the intersections of these identities and experiences).

  • The best solutions to intractable problems are devised by directly affected communities, nonprofits are often the vehicle through which these solutions are tested and through which they can be scaled.

  • Every individual has a role to play in the collective work of social justice, regardless of one’s personal experience or identities.

  • Fundraising is a form of community organizing, rooted in trust-based relationships.

  • Resourcing movements and initiatives to support the leadership of historically oppressed communities requires meaningful, long-term relationships with wealthy individuals and institutional funders committed to shifting power in service of lasting systemic and cultural change.

Our Story

Illustration by Radical Roadmaps

Meet the Team

Experienced Fundraiser, Effective Coach, Consultant & Bridge Builder

  • Laura Ferretti has dedicated her career to supporting nonprofit and philanthropic leaders committed to social change. While working at two nationally recognized organizations (Fulfillment Fund and United Way of Greater Los Angeles), she has experienced being the only fundraiser on staff as well as building and leading large development teams from the ground up. In both organizations, Laura’s leadership significantly increased revenue from individuals and built an organization-wide culture of fundraising by engaging both Board members and program staff.

    Through her consulting practice, Impact Philanthropy, Laura has advised over 70 local, national and international nonprofits and philanthropic foundations involved in direct service, advocacy and movement-building. Her understanding that fundraising is an inherent part of strategic organizational planning and development equips her clients to raise the revenue needed to achieve their vision.

    As a volunteer, Laura co-founded Los Angeles Advisors in Philanthropy, a network of 2,000+ philanthropists, wealth advisors, nonprofit and public sector leaders who have met regularly over the past decade to learn from each other, connect and collaborate. Laura has a BA in Italian Literature from Smith College, an MBA from UCLA and is a Senior Fellow in the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Amita Swadhin

  • Amita Swadhin has over 20 years of experience in the public and nonprofit sector, as an Executive Director, Board Chair, and Program Director in grassroots and national organizations based in New York City and Los Angeles. Concurrent to launching their consulting practice in 2016, Amita founded Mirror Memoirs, a national storytelling and organizing project intervening in rape culture by uplifting the narratives, healing and leadership of transgender, intersex, non-binary and/or queer Black, Indigenous and of color survivors of child sexual abuse. Their consulting clients have included Social Justice Philanthropy Collaborative, LA County Department of Public Health, Community Partners, Futures Without Violence, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Positive Coaching Alliance. Amita has designed and led several train-the-trainer initiatives throughout the years. They are also a published writer and a frequent speaker at universities and professional conferences nationwide.

    At their core, Amita is an organizer, moving people and resources to support LGBTQI+ people, undocumented immigrants, and youth in low-income, urban communities of color. They hold a Master’s in Public Administration (specializing in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy Analysis) from New York University, where they were a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship, and a Bachelor’s in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Nonprofit Leader, Professional Trainer, Strategist & Community Builder