Ashley is a nonprofit strategist and consultant specializing in the arts and cultural sector and related philanthropies. She advises nonprofit leaders on organizational strategy and finance, research and analysis, board and organizational assessment, and process facilitation.
Ashley also leads the design, management, and implementation of multi-year philanthropic initiatives and planning projects, including the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative, the ArtsAmplified Initiative, and the Creative Commonwealth program.

Before launching her consulting practice, ABB Collaborative, in 2022, Ashley served as Vice President at Boston-based nonprofit research and consulting firm TDC for ten years. With over 18 years of experience in nonprofit, foundation, and research organizations, Ashley brings multiple perspectives from across the sector to her client work, a love for systems analysis, and a personal commitment to advancing equity and justice. You can read Ashley’s writing work on capitalization and risk in the Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) Reader.

Prior to joining TDC, Ashley managed funder collaboratives in New England for the Cultural Data Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts (now DataArts at SMU). She facilitated DAFs at Tides Foundation in San Francisco, led research at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University, and supported public opinion research at Peter D. Hart Research Associates in Washington, DC. Ashley holds a B.A. in religion and sociology from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School, where she studied the intersection of ethics, politics, and civil society.

Areas of Focus: Multi-Year Planning and Philanthropic Initiatives, Organizational Strategy and Finance, Board and Organizational Assessment, Process Facilitation

Funmilayo Brown is the Founder and CEO of Layo Philanthropic Partners, a trusted advisory group redefining philanthropy for people of color. After a powerful career as a senior executive working for non-profit organizations to build their leadership, increase their impact, and help reach fundraising goals, Funmilayo saw an opportunity as a changemaker and connector to bridge the gap between donors and the institutions they support. Through her work at Layo Philanthropic Partners, she helps people reconnect to their philanthropic roots, build giving strategies aligned with their purpose and overall financial goals, and create great impact while building a long-lasting legacy. 

With a BA from Oberlin College and MPA from New York University, Funmilayo leads to inspire a world where people feel honored, cared for, and encouraged to live with dignity and respect. She is proficient in Spanish, fluent in humor, and resides in Jersey City with her husband and two daughters.

Areas of Focus: Articulating Your Vision for Clarity and Success in Capacity-Building, Building and Leading Development Teams, Multi-Year Campaigns, Donor Cultivation

Sarah Burford is COO of CANVAS and a D.C.-based arts professional with a passion for creating an equitable future for the arts. After seven years at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she served artists and cultural organizations nationwide as a Program Specialist in Media Arts, she joined CANVAS with a vision to help us better serve our grantees and elevate the Jewish arts and culture community. She has held previous roles in grantmaking and curatorial work at the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and The Jewish Museum. Sarah is also an artist in her own right, working in mixed media and collage.

Areas of Focus: Arts-Related Foundations and Grantmaking Priorities

As Founder and President of CANVAS, a collaborative fund dedicated to supporting the 21st century Jewish cultural renaissance, Lou has spent his career at the intersection of contemporary culture and Jewish life. He has served as both a trustee and a senior advisor to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and helped co-create the PJ Alliance, a cohort of supporters dedicated to PJ Library’s national and global growth.

Lou is also the author of Man of the Year (Flatiron Books), an Amazon 2017 memoir of the year, a People Magazine pick of the week (“Hilarious and poignant”) and a Booklist Starred Selection (“The kind of book readers fall in love with”).

Lou is the former executive director of Reboot, a think tank and incubator for modern Jewish culture, where he oversaw the development of numerous Jewish cultural projects, including Sukkah City, 10Q, and the National Day of Unplugging. Lou was also vice president of the National Yiddish Book Center where he helped build an endowment, a new building, and a sustainable platform devoted to reclaiming a lost literary canon.

Areas of Focus: Capacity-Building, Development Strategy, Multi-Year Campaigns, Individual Donor Strategy and Outreach

Jeff Freeman is a fundraiser with a passion for nonprofits that empower the individual and spur community connectivity.

He previously served as Development Director for Double Edge Theatre, helping to promote the theater’s status as a leader in national placemaking. During his tenure, the theater secured six-figure, multi-year grants from national foundations, and jump-started a major gifts program. Notable accomplishments include the prestigious ArtPlace America Award, given to 2% of 1000+ applicants nationally; inclusion in the six-year Barr-Klarman Arts Initiative; their largest Massachusetts Cultural Council grant; and the theater’s most successful online fundraising campaign, netting $27k in twenty-four hours.

