About Giant Squid Group
Welcome to Giant Squid Group. We’re doing things a little differently around here. And we’re glad to have you.
Giant Squid Group is a social impact consulting agency that works with start-up and small nonprofits to help them build their fundraising and leadership capacity. We do this through an intersectional feminist and antiracist lens. We’re moms and millennials who believe the nonprofit sector can change the world - but might need some help along the way.
All of our work is rooted in our core values of integrity, inclusivity, and creativity. We unequivocally believe DEI must be more than a buzzword in our sector, and that we must be part of creating transformational change that affirms, celebrates, supports, and includes all identities.
Everything we do - from the projects we take on, to how we work as a team - is grounded in social justice and equity, and as a company we are committed to antiracist and community-centered learning. We use our privilege to promote equity. We must be part of acknowledging and dismantling harmful systems, and recognize this is a challenging, ongoing, and iterative journey, and that while we will make errors, that failure is part of learning.
One way we bring equity into our work is through our Pay What You Want pricing model. Not all nonprofits have the same resources, so we don’t want everyone to pay the same price. We want all nonprofits to have access to fundraising practices that help them build stronger communities; center marginalized voices, and work towards transformative change. Our Pay What You Want fee structure ensures we can offer quality programs and invest in our team, while also committing to economic justice.
We often hear “I don’t know what I don’t know” and we’re here to learn with you. Most of our nonprofit partners come to us with an immediate fundraising need, and end up staying for years. We can’t wait for you to join us.
Our History(in the words of our founder)
I'm Catherine, the founder of Giant Squid Group, and I love asking people for money.
Stay with me - I've been fundraising since right out of college when I started working at a private school helping with alumni relations. I wrote an appeal letter and I was hooked - I caught the fundraising bug , finding joy in telling the story of a dynamic school with a great mission!
Since I started fundraising I've raised millions of dollars through writing grants, creating corporate sponsorship programs, planning events, writing solicitation letters, and making face-to-face major donor asks. I still love fundraising but over the last 5 years I also learned that I love helping other people learn about fundraising, too.
While I was fundraising by day, I started freelancing by night, helping small organizations raise money through grant writing, crowdfunding, and more. I saw a common theme: many start-up organizations needed a fundraising road map, and they didn't know where to find it. After dozens of conversations with great organizations who were hitting a rock when it came to raising the funds they need, I launched Giant Squid Group to help folks in the nonprofit world find the fundraising help they needed.
Today, Giant Squid Group serves nonprofits of all sizes, offering no-nonsense management training on fundraising best practices, resources, and more. And, if you're wondering where the name Giant Squid Group came from, that's what happens when you get three writers together at a dive bar and start brainstorming.
Happy Fundraising!
Catherine
P.S. Questions? Get in touch and we’ll find some time to chat!
The Giant Squid Group Team
Catherine Ashton, Founder & CEO
Catherine Ashton (she/her) is on a mission to change the way nonprofits fundraise, lead, and work. As the founder of Giant Squid Group LLC, Catherine works with nonprofits through an intersectional feminist and anti-racist lens to help them move grassroots organizing toward systems level change. With Catherine’s support, her clients build strong, resilient, and effective fundraising programs, secure millions of dollars in funding, and are able to work more effectively towards their mission.
Catherine is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and equity in the nonprofit sector and has been a raging feminist from a young age. In her “outside of work” she co-runs a queer community makerspace, rides her rescue horse, and spends time with her kids, spouse, and dogs. You can find Catherine at linkedin.com/in/catherinebashton and learn about her nonprofit work at giantsquidgroup.com.
Kim Caldwell, Strategic Consultant
Born and raised in Austin, Kim Caldwell brings 20 years of social sector experience in making connections, creating strategic resources, and communicating through values to her consulting and coaching. Her perfect project is grounded in an organization's purpose and creates new possibilities by building trust, collecting and analyzing data, making meaning collaboratively and transparently, and building the will for change by engaging communities. Kim consulted with Greenlights/Mission Capital, led public service projects with the Clinton School of Public Service, fostered collaboration and education to increase access to child nutrition programs with the No Kid Hungry Campaign, prepared women to run for office with Annie's List, and helped people experiencing homelessness stay safe, meet needs, and access services during the pandemic at the City of Austin. In all of that she also served on the board of the National Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, earned a Master of Public Service, created a values-based communication business, wrote a novel, produced two incredible daughters, and walked her dog an incalculable number of miles. In work and in life, Kim loves a potluck: lots of little tastes of the treats friends bring to share.
Rachel Lurie, Grant Writing Consultant
Rachel Lurie is a versatile fundraising professional with over a decade of experience developing effective strategies, crafting persuasive proposals, and building meaningful relationships that drive organizational impact. Her passion is to help cutting-edge nonprofits, scholars, and artists put forth their strongest case for support to corporate and foundation audiences. Rachel has worked in a variety of nonprofit settings, from community-based and citywide organizations to an R1 public university. She has secured millions of dollars in grant funding for youth development programs, arts and cultural projects, and workforce development initiatives. She has also supported scientists and scholars in developing winning proposals for their research. Rachel holds an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Kalamazoo College
Devon Spencer, Grant Writing Consultant
Devon Spencer is a professional grant writer and non-profit program manager with 15 years experience in leadership and development roles. She enjoys working closely with inspiring individuals who have a mission-driven commitment to making the world a better place. Having worked in both program services and resource development, Devon brings a love of data-driven decision making, honest communication, and hard-core accountability to her role at Giant Squid Group. She lives in ATX with her family.
Melinda Chow, Grant Writing Consultant
Melinda Chow (she/they) is a consultant with the Giant Squid Group and also a co-executive director with Austin Youth River Watch. She has over two decades of experience working in and with nonprofit organizations and community-based groups. Melinda has worked with groups focused on civic engagement, media, the arts, youth development, STEM programs, the environment, and homelessness. In all of her roles, equity and social justice have been core to her personal mission, and this has been expressed with varying degrees of subtlety and overtness. Additionally, she enjoys geek culture, sampling all of the foods, and experimenting with irreverent names of bands or autobiographies.