Sara Coplai
Strategic Partnerships | Philanthropy and Community Investment Braiding
- Role
- Director of Development at The Industrial Commons
- Location
- Morganton, NC, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Sara Coplai
Let’s connect if you’re working at the intersection of community resilience and collaborative impact and see what we can do together! I am a purpose-driven financial collaborator with 15+ years of experience mobilizing resources, relationships, and regional strategies that drive positive health outcomes across rural communities.My work sits at the intersection of public, private, and nonprofit grant collaboration—where I build effective partnerships, navigate complexity, and co-create solutions that deliver measurable impact with financial resources. Whether developing sustainable resources for complex projects, managing multi-stakeholder partnerships, or providing technical assistance on state and federal grant compliance, I bring a values-centered approach rooted in equity, curiosity, and care. I contribute to efforts that center lived experience, reimagine funding practices, and ensure communities most impacted by systemic inequities shape the decisions that affect them.I\'m especially interested in:• Advising impactful collaboratives• Designing grantmaking and investment strategy• Developing sustainable grant attainment strategies• Catalyzing systems-level shifts in economic justice, housing, and health.
Experience
Director of Development
Dec 2025 — Present
Spearhead fundraising initiatives for The Industrial Commons, an economic ecosystem located in Morganton, NC, that founds and grows interconnected enterprises. Our mission is to rebuild a diverse working class based on locally rooted wealth. We address root causes of generational poverty by supporting frontline workers to build an economy for all through our four fields of Workforce Development, Community Engagement, Business Development and Network Development.
Education
Roanoke College
BA, English, Social Work
University of Memphis
Master of Business Administration - MBA
2016 — 2019
Skills
- Leadership Development
- Grants
- Community Outreach
- Community Development
- Program Development
- Non-Profits
- Volunteer Management
- Research
- Fundraising
- Editing
- Event Planning
- Legal Assistance
- Public Speaking
- Administration
- Grant Writing
- Nonprofits
- Program Evaluation
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