Maggi Alexander

Partner and Director of TPI's Center for Global Philanthropy, The Philanthropic Initiative

Maggi Alexander is a Partner at TPI and directs TPI’s Center for Global Philanthropy. In this role she supports individuals and families, foundations, and corporations in aligning their philanthropy with their values in ways that are more strategic. An entrepreneurial leader, Maggi has spent over 30 years focused on philanthropy to improve the quality of life for low-income children, families, and communities in the United States and over 30 countries worldwide. She has extensive experience building partnerships and alliances that cut across traditional divides and has worked in the corporate, philanthropic, nonprofit, and public sectors. Maggi’s experience in organizational development spans the early start-up process to achieving scale and sustainability; she is passionate about turning great ideas into reality. In 1991, Maggi joined the International Youth Foundation (IYF) shortly after it was established, playing numerous key leadership roles as the organization grew, including direct program and organizational leadership of a fast growing network of partner foundations across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Today, IYF is among the world’s leading public foundations focused on investing in young people, with operations in more than 80 countries. Prior to TPI, Maggi worked with the ImagineNations Group to provide rural young people and smallholder farmers with relevant education, training, and finance, fostering a new generation of Africans who are prosperous along the field-to-fork agriculture value chain. In 2006, Maggi founded Kids-Take-Action, a nonprofit aimed at inspiring service and social action among school-aged children. Over her career, Maggi has held several other senior leadership positions with national and international organizations, including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, UNICEF, the Fetzer Institute, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Maggi is currently a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College and serves on the Steering Committee of New England International Donors (NEID). She has a Master’s degree from John’s Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.

Contributions

Taking on the Big Issues: How Your Foundation Can Find Focus and Create Impact

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Keiki Kehoe, Ann Krumboltz, Meg Baesmith, Maggi Alexander

As a funder looking to effect change within a large-scale social, environmental, or economic problem, how do you decide as a family what you can do to make a difference? How do you find your role and define impact as you take on problems of an incredible scope? Join these families who have tackled major issues by finding specific focus… Read More
Voices from the Field

Fueling a Revolution on International Change: Individual and Family Philanthropists

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Ina Breuer, Maggi Alexander

All funders, big and small, are interested in the impact of their investments. This can be particularly tricky in the realm of international philanthropy where investments are made within diverse cultural contexts. It is critical that individuals and families interested in international giving understand that they too can make a difference… Read More

Collaborating for Change: Practices and Pitfalls from Across the Field

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Debbie Berger, Maggi Alexander, Meaghan Calcari Campbell, Ellie Frey Zagel

For NCFP‘s 20th anniversary we decided to used our monthly webinars as a chance to revisit our Founding Values and Guiding Principles. This month we will offer the field a free webinar on the Value of Respectful Collaboration. NCFP recognizes that collaboration and respect are key to building a healthy and strong family, organization, and community. In partnership with Exponent… Read More