Janelle Cavanagh

Janelle Cavanagh is the Chief Philanthropy Officer at East Bay Community Foundation, where she leads a dynamic team in advancing equitable, community-led philanthropy. Janelle is an accomplished philanthropic advisor, nonprofit leader and award-winning fundraiser, whose passion and expertise are in partnering with donors to identify the causes they care about and then recommending aligned experiences. She has a reputation for building enduring relationships grounded in trust and the fulfillment of goals.

Before joining EBCF, Janelle served as Chief Philanthropy Officer at Marin Community Foundation, where she oversaw a $4.5 million departmental budget, led a 20-person team, and helped secure a record-breaking $620 million in new assets. She pioneered the foundation’s philanthropic strategy—deepening donor alignment with community needs and catalyzing innovative funding collaborations.

Previously, Janelle was Interim Co-CEO and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Global Fund for Women, where she helped drive a $71 million fundraising portfolio and launched groundbreaking initiatives like Champions for Equality—combining education, travel, and pooled grantmaking to support feminist movements globally.

Janelle is also the co-founder of the UC Berkeley Certificate in Fundraising and Volunteer Management. She began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and holds a Master’s degree in Social Welfare (Management and Planning) from UC Berkeley. Janelle was honored as the 2017 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Golden Gate Chapter.

A Bay Area native, Janelle has called Oakland home for nearly 25 years. She enjoys creating art and walking the Oakland Hills with her husband and their two dogs.