Stretch and Strengthen: Strategies for Building a Flexible and Agile Nonprofit

Simone brings a wealth of nonprofit experience to the SKS team with a background spanning programmatic, fundraising, technical, and operational roles at organizations including the ACLU and Jersey Cares. She has held roles from volunteer manager and fundraising officer to database support, business analyst, and product manager. These frontline experiences — such as leading an emergency volunteer response during Hurricane Sandy, or managing the Salesforce product roadmap for the ACLU’s 425+ fundraising users — give her a unique perspective to solving complex challenges.

Simone has also served as a Salesforce solution implementation partner, helping to design, build, and launch an integrated financial and fundraising system for the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. As part of Cause Craft Consulting, Simone leveraged her nonprofit expertise and SI partner experience to help Feeding America prepare for a major Salesforce migration.

Simone’s work is grounded in a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Anthropology from Rutgers University. She also holds certifications in Volunteer Management, Data Analytics, Business Analysis, and Salesforce Administration. Simone, her partner, and Welsh Corgi reside in Portland, Oregon, which stands upon the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River.

Andrena Sawyer is the President of P.E.R.K. Consulting, an advisory firm for small to mid-sized nonprofits and businesses, and the Founder of MCWEN—a network for women of color entrepreneurs.

Originally from Freetown, Sierra Leone, she and her family moved to the United States when she was nine years old due to a civil war that left thousands dead and untold numbers maimed and displaced. She now credits her family's move during the war for her interest in human triumph and perseverance. She has since actively worked to mobilize and empower others.

In addition to her work with entrepreneurs and nonprofits, she is the author of several books, including: The Misadventures of a New Entrepreneur: 5 Things They Won’t Teach You in Business School.

Rubin is the Founder and CEO of OneTenth Consulting, a boutique consulting firm and registered Salesforce partner that works exclusively with nonprofits for their technology strategy and CRM implementation needs. Rubin is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the CRM space and over 15 years in the nonprofit sector. Throughout his career, Rubin has pursued his passion for social impact by empowering and enabling nonprofits through various roles in technology, strategy, and organizational management. Rubin is a fervent equity advocate and serves on various committees, both personally and professionally, to design and build inclusive and just systems. This is deeply intertwined with his belief that technology should be accessible, equitable, and serve the greater good.

Rubin currently serves on the NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) Board of Directors and the Salesforce Partner Equality Committee.

Maya Tussing co-founded Fairlight Advisors to help nonprofit leaders fulfill their mission with first-class financial and investment solutions honed while working at the most respected institutions in the world. Fairlight provides nonprofits and mission-focused organizations financial planning and investment management services customized and aligned with their financial goals. Prior to Fairlight, she was the Head of BlackRock’s Institutional Index Allocation Group, where her team managed over $200B across all asset classes, investment styles, and vehicles. Over the last 20 years, she held senior risk management roles at firms such as BlackRock, BarclaysGlobal Investors, Visa, and GE Capital. She is a graduate of Pomona College and holds an MBA in international finance from the University of Washington.