Our Mission
To help donors give more, give better, and give now.
Our Vision
We envision a world in which donors have clarity and connection, and communities have the resources they need to flourish.
Our Values
Collaboration
We are stronger together. By working collaboratively with community leaders, financial planners, and donors, we can achieve our shared goals to make a difference.
Trust
We trust our nonprofit partners—those working with affected communities, closest to the challenges. We build trusting relationships with our clients and financial advisor partners. And we trust each other, respecting every GiveTeam member for who they are.
Equity
In order to affect change and create a more equitable world where all beings and communities flourish, we must acknowledge and seek to better understand and address the historical, racial, and social context in which both local and global problems originated.
Generosity
We work with donors who are incredibly thoughtful and care deeply about helping others and giving back. We encourage generosity in all forms: money, time, talent, and more. We also model the generosity we encourage in our clients by supporting our team members professionally and personally.
Our Giving Philosophy
We believe in community-centric, trust-based philanthropy. Our processes, educational materials, and approach to connecting donors with local organizations are informed by these perspectives and practices.
Our Team
Erinn Andrews
Founder and CEO
Erinn is a social entrepreneur and innovator who has been actively engaged in the philanthropic sector for almost 15 years. Most recently, she led the Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative at Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) where she conducted research to understand donor behavior, published resources for high-capacity donors and advisors supporting high-capacity donors, and developed innovative education programs—for donors and financial advisors.
Prior to Stanford PACS, Erinn led GuideStar’s (now Candid) nonprofit strategy, managing the largest database of nonprofit information in the US. While at GuideStar, she developed and launched the GuideStar bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of distinction, encouraging more organizations to self-report qualitative and (standardized) quantitative impact data.
After earning her B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University, she launched a start-up nonprofit called Philanthropedia (with funding from the Hewlett Foundation) to identify high-impact nonprofits across multiple cause-areas. Philanthropedia was ultimately acquired by GuideStar.
Erinn serves as the Vice President and incoming President of the national board of International Advisors in Philanthropy, is a member of P150 (a global network of philanthropy advisors), acts as a “Kitchen Cabinet” advisor to Northern California Grantmakers, and is a member of the Peninsula Latina Giving Circle and SV2. She lives in Menlo Park, CA with her husband, two elementary-aged children, and their fluffy pup, Nugget.
Elena Thandiwe Pullen-Venema
Director of Philanthropic Advising
As Director of Philanthropic Advising, Elena onboards new financial firms and directly supports donors in developing their charitable strategy. For the past 20+ years, Elena has worked extensively in the fields of philanthropic, financial, and estate planning as well as in the nonprofit sector and with micro-lending institutions in the US and South Africa. She has her MBA in Finance from Temple University, her CAP® designation, and is currently working towards obtaining her CFP® from the American College of Financial Services.
Most recently, Elena worked with the Community Foundation of Snohomish County in Everett, WA. As Director of Gift Planning, she partnered with financial planners, attorneys and accountants, helping them create tailored philanthropic plans for their clients in order to meet financial, estate, charitable, and tax goals.
Prior to earning her MBA, Elena received her BA from Tufts University in Boston, MA. After completing her undergraduate work, Elena was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa.
Although she is originally from the East Coast, Elena currently lives in Snohomish, WA with her husband Jaymes and children Thandiwe and J.D.. In her free time, she is an avid runner, enjoys coaching her son’s soccer team, attempts to grow vegetables in her garden, and road-trips down to Corvallis, OR to visit her daughter at Oregon State University (Go Beavs!).
Kendall Ross
Director of Funding Opportunities
As Director of Funding Opportunities, Kendall works with local community partners to build regional nonprofit databases and recommend nonprofits to donors.
With over a decade of experience in communications, project management, and strategic partnership development, Kendall is passionate about crafting creative solutions that drive meaningful outcomes.
Recently, Kendall worked as a Philanthropy Associate at Lever for Change, an affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation, which designs and manages grant competitions on behalf of donors. In her role, she supported the identification, cultivation, and stewardship of donors, contributing to Lever for Change’s efforts to help donors channel over $2 billion in grants to high-impact nonprofits and social ventures. Prior to Lever for Change, Kendall held dual roles as Communications Manager and Project Manager at the technology start-up SlingshotVR, where she led internal and external communications, managed agile workflows, and contributed to securing clients and funding. Early in her career, Kendall gained valuable experience working for media and entertainment organizations CBS and NBCUniversal, honing her skills in writing, project management, and relationship building.
Kendall holds a BA in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in Media, Campaigning, and Social Change from the University of Westminster in London, UK.
Based in her home state of Wisconsin, Kendall enjoys creating wheel-thrown pottery, spending time at her family cabin in the Northwoods, and advancing her skills in American Sign Language.
Supported by Fidelity Charitable® Catalyst Fund.
Supported by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
Supported in part through fiscal sponsorship by the Digital Harbor Foundation.
Supported by The Solid Foundation.
