Mandy Nelson is a seasoned nonprofit professional with more than 25 years of experience leading campaigns, programs, and people. Mandy began her career raising money for affordable housing in the San Francisco area. Starting out as the lone fundraiser in the office responsible for bringing in $500,000 a year in grants, Mandy helped to grow the organization to a budget of $10 million dollars. She was a key part of the organization’s growth as it became state wide force for housing. Mandy learned a great deal about community organizing and working with incarcerated people and their families while working to improve schools and housing for families living near Folsom Prison. 

She then served as a fundraiser for two social justice foundations: Liberty Hill Foundation and the Women’s Foundation of California. Her role was to raise money that was then funneled to grassroots groups focused on environmental, racial and economic justice issues. Mandy then worked for the American Red Cross where she managed a team of 80 fundraisers responsible for raising $70 million dollars annually. 

Over the course of her career, Mandy has personally solicited and secured over $100 million for nonprofit organizations from individuals, corporations and foundations. She has trained hundreds of community members on how to effectively ask for money and loves to turn everyone into a fundraiser. 

Mandy is also the proud mom of two very smart young women and will celebrate her 32nd anniversary with her husband Tim this year. When not talking politics, you can find her listening to music, reading, being way too competitive at board games or baking a mean chocolate chip cookie.