February 12, 2026 (WASHINGTON, DC) — GlobalGiving is proud to announce the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors: Alison Powell, John Hecklinger, Jon Leland, and Oktay Dogramaci. Together, these leaders bring deep and diverse expertise to the mission and work of GlobalGiving.
“These four leaders bring an extraordinary combination of vision, experience, and values-driven leadership,” said Victoria Vrana, CEO of GlobalGiving. “Their collective expertise spans technology and data, philanthropy and collaborative funding, impact, strategy, and community-led change—exactly the perspectives we need as GlobalGiving continues to grow and evolve. We’re thrilled to welcome them to our board.”
Alison Powell is a Partner at Bridgespan, where she leads the firm’s Impact Capital work focused on collaborative philanthropy. In this capacity, Alison supports foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and collaborative funding vehicles in directing significant philanthropic resources toward equity and justice. She also leads Bridgespan’s research and field-building efforts in collaborative philanthropy. Before joining Bridgespan, Alison worked at Mattel and began her career at The Parthenon Group, advising organizations across a wide range of industries. She brings deep expertise in philanthropic strategy, collaboration, and systems-level change.
John Hecklinger currently serves as Co-CEO at Global Fund for Children (GFC), where he helps organizations connect with the resources they need to support children and youth worldwide. He is widely recognized for his expertise in adaptive leadership, systems change, and shifting power to local communities. Prior to joining GFC, he helped to scale the world’s first global crowdfunding platform for social good, led partnerships at CARFAX, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic. He brings more than two decades of experience driving social change through community-led organizations, including more than 12 years in leadership positions at GlobalGiving.
Jon Leland is the CEO and Co-Founder of Popular Demand, a direct-to-fan entertainment studio incubated at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He previously spent over a decade at Kickstarter, most recently as Chief Strategy Officer, where he led business strategy, growth, data science, user research, and sustainability initiatives. Jon’s work at Kickstarter touched nearly every aspect of the organization, including nonprofit partnerships and groundbreaking labor negotiations. He is also the co-founder of WorkFour, the national campaign for the four-day workweek and a longtime climate advocate, serving on the Environmental Defense Fund’s Leadership Council. Jon was also a founding director of Thanda, a community development and education nonprofit in rural South Africa.
Oktay Dogramaci is President of Vibrant Planet Data Commons, where he works to translate forest science and data into action to strengthen wildfire and climate resilience and expand participation in science. Before Vibrant Planet, Oktay spent 23 years on a mission to increase giving in the world. That journey started when he co-founded MissionFish in 2000 as CTO, led him to eBay where he built cause-marketing and donation programs integrated into eBay Inc. properties, and culminated in his role as Vice President, PayPal Giving serving as the general manager of a platform that today raises over $20B for nonprofits per year. He also served as the CTO of the Points of Light Foundation, and prior to MissionFish had roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“We are honored to welcome Alison, John, Jon, and Oktay to GlobalGiving’s Board of Directors,” said GlobalGiving Board Chair Bob Sims. “Their leadership and perspectives will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our platform, support nonprofit leaders, and advance community-led change around the world.”
GlobalGiving is a top-rated nonprofit that makes it safe and easy to give to local projects around the world, while providing fellow nonprofits with the tools, training, and support they need to thrive. Since 2002, the GlobalGiving community has raised more than $1 billion from 2 million donors for 39,000 projects in 175+ countries. To learn more, visit www.globalgiving.org.
Kristin Wright
Senior Public Relations Manager
GlobalGiving
media@globalgiving.org
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