About Us

You want to do good. We’re here to help.

We’re a nonprofit consulting firm making it easier to create and scale impact – while working with experts you’ll love and (dare we say it!) having fun.

After years in the impact sector, we saw a gap: nonprofits missing innovative fundraising opportunities, companies with good intentions missing the mark, and at the same time – incredible talent frustrated and leaving the impact sector because of a lack of flexibility and growth. That’s why we exist.

We build customized teams that design tailored, high-impact solutions for mission-driven organizations. Through our diverse teams and unique approach, we empower nonprofits to achieve their impact goals while connecting seasoned professionals to meaningful projects and a supportive community.

Our Leadership

Brandon Parkes

Co-founder & CEO

Brandon Parkes is an experienced CEO, Founder, and subject matter expert including strategic corporate philanthropy, diversity, equity, and inclusion, board governance, and multi-sector partnerships. He is a strategic advisor who brings broad leadership experience to mission-driven organizations and leaders. Leveraging over 9 years of multi-industry operational experience within scaling organizations, he is recognized as a versatile social impact expert with an entrepreneurial spirit.

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Brandon has a proven track record of innovating and implementing multi-disciplinary programs and partnerships that drive impact while improving profits and creating shareholder value.

Brandon has demonstrated a strong prowess and affinity for communicating and building strong relationships due to his exceptional interpersonal skills, and intersectional identity which influences his ability to communicate and coordinate across a diverse portfolio of clients, departments, and/or teams of an organization.

Brandon is concurrently the Head of the Corporate Board Diversity Program at Gaingels, the largest venture capital syndicate in the world. He serves as a trusted Advisor to over 120 private company CEOs to help them better achieve their diversity and inclusion objectives. Previously, reporting directly to the CEO, he was an Executive Consultant at the nation’s largest black-owned fundraising firm, Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, in which he served as the principal liaison with key clients while leading client teams focused primarily on creating and implementing goal-oriented, efficient, capacity-building and fundraising strategies. Prior, he worked in a corporate philanthropic capacity as a Consultant at Morgan Stanley supporting executive corporate engagement for the firm’s global community affairs initiatives.

Through these professional titles, he gained experience supporting effective philanthropic strategy that increases social impact, external/internal engagement, and nonprofit capacity building. He was humbled to be named one of CauseArtists’s “20 Inspiring African Americans Impacting the World Through Social Impact & Social Innovation,” named one of Startup Boost’s NYC 33 under 33, and has been featured in several publications such as Black Enterprise, Nasdaq and Blavity. It’s Brandon’s passion to empower any constituent looking to make a positive social impact.

Affiliations
AFP

Emerging Leaders Committee Member

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents nearly 31,000 members in more than 200 chapters throughout the world, working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs. Founded in 1960 as the National Society of Fund Raisers, AFP fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession.

The New York City Chapter, the founding chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals, is a vital and unparalleled source of information and resources for the New York area — from workshops and informal networking opportunities to Fundraising Day in New York, the largest one-day conference in the world on philanthropic topics. We’re dedicated to supporting the uniquely American tradition of giving — and helping to make New York a better place.
NAACP

Next Gen Leader

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

The NAACP Next Generation Program (NEXTGEN) is a 12-month leadership development training program to be trained to assume leadership in the NAACP and in organizations around the world.
Nexus Global

Alumni/Delegate

NEXUS is a global community founded to bridge communities of wealth and social entrepreneurship. With over 6000 Members from 70 countries, we work to unite young investors, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and allies to catalyze new leadership and accelerate needed political, societal, indigenous, financial, environmental, and equal justice solutions.
Out Leadership

Alumni

Out Leadership convenes the most influential network of Out Leaders anywhere.

To accelerate LGBT+ talent, OutLeadership invite senior executives and emerging leaders to engage in leadership programs and curated events around the world. OutNEXT, OutWOMEN and Quorum are the only talent accelerators of their kind, elevating LGBT+ executives through our best-in-class network.Customize and support leadership trainings, professional development, team building activities, and other professional events
StartingBloc

Social Innovation Fellow

StartingBloc is an organization that educates, inspires, and connects emerging leaders, social entrepreneurs, activists, and innovators to drive social innovation across sectors. Since 2003, StartingBloc has helped social innovators address the most pressing global challenges of our time by giving fellows the education, inspiration and connections needed to create lasting change. The StartingBloc Fellowship exposes young leaders to new models for achieving social impact.
The Resolution Project

Resolution Leadership Council Member

Social Venture Mentor

Resolution was founded in 2007 to develop and empower young leaders so they can pursue socially responsible solutions to issues affecting communities around the world. We designed our Social Venture Challenge (“SVC”) to be an inspiring call to action for university students with an idea for a social venture and we created the Resolution Fellowship to be an ecosystem of support to help them implement their idea and develop as socially responsible leaders.
YBGB

Alumni

The mission of the Young, Black and Giving Back Institute (YBGB) is to educate, inspire, and empower young black professionals, influencers, social entrepreneurs, and activists to effectively invest in changing their communities through philanthropy.

