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“When you need to get something done, ask a busy person,” is an Ann Vaughn mantra as many Impact100 DC women know. When Ann asked Caitlin Van Orden, a new member in 2021, to get involved in Impact’s leadership, Caitlin who had a “big job and a small child” said give me some time. This year with her son Caleb about to be 3 and having participated on the Family Grant Committee and being more acclimated to Impact100, Caitlin agreed to Co-Chair Grants with Sharon Dennis in 2024. She is excited to be involved and learn more about the amazing non-profits in her own city.
Caitlin’s consciousness of injustice and the struggle for human rights began very early. Her mother’s family were Holocaust survivors and the issues were formative in her childhood. The Darfur Genocide during her student days further mobilized her to be politically active and committed to advocacy through non-profits. After college, Caitlin was able to bring these two threads together as well as her personal interest in the plight of refugees working for USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. She had not planned a career in fundraising but found that major donor development was very satisfying on several levels: building meaningful relationships, helping donors who were passionate about critical human needs find an outlet for their philanthropy and vehicles to achieve change, working on varied aspects of giving from research and data to travel and interesting events, and quantifiable results. After earning her Masters in Non-Profit Communications at Johns Hopkins and working with several other non-profits, in 2019 Caitlin became the Senior Director of Major Gifts and Events for NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Caitlin was on a fundraising webinar when a presenter in Cleveland spoke about the donor circle Impact100. Caitlin googled it and discovered that a brand-new chapter had just been started in DC; she joined. She was pleased to find out that one of this year’s finalist’s Open City Advocates, is right in her neighborhood, the local involvement which is so important to her. Caitlin is looking forward to talking with members and hearing how they feel about Impact100 DC’s grant process and goals. She is a proponent of Trust-Based Philanthropy and interested in how we can do the most good with the least burden on the grantees.
When asked about leisure/free time activities, Caitlin left me breathless. Her hope is to “live out her childhood dreams” and she has already accomplished the first two, mastering pottery and doing stand-up comedy. Now, it’s voice lessons and singing……next……acting….. writing a novel……. becoming a veterinarian! We at Impact100 DC will look forward to Caitlin’s expertise and verve on grants.
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