Our Founder
Our partners at DonorsChoose have developed innovative ways to support educators in schools across the United States. Learn more about CEO Alix Guerrier here.
A colleague once described our founder, Chandler Arnold, as “the kindest person to ever challenge you”.
By launching Untraditional Philanthropy, Chandler didn’t set out to create a philanthropic advisory, but to fundamentally reimagine the dynamic between funders and those they fund.
His approach is shaped by 25+ years in the social sector as a founder, COO, CEO and board member, including more than a decade as the COO of First Book. In this capacity—and with an amazing team—he led fundraising efforts and oversaw the distribution of 160 million new books (valued at $1B USD) to children in need. Over his career, Chandler gradually came to three hard-learned revelations:
Fundraising for highly effective organizations shouldn’t be this difficult,
The traditional dynamics between donors and social entrepreneurs are often at odds with the goals of both parties, and
The sector needs more “level playing fields” where donors and social entrepreneurs—especially those traditionally left out of these conversations—can speak candidly about what’s working, what isn’t, and how to scale effective efforts.
Chandler is quick to point out that he is neither the first nor the only leader to call for a philanthropic evolution in our society. But he is the only one we know to create our new approach to philanthropic advising. In this way, our model leverages his unique experiences:
Leading a range of successful local, national and global social impact organizations.
Developing social impact campaigns with leading foundations and Fortune 500 companies, including Disney, Ford, KPMG, Pizza Hut, Ralph Lauren, Target and others.
Honing his skills in the private sector with the Boston Consulting Group and the Coca-Cola Company.
Chandler is also a proud social innovation geek. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a concentration on social change in American History and Literature. He holds an MBA from Stanford and has given guest lectures on social innovation and impact at Yale, Columbia, and Georgetown.
Chandler, his husband, and their two young children live in Washington, D.C.
“Chandler is adept in his field, focused and kind—personal attributes that have made him a success at doing meaningful work at scale.”
— Jeff Conyers, President, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
“Chandler is the real deal. Each of the programs he designed were the best kind of wonderful. Four years later, our team members are still talking about these events.”
— Gail Broadright, Sr. Director Digital Sales Marketing and UX, Mars Wrigley Premium Brands