Grounded in the belief that philanthropy has the power to create seismic social change, Carol (she/hers) creates compelling donor communications for nonprofit, advocacy, higher education and philanthropic institutions.

She directed communications for Connecticut Community Foundation, where she co-created its first-ever Guide to Giving and developed the integrated marketing strategy for Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills. The 36-hour giving event raised more than $1.2 million for hundreds of local nonprofits for each of the three years Carol led communications efforts.

Carol connected philanthropists with science at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine by writing case statements for major donors, and shined a light on student and faculty achievements as director of communications for the University of Hartford’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions.

She handled web and social media communications for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, helping to plan its first community indicators project and telling the stories of donors who created some of the 1,000+ charitable funds at the Foundation—fueling $25 million in annual grantmaking to nonprofits.

As part of the senior leadership team at Love Makes a Family, Carol’s storytelling, fundraising and grassroots lobbying contributed to the groundbreaking marriage equality movement in Connecticut. She also founded Nonprofit MediaWorks, where she trained nonprofit leaders on tactics to inspire giving and mobilize advocates to create political and social change. Along the way, she created powerful communications plans and social media strategies to equip nonprofits to do good—and her blogging and fundraising writing on the campaign trail had a hand in electing a Connecticut governor.

Carol earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, master’s degrees from Bowling Green State University and the University of Hartford, and a certificate in digital media and marketing from Duke University Continuing Studies.

She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Nonprofit Technology Network, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Nonprofit Consultants Network.

Ask Carol about

Storytelling, her book group, her obsession with the New York Times, her quest to find the best empanada in Hartford, and mentoring a teenager that she (literally) looks up to.

Carisa (she/hers) is an experienced nonprofit communications professional specializing in media relations, legal and legislative advocacy, LGBTQ rights, crisis communications, and public health.

As director of public affairs for Boston-based GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) from 2004-2016, she used research-backed and story-based communications to fuel the drive to nationwide marriage equality. Managing media on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court significantly sharpened her ability to manage chaos on a national stage.

She has also managed communications for AIDS Action Committee (Boston) and for Gay Men’s Health Crisis at the height of the American AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. She worked for the Harvard AIDS Institute in Botswana, communicating with local media about the first HIV vaccine trial to take place in Southern Africa.

In her consulting work, Carisa has expanded her social justice portfolio to include voting rights and criminal justice reform. She’s helped nonprofits tell their stories to pass legislation, win court cases, raise funds, and raise awareness. Experienced in crises of all kinds, Carisa also offers crisis communications planning, counsel, and execution.

Carisa has taught nonprofit public relations at Boston University, serves on the board of the New England Innocence Project, and is a proud graduate of Oberlin College.

Ask Carisa about

The time she was chased by elephants and why she loves Boston but thinks New York is the greatest city in the world.