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Charles A. McDonald

Charles A. McDonald

Partnerships & Strategy Executive | Business Development, Philanthropy & Social Impact
(843) 735-8043
charles@actualizeimpact.com
linkedin.com/in/charlesamcdonald

PROFILE

Partnerships and strategy executive with nearly 20 years of experience building organizations, driving growth, and developing cross-sector partnerships that turn ambitious ideas into measurable results. Proven record of generating millions in revenue and funding, guiding $100M+ in philanthropic investments, and advising CEOs, boards, and senior leaders across foundations, nonprofits, corporations, and public-sector institutions. Brings deep expertise in strategic partnerships, business development, organizational strategy, and building new initiatives from vision through execution and scale.

SELECTED CLIENTS & ADVISORY ENGAGEMENTS

Chan Zuckerberg InitiativeKaiser PermanenteFederal Reserve BankWalton Family FoundationCamelback VenturesCharter School Growth FundThe City FundTeach For America

CORE EXPERTISE

Strategic PartnershipsBusiness Development & GrowthOrganizational StrategyExecutive AdvisoryRevenue & Fundraising StrategyP&L & Financial PlanningTeam & Board LeadershipPartnership OperationsCross-Functional LeadershipAI Strategy & Innovation

WORK EXPERIENCE

Actualize Impact, LLC - Principal

2021 - Current | National
  • Advise presidents, CEOs, board members, and foundation executives on philanthropy, organizational strategy, partnerships, program design, and implementation, translating complex priorities into actionable strategies, operating models, and measurable outcomes
  • Designed the diligence, scoring, theory-of-change, and measurement systems used to guide a $100M+ grassroots philanthropic portfolio for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, including evaluation of 34 candidate organizations, grant-tier structuring, and performance KPIs; directly advised portfolio decision-makers on investment strategy
  • Designed tools and facilitated trust-based philanthropy programs for 100+ funders, contributing to a $42M increase in unrestricted funding and a 65% average reduction in application requirements for community-based grantees
  • Led multi-month strategic initiatives, learning experiences, and executive facilitation engagements for organizations including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Kaiser Permanente, Charter School Growth Fund, The City Fund, and Camelback Ventures
  • Created repeatable strategy and organizational-development frameworks, including the trademarked Envision · Design · Actualize™ methodology and Principled Conflict framework, helping executive teams move from vision through decision-making, alignment, and implementation
  • Built 20+ AI-enabled applications and internal tools for nonprofits, foundations, and research teams spanning fundraising infrastructure, evaluation and governance systems, data workflows, and organizational decision support

Community Engagement Partners - Founder and Managing Partner

May 2018 - July 2025 | National
  • Founded and scaled a national community-engagement firm, owning organizational strategy, P&L, revenue goals, financial forecasting, and annual and multi-year strategic planning
  • Built and led a team of up to 10 full-time staff and consultants, overseeing hiring, performance management, organizational structure, and execution across a national portfolio; managed a five-member Board of Directors and routinely presented strategy and results to boards and senior funder leaders
  • Built CEP’s partnership and fundraising infrastructure from the ground up, including prospecting and cultivation strategies, formal fundraising and partnership pipelines, HubSpot CRM processes, partnership agreements, and repeatable relationship-management systems
  • Owned executive-level donor and funder relationships and led the full partnership lifecycle — from prospecting, cultivation, and proposal development through negotiation, contracting, funding, renewal, and expansion — across foundations, nonprofits, corporations, civic organizations, and community partners
  • Negotiated multi-year unrestricted funding agreements with two major national education foundations and led complex funder-community negotiations resulting in seven-figure partnerships for education and workforce initiatives across seven states
  • Guided local and national philanthropic organizations in directing $100M+ to grassroots community organizations, with 85% invested in women- and people-of-color-led initiatives; established KPIs and advised funders on adapting traditional measurement frameworks for community-led work
  • Built and launched community-centered organizations and initiatives from concept through funding and scale, including TABLE Cincinnati and The My Village Project, developing business and fundraising strategies, structuring investments, and connecting emerging organizations with national philanthropic partners
  • Secured $8M to establish multi-state alliances of Black Community Innovators and generated approximately $4M in a single year for community co-created projects and campaigns through strategic partnerships and funder cultivation

Education Cities - Director, Partnerships, Advocacy & Engagement

November 2016 - May 2018 | National
  • Advised leaders across a 24-member national education network on community-engagement strategy, organizational design, and partnership development, securing $7.5M+ for local advocacy efforts across 11 cities
  • Led citywide consulting engagements and national working groups, translating stakeholder input into actionable strategies and aligning diverse leaders around shared goals and implementation plans; engagement strategies supported creation of 25,000 high-quality educational seats across two cities
  • Developed the network’s community-engagement theory of action, common language, signature tools, and performance frameworks adopted across 24 organizations
  • Authored From Tokenism to Partnership, a national community-partnership playbook, and created the Transformational Community Engagement toolkit, including KPIs and measurement frameworks for funders investing in community-centered systems change

Teach For America - Senior Managing Director, External Affairs

March 2013 - November 2016 | South Carolina
  • Promoted through three increasingly senior leadership roles spanning state and district partnerships, business development, fundraising, external affairs, communications, and organizational growth
  • Led a team of four and managed multiple regional functions, including fundraising, state government partnerships, district partnerships, media and communications, alumni affairs, and advisory board engagement
  • Owned regional fundraising strategy, revenue planning, budgeting, and forecasting, raising $4.2M in the first year leading South Carolina fundraising and securing $3M in recurring annual state funding
  • Developed and executed district partnership and recruitment strategies that placed 350+ teachers across 14 districts serving approximately 21,000 students and produced the region’s most diverse teaching cohort: 50% people of color, 43% from low-income backgrounds, and 55% with South Carolina ties
  • Directed regional communications and media strategy, exceeding annual goals for positive coverage and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships across education, government, and community sectors

Education Pioneers - Program Manager

October 2011 - April 2013 | Boston, MA
  • Designed and executed recruitment, selection, and placement strategy for graduate fellowship programs, producing the most diverse Greater Boston Graduate School Fellowship cohort in program history
  • Managed fellowship cohorts, employer and institutional partnerships, placements, and leadership-development programming, exceeding regional and national satisfaction goals and achieving a 100% positive experience rating for the East Coast Analyst Fellowship

Alliance for Educational Justice - National Program and Base Building Organizer

April 2010 - October 2011 | National
  • Created and led national youth-organizing, coalition, and base-building strategy for 19 member organizations across 14 cities, developing repeatable programs and campaign structures around shared policy and advocacy priorities
  • Coordinated the National Rally & March for Youth Investment in Washington, D.C., contributing to the creation of the first Congressional Caucus focused on employing, educating, and empowering youth

Californians for Justice - Statewide Alliance Organizer

February 2008 - April 2010 | California
  • Led statewide outreach, coalition-building, and mobilization strategy for a 30-organization alliance of organizing, advocacy, and legal organizations focused on education finance reform
  • Mobilized more than 1,000 coalition members and coordinated 40+ legislative meetings annually, building sustained stakeholder engagement around statewide policy change

EDUCATION

Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship - Alumnus
2016
Inaugurated in 2007 through a collaboration of two Henry Crown Fellows, this program offers high potential leaders who are reimagining public education an opportunity to broaden their perspectives, build networks of like-minded change agents, and hone their skills in values-based leadership to improve US public education.
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
May 2005 | Minneapolis, MN