ASU Lodestar Center welcomes first-ever senior fellow for philanthropy

Jacky Alling, the chief philanthropy officer for the Arizona Community Foundation, will depart the foundation after 17 years to join the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation this month as its first-ever senior fellow for philanthropy. Through this new role with the ASU Lodestar Center, an organization she has long served as a leadership council member, Alling will now bring her talents to the wider nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

In her time with the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), Alling collaborated with many to lead, design, orchestrate or implement some of ACF’s most innovative programs: Affordable Housing Predevelopment Loan Fund; Community Impact Loan Fund; New Arizona Prize; Newton and Betty Rosenzweig Fund for the Arts; Black Philanthropy Initiative; Kellenberger + Tollefson Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy; Pakis Center for Business Philanthropy; and most recently, the AZ Together for Impact Fund, a collaboration among many Arizona foundations.

“We are delighted that Jacky’s expertise, experiences and strong relationships in philanthropy will substantially bolster our center’s efforts to meet our mission,” said Robert Ashcraft, executive director of ASU’s Lodestar Center and the Saguaro Professor of Civic Enterprise in the School of Community Resources and Development. “Having Jacky in this important role enhances all that we aspire to be and do through the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and especially so related to the role of philanthropy to enhance community well-being."

Alling also led the co-founding of the Arizona Endowment Building Institute (AEBI), an important accomplishment in advancing the nonprofit sector in Arizona and catalyzing ACF’s work with nonprofit organizations’ funds.

“Jacky worked tirelessly to advance our mission by mobilizing and supporting donors, overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to thousands of organizations, and bringing in hundreds of new donors to ACF,” said Steve Seleznow, president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation. “She will now bring her considerable wisdom, experience and talent to hundreds of others who are leading foundations, studying philanthropy, or seeking to enter the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.”

Alling will grow the center’s PhilanthropyMatters programming; serve as a resource to the staff team, leadership council and university on how to add value to the philanthropic culture of Arizona and beyond; and aid the center in its mission to build the capacity of the social sector by enhancing the effectiveness of those who lead, manage and support nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.

About the ASU Lodestar Center

Arizona State University’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation educates, empowers and connects nonprofit and philanthropic leaders to accelerate social impact. Housed within ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and its School of Community Resources and Development, the ASU Lodestar Center believes that the quality of life in communities is enriched with impactful philanthropy and effective nonprofit leadership. For more than 20 years, the ASU Lodestar Center has provided education, research, practical tools and convenings to help nonprofit professionals, philanthropists and volunteers solve problems and realize their communities’ highest aspirations.

Written by Phillip Bencome, manager of strategic communications, Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation. Photo courtesy of Jacky Alling