Prior to Double Edge Theatre, Freeman served as Grants Manager for Penumbra Theatre, the nation’s preeminent African American stage, and as Coordinator for Penumbra’s Summer Institute, a three-year leadership development program for youth. Freeman graduated Summa Cum Laude from Emerson College.

Areas of Focus: Development Strategy, Donor Research and Cultivation, Grants Strategies 

For over 15 years, Lauren Göğüş has expertly expanded community, enhanced visibility, deepened board relations, and increased financial support through strategic fundraising, partnerships, and events at nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC and New York City, including Vital Voices, the Global Women’s Innovation Network, New America, Girls Leadership, and Rosie’s Theater Kids.

Lauren has a BA in International Relations and History from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and dog.

Areas of Focus: Capacity building, Donor Research and Cultivation, Fundraising Strategy, Outreach, Events

Eric Phelps is a seasoned development professional and Senior Advisor to the CANVAS Collaborative Fund. A Massachusetts native, Eric has been a full-time nonprofit consultant for more than a decade. He has worked with more than 175 organizations throughout the U.S. on strategic planning, capital campaign design and implementation, executive coaching, board development, and other projects. Prior to consulting, Eric served as Vice President of Development for VentureWell, a national nonprofit supporting university investors and innovators in commercializing their technologies. During his five-year tenure, he worked with the senior team to secure more than $50 million in new funding. 

Eric was also Director of the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy (now JCamp180), a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. This program provided funding and leadership development services to more than 90 overnight and day camps throughout North America. Eric has also served as Executive Director of the New Art Center (Netwon, MA), Executive Director of VSA Arts of Georgia (Atlanta), and Development Director of IMAGE Film & Video Center (Atlanta). 

Eric has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and a Certificate in American Sign Language Interpreting from Georgia State University. Eric is an award-winning singer/songwriter and performs his original music with his band Let It Rain throughout the country. 

Areas of Focus: Development Strategy, Capital Campaign Design and Implementation, Major Donor Research and Cultivation

Melissa Rosen is a nonprofit strategist and consultant specializing in strategic planning, relationship building, fundraising, and organizational operations. Melissa’s career in the nonprofit sector has spanned more than twenty years, with roles hinging on strategically guiding organizational vision and fostering robust governance structures. She has created and executed pivotal five-year strategic plans while engaging dedicated boards in both development and finance activities.

Melissa most recently served as the Director of Strategic Engagement and Operations at Elluminate (formerly the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York), overseeing the organization’s development and operations activities. There, she successfully stewarded a diverse portfolio of donors and orchestrated high-impact events, while implementing streamlined systems and technologies that improved data accuracy, cohesion, and efficiency. Prior to joining Elluminate, Melissa was the Senior Manager for Matching Grants & Special Initiatives at the Jewish Funders Network (JFN), where she oversaw the organization’s matching grant programs, stewarded members, and helped to plan and execute the JFN Annual Conference.

From 2005 until 2015, Melissa worked in UJA-Federation of New York’s Network Department, engaging with the nonprofit organizations in UJA-Federation’s network, cultivating interconnectedness and strengthening community impact.

Originally from New York’s Hudson Valley, Melissa received a B.A. in Psychology and Music from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and an M.P.A. from the Baruch College School of Public Affairs. While at Baruch, she completed a marketing and fundraising consultancy project for The Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals at Teachers College, Columbia University and a thesis project about change management in nonprofit organizations. She lives in Queens with her husband and their son.

Areas of focus: Capacity Building, Strategic Planning, Fundraising Strategy, Organizational Operations, Events

Regan is a high-functioning, passionate, and accomplished Strategic Advisor and Executive Coach. Regan has twenty-five years of experience in the corporate magazine publishing sector, with fifteen years at Condé Nast (Executive Managing Editor of W Magazine for ten), specializing in organizational, staffing, and operational planning to further the organization’s mission and vision.

She has over ten years of experience in building, leading, and serving on Boards, as the first-ever New York Board Chair of Girls Leadership and a two-term Board member of The New York Women’s Foundation. As Director of Individual Giving for Student Leadership Network, Regan secured six-figure, multi-year gift commitments and worked closely with Board members to energize their engagement.

Regan advises nonprofit leaders and their boards on organizational and management strategy and has run numerous successful Executive Search, placement, and onboarding efforts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Areas of Focus: Leadership Coaching, Organizational Strategy and Planning, Goal-Setting and Outcomes, Staffing, Budget Management, Board-Building and Management, Motivating Boards for Successful Capacity-Building