Evelyn Chen

Evelyn Chen is a partner with Russell Philanthropies. She brings more than two decades of experience developing and implementing fundraising strategies for mission-driven organizations, spearheading donor engagement programs, and building and leading cohesive, high-performing teams. This expert lens enables her to understand and advise both nonprofits and philanthropists as they build courageous, durable programs that benefit communities and causes for the long haul.

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Most recently, Evelyn served as Senior Vice President at leading workforce development nonprofit Per Scholas during its national expansion, where she helped triple the size of the development team to fuel revenue growth from $25M in 2020 to $61M in 2024. There, she established new teams focused on Development Operations, Major Gifts and Individual Giving and Government Grants — and led a national grants team to co-design partnerships with corporate and foundation donors, which raised $31M in 2024. 

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Previously, she oversaw development for international women’s rights group Equality Now, delivering the organization’s most successful fundraising results in its 25-year history and helping to secure partnerships with Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. She has also led development for Panthera and New Yorkers for Parks, and held a variety of fundraising roles at The Nature Conservancy in New York City — a major market for the global multi-million dollar organization — during a period of accelerated growth.

Passionate about animal welfare and literacy, Evelyn concentrates her volunteer time with PAWS New York and Reading Partners. She also helped launch a historic fund at her alma mater, Dartmouth College, to support teaching and research on Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities to ensure the fullness of America’s rich history is being taught. 

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She lives in New York City with her husband and future dog.

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