Progressive Multiplier Names New Leader

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Washington, D.C. (November 15, 2021)

The Progressive Multiplier, a funding intermediary that helps progressive nonprofit organizations grow in scale and self-determination through independent revenue generation, has named Bethany Maki as its new Executive Director. She will succeed founder Phil Radford, who will remain involved as the President and partner closely with Bethany to forge philanthropic partnerships to support the work.

Maki steps into the role after a twenty-year digital marketing, fundraising, and strategy career – half in-house at some of the country’s most respected nonprofit organizations and half leading nonprofit strategy teams at premier agencies. She joined Progressive Multiplier in 2019 as its inaugural Director of Programs, moving into the Managing Director role earlier this year.

“We spent our first three years proving that our intermediary model worked – that we could provide a high leverage investment for funders and help movement groups scale with their own revenue,” Radford said. “Bethany has been at the root of that success. For every $1 Progressive Multiplier has granted, its grantees are on track to raise $3.80 to invest in their program work. That is a powerful multiplier of philanthropic dollars that progressive organizations are spending on their mission critical work. With the innovation coming out of our program right now, I am excited to see how far these groups are going to grow.”  

Movement groups working with The Progressive Multiplier are also excited about Maki’s appointment. “Bethany has created a unique working partnership with us,” said Chris Gilfillan of Living United for Change in Arizona. “Our projects really do get treated like experiments, and we have a lot of room to learn and support from her and the team in doing the work. They get what it means to be co-conspirators.”

Maki’s appreciation for the grantee partners is reciprocal. “The last two years working with our grantee partners have been a gift,” she said. “They are looking to intermediaries like us and philanthropy as a whole to invest more in the revenue generation and infrastructure that enables their work. Beyond that, they want to be part of developing a different way to look at fundraising. It’s not just dollars and cents. It’s about organizing lifelong allies who will show up in solidarity with groups’ members. It’s about having a harm reductionist model to capital. It’s about democratizing philanthropy to build a movement for and by the people it centers. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Progressive Multiplier’s part in this sea change.”

Maki’s appointment comes as Progressive Multiplier implements a plan of aggressive strategic growth to augment its already successful grantmaking and strategic assistance program. The organization welcomed Margaret Huang, President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Secky Fascione, Senior Director of Investment Services at the Democracy Alliance, to its Board of Directors last quarter.

Huang said, “It’s more urgent today that frontline groups have the capacity to scale up and mobilize communities to protect our democracy. Bethany and the team at Progressive Multiplier are making sure that progressive organizations are able to raise independent money to sustain their operations, reach new and diverse audiences, and achieve greater impact.”

Several of the Progressive Multiplier’s grantee partners will be sharing what they’ve learned about raising independent money for their missions and what’s next as they approach 2022 at a virtual briefing on December 15^th. For more information or to register, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nzC2WeYCSa2zpIDZsRvaYg

Contact: Violeta Bermudez, 844-634-6363 or violeta@progressivemultiplier.fund