Ethan Zatko

About Ethan Zatko

Oakland-grown, I am a seasoned nonprofit and philanthropic leader, capacity-builder and coach, expert trainer and facilitator and certified mediator. I come to the table with tenacity, an articulable understanding of the nonprofit and philanthropic landscapes and their mutuality with thriving communities, exceptional relationship-building and change-making skills and rich experience in the Bay Area and beyond. I have anchored administrative and programmatic initiatives, cultivated partnerships and collaborations and deftly connected networks of community, nonprofit organization, foundation and government agency.I currently serve as a consultant, coach and advisor to nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, with a focus on practices that connect cross-functional financial strategy & management, equity choice points, and emerging frameworks for grantmaking. My specialized work with grantmakers and philanthropic organizations has been in service of matching their values and strategy to their practices so that how they administer their grantmaking is as values-aligned as the grantee partners they invest in.My earlier career has been dedicated to serving young people and their own efforts to make change. Today I serve as Board Treasurer for Californians for Justice, a CA-statewide youth-powered organization working for relationship-centered schools and equitable education policy.Please feel free to be in touch!

Experience

1. Director

   BDO USA

   Jun 2018 — Present · Oakland, CA, US

   Partner with foundations and nonprofits in equal measure, working with organizations of every size, model and lifecycle stage, while digging into the technical layers of finance, operations, strategy, planning, infrastructure and people- Co-design and implement multi-year, large-scale capacity-building initiatives that strengthen organizational resilience- Advise grantmakers on reinventing their practices to be increasingly equitable, values-aligned, trust-based and grantee-centered- Design and deliver resilience-focused curricula reaching thousands annually- Lead the group’s coaching services, one of its most widely delivered types of support- Engage with the field by developing publicly-available toolkits and resources, presenting at conferences and providing training in broad settings across the sector. Ex: Reframing Financial Due Diligence, Designing a Values-Driven Financial Review Process, Demystifying Cryptocurrency Donations: A Guide for Nonprofit Leaders- Work with team convened by the world’s largest philanthropic institutions in a self-focused equity initiative to transform their giving practices so that their grantees better recover their true costs- Establish and lead internal communities of practice- Participate in hiring, influencing increasingly equitable practices- Develop and lead nonprofit client engagements focused on values-informed financial planning, operations, performance management and governance practices at the transactional, managerial and strategic levels- Served as grant review panelist for the New Jersey State Cultural Trust- Supervise multiple team members through multiple promotions-

Education

• University of California, Santa Cruz

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Community Studies

  2002 — 2007

Skills

• Curriculum Development
• Event Planning
• Digital Communication
• Mediation
• Creative Strategy
• Leadership
• Marketing Communications
• Leadership Development
• Education Reform
• Expressive Arts
• Budgeting
• Youth Mentoring
• Staff Development
• Forecasting
• Community Engagement
• Event Production
• Youth Engagement
• Professional Development Programs
• Budget Management
• Workshop Facilitation
• Enrichment
• Youth Programs
• Community Organizing
• Training
• Staff Management
• Staff Supervision
• Performing Arts
• Arts Administration
• Staff Training
• Strategic Planning
• Partnerships
• Youth Development
• Youth Leadership
• Strategic Partnerships
• Program Management
• Youth Empowerment
• Environmental Justice
• Email Marketing
• Budgets
• Community Outreach