We work with diverse entrepreneurs to secure the resources they need to promote a more equitable society and healthy planet.
Our vision is to help fulfill a Just Transition to an economy rooted in solidarity with all living things.
Services
Fundraising Strategy: Debt | Equity | Grants | Crowdfunding
Coaching and Advising for Social Entrepreneurs
A Partner in the Work
Being an entrepreneur can be a grinding, lonely path to walk, which is why we need someone to remind us of the joy in the struggle. Especially if you’re already working to overcome unjust systems that try to block you from the resources and support you need to give your idea a real shot - the kind of access that our most successful “self-made” entrepreneurs have taken for granted their whole lives. Let’s partner to create business models that uplift communities and give you self-determination, build the right infrastructure around your idea, and bridge connections with funders who share your vision. Think of me as your coach or your sidekick - I’m not here to solve your problems, I’m here to get your back and help you shine.
Testimonials
“It was a pleasure and an honor to work with Chuck. He brought keen insights, fastidious reflection, and deep integrity to our collaboration, and we are better for it. I would recommend Chuck to anyone hoping to level up their work with fundraising and nonprofits, while grappling with power and privilege, in realizing a Just Transition.”
“As a founder of a start-up social enterprise, I have worked with a variety of consultants. Chuck stands apart for his ability to deeply listen, to ask relevant and insightful questions, and for bringing a unique perspective that really adds value. Chuck was able to effortlessly digest the complexity of our work, to make unique connections to other areas and to speak to the scope of our work with ease. ”
Wonder if we might be a good fit? Read About Chuck and check out my Standards of Integrity.
About Chuck
From the 2016 Youth Impact Hub fellows’ graduation (I’m the white guy in the middle).
Hey, I’m Chuck. I think this economy is pretty messed up. The vast majority of the wealth being “created” is quickly consolidated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. That capital is then re-invested primarily in entrepreneurs who look like the wealthy and are building businesses they can relate to, accelerating an extractive, growth-fixated system. While we are doing better in some ways, as a whole, we are so far behind the curve that we may not catch up in time to survive the violent, cascading repercussions of generations of unbridled capitalism, imperialism, and white supremacy.
In spite of that, I’m still a pretty optimistic guy!
There’s really no other way to be - as long as we’re alive, shouldn’t we work to make the world a better place to live? That’s why I love the saying what we do today is what matters most (attributed to the Buddha or the Buddhist teacher, Jack Kornfield, depending on who you ask). No matter what we’ve done in the past, how we’ve failed or been beaten down or feel like we’re getting nowhere, if you woke up alive today then you have a chance to make it matter.
In terms of my work, I’m particularly obsessed with money - the way it flows, the energy it brings with it, and what people do to stop it from flowing more widely. That’s why I work to help social enterprises (for-profit and nonprofit) both get access capital and generate their own flows. I also work with investors and philanthropists to step fully into what Jed Emerson, “the godfather of impact investing,” calls the true purpose of capital.
I do this work because I hold tremendous privilege, growing up in a wealthy family and being a white-presenting (bi-racial), cishetero, conventionally attractive, able-bodied male. I basically hit the privilege lottery. Which is why my life needs to be about “giving back” - a journey that’s taken me through microfinance, social entrepreneurship, big philanthropy, and more recently, adopting social justice giving principles and a commitment to reparations.
Some standard CV things about me: BA from UCLA, MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, over a decade of work in the social impact space as a co-founder, organizer, impact investor, fundraising professional, and consultant. I also love to study languages and speak Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese with varying degrees of success. Becoming a father is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Partners I've worked with, professionally or pro bono:
Standards
of Integrity
Sense of humor
Humble
Wise
Resilient
Inquisitive
Supportive
Brave
Compassionate
This list is the result of looking deeply into the people I respect and admire the most and identifying the qualities that consistently emerged when I thought about them. I know these are mine - and what I aspire to be - because I see them in others.
Do you see them in yourself? If so, I think we’ll work well together.