We convene the nation’s most impactful young, black professionals and equip them with tools and resources for effective leadership. Our signature Changing The Face of Philanthropy Summit, digital engagement, and other programs prepare young, black professionals to act as leading voices for change through service, philanthropy and advocacy.

Caitlin Kawaguchi

Co-founder & COO

Caitlin is a seasoned strategist, operator, and advisor for organizations and leaders advancing impact. With over a decade of cross-sector experience, Caitlin leverages her diverse background across nonprofits, startups, and politics to catalyze impact.

Caitlin has been named by NASDAQ as an AAPI Entrepreneur and Leader to Watch, featured in Forbes, and recognized by AM New York as a Power Player for her political leadership in Brooklyn.

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Caitlin was previously on the founding team of an ethical fashion startup, where she built the audience from the ground up to over 100K+ changemakers and managed impact partnerships, including their voter engagement partnership with theSkimm to energize 100K millennials to vote in the 2018 midterms.

Caitlin is based in Brooklyn, New York, where she serves on the Junior Board for First Tech Fund. She is an alumna of StartingBloc, New Leaders Council, and Issroff Family Foundation’s Women in Social Entrepreneurship program and Board Training institute.

Affiliations
Dreamers & Doers
First Tech Fund

Junior Board Member

First Tech Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital divide by supporting high school students of underserved backgrounds in New York City with free technology, unlimited broadband, targeted mentorship, practical skills, and opportunities to succeed in the modern world.
Issroff Family Foundation

WeAreWISE Member, Board Training Alumni

WeAreWISE supports a community of dynamic professional women working in the social sector including women from historically marginalized groups and communities who are contributing to social impact to amplify their personal and professional development and networks.

IFF’s Board Training Program is a professional development opportunity intentionally designed to help participants understand the untapped value they can bring to a social sector board and provide them with the context, frameworks and hard skills essential to being an effective and engaged board member. It supports curious people eager to learn about serving on a board of a philanthropic organization or about how to better engage with the board on which they currently serve, either as a board member or as a CEO or Executive Director.
StartingBloc

Social Innovation Fellow

StartingBloc is an organization that educates, inspires, and connects emerging leaders, social entrepreneurs, activists, and innovators to drive social innovation across sectors. Since 2003, StartingBloc has helped social innovators address the most pressing global challenges of our time by giving fellows the education, inspiration and connections needed to create lasting change.
New Leaders Council

Four of Parkes Philanthropy's nonprofit consultants featured in a square graphic.

Our Consultants

For every partner engagement, Parkes Philanthropy builds customized, interdisciplinary teams, and provides oversight and management needed for flawless execution.

From fundraising millions for organizations like Taproot Foundation, developing innovative programs at organizations like the Institute of International Education, leading impact evaluation for companies like Univision, and recruiting exceptional talent at nonprofits like The Trevor Project, our consultants bring a wealth of experience to our engagements — and have a commitment to doing things differently.

We offer a fresh perspective and customized counsel that sparks innovative thinking, delivers adaptive solutions, and brings an unparalleled understanding of how to drive tangible change.

Meet Our Consultant team

Our Story

Photo of Parkes Philanthropy's nonprofit consulting leadership team: Brandon Parkes and Caitlin Kawaguchi.

We started Parkes Philanthropy in 2020 to offer a new approach to nonprofit consulting during a critical moment.

Our experience on the front lines of impact-driven work showed us the power of collaboration among diverse perspectives to drive breakthrough solutions – inspiring us to create a firm where that was the norm, not the exception.

Since then, we’ve proudly supported more than 30 mission-driven organizations, from national partners like Aspen Institute and Schott Foundation for Public Education to local organizations like Stockton Service Corps, Broadway Inspirational Voices, and Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth. You can learn more about our work through our Case Studies.

So if you’re looking to make an impact – reach out here! We’d love to connect.

Let’s connect

Ready to learn more about how our team can help achieve your goals?

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