The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia welcomes Michael Barret Jones as its new Chief Philanthropy Officer. In this role, he will lead the organization’s growth over the coming years in alignment with its new five-year strategic plan, helping to build a community that works for everyone in our region by bolstering the Community Foundation’s long-term fundraising and development strategies utilizing his wealth of experience in philanthropic engagement at the highest level. Michael has spent the last three decades in nonprofit leadership, primarily in development and marketing roles for education, arts, and social justice portfolios. Prior to moving to the Community Foundation, he served as the Major Gifts Officer for the Stonewall Community Foundation in New York City, overseeing individual donor initiatives and managing donor advised fund programs at the intersection of queer liberation, racial justice, and economic equity. His work has focused on engaging donors in mission-driven philanthropy, big picture thinking, and finding exciting ways to re-imagine the building blocks of a solid fundraising program.
“We are thrilled to have Michael on board at the Community Foundation,” said Eileen Ellsworth, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. “He has decades of experience engaging donors in both responsive grantmaking, and community problem solving. That experience has given him a unique perspective on what works and what doesn’t work and has honed a very strategic approach to philanthropic giving.”
“There’s fabulous energy in the moment when you’re able to match the right story with the right donor,” said Michael, “Bringing thirty years of front-line fundraising and out-of-the-box thinking about donor engagement to the Community Foundation is going to help build on the Foundation’s tremendous programs ensure that we will be serving the Northern Virginia community and its needs for generations to come.”In addition to his work as a fundraiser, Michael is a teacher, entertainer, and community organizer. He has produced numerous conferences for fundraising professionals and activists, served on the faculty of national philanthropy training programs, and served his community as a board member and volunteer. Jones holds a degree in theatre arts and English, with a minor concentration in gender studies, from Drew University.
Contact Michael at 703-879-7643 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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