Cassandra Benjamin

Collaborator

A seasoned philanthropic and nonprofit consultant, Principal Cassandra Benjamin founded csb consulting in 2005. Working in areas ranging from collective impact to human services to education to housing, Cassandra and her associates provide a wide variety of philanthropic and nonprofit services, partnering with specialists and other firms as needed to ensure optimal results for clients.

csb consulting works with both national and local clients including the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Living Cities, David & Lucile Packard Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, among others. Cassandra and her associates specialize in designing and managing grantmaking initiatives, working with funder collaboratives, developing and implementing strategic grantmaking programs, assessing and building capacity of nonprofit organizations, and conducting and synthesizing research for philanthropic clients. As a consultant, Cassandra has served as an Interim Initiative Director of The Integration Initiative at Living Cities and as Program Officer for David & Lucile Packard Foundation's Local Food and Shelter Program.

Before founding csb consulting, Cassandra's career included two decades of service in the public benefit sector. As Senior Program Officer for the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, Cassandra designed and directed a multi-million-dollar strategic grantmaking program and managed a diverse portfolio of direct service, capacity building, and system change investments. Prior, she served as Executive Director of Shelter Network, a county-wide provider of homeless services, and as Development Director of Larkin Street Youth Services.

Cassandra's credentials include a master's degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. She is also a graduate of Harvard Business School's Executive Nonprofit Management Program. In recognition of her commitment and leadership through her consulting work, Cassandra received the Private Business Leader Award from the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. She has served on numerous community boards and task forces, including as an appointee to the San Francisco Mayor's Ten Year Plan Commission and as the Board Chair of First Place for Youth, a regional nonprofit serving former foster youth.

See more at: http://www.csbconsulting.org/