Damon Guinn, Empa Email & Phone Number

St Paul, Minnesota, United States

+ Write, track, and report on private grants totaling $5 million annually to create affordable homeownership and advance racial equity in housing.+ Help secure competitive national awards from Fannie Mae, the U.S. Department of Treasury CDFI Fund, U.S. Bank, and others. + Utilize Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce to monitor and report client and donor data for grant witing and reporting.+ Monitor and report grant compliance for all programs and services. + Increased total grant awards by 216% since 2022 and played a key role in raising more than $19 million in two years.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

For more than two decades, I’ve captured and shared stories about the world’s forgotten and overlooked heroes: the everyday children, youth, men and women who fight for better lives -- for themselves and others. I've built a career helping people and communities improve their overall quality of life, using my skills in written and visual storytelling, public relations, applied research and policy analysis, program evaluation, strategic planning, coalition building and collective impact work.The clients I’ve served around the world depend on authenticity, respect, tenacity, and perseverance, and I've been fortunate and honored to collaborate with them and amplify their voices. If you want the same for your clients or constituents, get in touch with me. I’ll give you every ounce of energy I have and more. We can make this world a better place for everyone.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

+ Produced and tracked HAP’s print and digital marketing and editorial content using Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, Prezi, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.+ Developed strategic content to build relationships with funders, clients, legislators, the media, and other stakeholders, including state and county agencies. + Served as HAP’s media liaison: pitched stories, monitored media traction, and coordinated media projects with outlets such as Twin Cities Public Television, MPR, and Pioneer Press to reach new and broader audiences.+ Served as the Chair of HAP’s Events Committee; coordinated and promoted HAP’s participation in community outreach events and national conferences.+ Supervised and directed a Communications Associate, developed Communications policy and protocols, contracted and supervised external content producers, and provided guidance on messaging and communications to program staff. + Advised Executive Team on marketing and communications strategy, managed and tracked projects using Asana and Salesforce, and oversaw HAP’s marketing and communications budget.+ Promoted cultural competence and understanding of HAP’s clients from immigrant and refugee communites; monitored public policy affecting those communities, and collaborated with third parties to increase awareness about public services.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

+ Assisted with research design, data collection, and analysis of youth homelessness in the Kansas City region. + Managed and facilitated the strategic efforts of the Kansas City Bi-State Council on Youth Homelessness, a coalition of 36 nonprofit, government, and private agencies.+ Provided technical assistance to community service providers and the continuum of care for Jackson/Wyandotte Counties.+ Served as a strategic partner to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the regional offices of the Administration for Children and Families and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.+ Delivered evidence-based presentations on youth homelessness, collective impact, and urban administration topics to community leaders and practitioners, including the Missouri Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness.+ Researched, wrote, and edited briefs and special reports on youth homelessness, including Serving Homeless Students in the Kansas City Region: Barriers and Best Practices.+ Helped organize and lead a regional conference on youth homelessness for stakeholders in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska.+ Conducted policy review and analysis of urban issues, including homelessness and fair and affordable housing.+ Supervised two graduate research assistants and administered office activities, including budgeting, contracts, and accounts payable and receivable, for the Cookingham Institute and the University of Missouri System.+ Created grant proposals, secured funding, and reported outcomes.+ Developed and managed online and print marketing materials to promote Cookingham publications, symposia, workshops, and conferences.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

Kansas City, Missouri Area

+ Developed and managed marketing and editorial content for four consolidated social and behavioral services agencies. + Worked with a three-person grant-writing team to raise $1.75 million in funding for 34 programs that benefit more than more than 10,000 children and families.+ Led theory of change strategy for the growth of residential treatment services.+ Managed grant compliance and reporting and update staff on public policy developments that impact funding.

+ Responsible for raising $500,000 in grant funding for mental/behavioral health and substance abuse programs and family services. + Planned, researched, wrote and managed grant proposals to funders such as the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the REACH Foundation, the United Way and other funders.+ Oversaw agency-level grant compliance and reporting to ensure accurate use of funds and future support. + Utilized Raiser’s Edge to record and manage donor relations.+ Monitored health and human services policy at the local, state and federal levels and advised organizations on how to fund programs based on policy changes.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

+ Research, write and edit grants, policy papers, reports, direct-response packages and other marketing materials, as well as human-interest features on a contractual basis.+ Carried out an independent fundraiser using Crowdrise to raise $10,000 for Minddrive, a youth development organization. The fundraiser involved a personal, self-contained bike ride from Portland, Oregon, to Kansas City, Missouri, which I promoted through video and a blog. + Created a premium direct-mail package to acquire new, high-value donors for Children International’s global sponsorship program. The package is currently beating the control acquisition and has secured thousands of new sponsors for children in need. + Wrote and produced a video about a young female entrepreneur in India who was nominated for the United Nation’s Project Inspire Award.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

+ Served as the managing editor and lead writer for the organization’s online newsletter and print magazine, each distributed to more than 265,000 readers. Developed content, negotiated executive approval, wrote and assigned stories and assisted with art direction.+ Helped concept, create and manage acquisition and other direct-response materials that raised approximately $100 million annually, including $15 million in annual appeals.+ Provided content direction and strategy for all print and web communications; maintained content calendar; and developed testing strategies to boost response.+ Managed interdepartmental project scheduling and assignments for a 12-member staff of writers, designers, translators and a proofreader; helped promote a collaborative work environment.+ Shot and produced video and recorded voice-over.+ Helped hire and develop the organization’s first social media team to promote inbound marketing efforts and global advocacy.+ Researched and wrote reports on youth programs to obtain grants from USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank and large family foundations.+ Researched and wrote a book chapter about child sponsorship for an academic textbook published by Palgrave Macmillan.+ Interviewed sponsors, donors, organizational affiliates and third-party sources for content needs; coordinated and edited content submissions from 16 partner agencies in 11 countries.+ Organized and lead 10 staff trips to international project areas in Central and South America, India, Zambia, and the U.S. to report on program activities and operations.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

Kansas City, Missouri Area

Kansas City, Missouri Area

E.M.P.A., Public Administration, 3.87 Gpa

Cookingham Fellowship Scholar, 2014 - 15

Bachelor'S Degree, English Language And Literature, General

Activities and Societies: Tennis Team, Writing Instructor, Student Government Board of ReviewRecipient of the William G. Dobson English.