Funding Your Mission: Grants, Donors & Beyond
Funding Your Mission: Grants, Donors & Beyond
Launching a nonprofit is exciting — but securing funding can feel overwhelming. This webinar is designed for new and emerging nonprofits ready to build a strong financial foundation. You’ll learn how to pursue grants, attract donors, and explore additional revenue streams that support long-term sustainability. You’ll gain practical strategies, resources, and clear next steps to confidently fund your mission.
Panelists
Moderator
Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial issues.
Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.
Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).
Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.
Donna has a master's in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University.
Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).
In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters.
President and CEO, Georgia Center for Nonprofits
As President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, Karen Beavor oversees a professional association representing Georgia’s nonprofit industry, with capacity building programs that serve more than 5,000 organizations per year, as well as a national social enterprise, Work for Good, and the GAgives on GivingTuesday campaign, which has raised nearly $200 million for Georgia nonprofits since its inception in 2012. Prior to her work at GCN, Karen was the executive director of a nonprofit law firm serving people confronted with poverty.
Karen is a six-time member of Georgia Trend’s yearly “Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Leaders” list, and one of their 2020 Legacy Leaders. She has also been recognized as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle 50 Influential Nonprofit Leaders, Georgia Trend’s 40 under 40, and Southeastern Association Magazine’s Association Leader of the Year. Karen has received the Martin Luther King Leadership Award for Peace and Justice and the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta’s Community Leader Award. She is a member of the 2000 class of Leadership Atlanta.
Among many other board and advisory board roles with a variety of civic and nonprofit organizations, Karen is a past Chair and active Trustee at Unemployment Services Trust. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and has completed multiple executive education certificates from Harvard and Stanford Universities.
CEO, Giving Kitchen
Allison Padilla-Goodman is Giving Kitchen’s first-ever Chief Executive Officer, leading the organization’s mission to provide stability and hope to food service workers in crisis. Since joining Giving Kitchen in 2024, Allison has focused on strengthening the organization’s systems, deepening its impact, and expanding its reach so that more workers and their families can access life-changing support. She is passionate about building strong teams, forging powerful partnerships, maintaining a steadfast commitment to justice, innovation, and growth, and ensuring that Giving Kitchen remains a reliably warm source of support for the industry and community.
Allison joined Giving Kitchen because she believes in the dignity of food service work and the essential role this community plays in shaping culture, connection, and belonging. Her own life has been profoundly shaped by the restaurant industry—from early food service jobs that influenced her academic path and global experiences, to the place where she met her husband, to the inspiration behind her daughter’s name. Leading Giving Kitchen is both a professional calling and a personal commitment.
Before Giving Kitchen, Allison spent more than a decade as a senior leader at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), directing the agency’s work across 15 Southern states. There she led large, multidisciplinary teams; built influential coalitions; guided major programmatic and policy initiatives; and advanced efforts to address hate and extremism. She is particularly proud of leading the statewide coalition that helped pass Georgia’s historic Hate Crimes law in 2020.
Allison’s career has always been rooted in building, connecting, and strengthening communities. She has held leadership roles across education, research, and international nonprofit sectors in New Orleans, Hong Kong, and Colombia. She thrives in helping organizations grow with intention— developing strong structures, aligning teams, and creating vision-driven strategies.
Allison holds a PhD and MPhil in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center, where she focused on race, migration, and urban development. She also earned a Master’s in Latin American Studies from Tulane University and a BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Middlebury College.
A native of New Orleans and an Atlantan since 2017, Allison is active in the civic fabric of the city. She is an active alumna of Leadership Atlanta, a member of the International Women’s Forum and the Atlanta Civic Collaboratory, and has served on multiple nonprofit boards, including Atlanta Way 2.0, the World Affairs Council, the Howard School, and the Atlanta Speech School.
Vice President, Commercial Banking, Georgia’s Own Credit Union
Sean Pitts is a relationship-driven commercial banking leader with over 29 years of experience helping businesses grow and succeed. Known for his hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves approach, Sean has built multiple loan and deposit portfolios from scratch by doing what he enjoys most: meeting people, earning trust, and finding practical financial solutions. In his current role as Vice President for Commercial Banking at Georgia’s Own Credit Union, he oversees a large commercial loan portfolio and deposit portfolio while leading a close-knit, high-performing commercial banking team. Sean takes pride in mentoring others, staying actively involved in the community, and creating a banking environment that’s not only profitable—but genuinely enjoyable for clients and colleagues alike.
Executive Director, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
Rachel Epps Spears serves as Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, an organization that provides free legal assistance to nonprofits that serve low-income individuals and that cannot afford a lawyer. Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta matches eligible nonprofits with volunteer attorneys who can help address the organization’s legal needs. Since taking on its first client in September 2005, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta has matched over 1200 nonprofit clients with about 4000 attorney volunteers.
Rachel leads the Atlanta Bar Association’s Public Interest Executive Roundtable. She has been recognized as one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite and the Daily Report’s On the Rise attorneys. She has received the “EPIC Inspiration Award: Unsung Devotion to Those Most in Need” awarded by Emory University School of Law and the “Rita A. Sheffey Public Interest Award” presented by the Atlanta Bar Association. Rachel was recognized as one of Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark in 2015.
Prior to joining the Partnership, Rachel worked for eight years as an attorney at King & Spalding. An Atlanta native, Rachel graduated from Davidson College in 1993 with a degree in Political Science and received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.