Donna Chavis began her current position as Executive Director of NCGives on November 1, 2006. Advised by a diverse group of North Carolinians, the NCGives initiative is a donor-advised gift fund at the North Carolina Community Foundation that began its work in 2005. NCGives linked with a group of Founding Partners, organizations and coalitions doing work to grow giving among communities of color, women and young people in the state. North Carolinians are generous with their time, talent and treasure. This is particularly true of women, communities of color and youth. NCGives celebrates, connects, inspires and grows these traditions of giving by sharing stories, models and tools. The motto of NCGives is "Connecting Givers for Good".
Prior to joining NC Gives, Donna served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Center for Community Action in Robeson County, NC. Founded in 1980 with the goal of addressing the root causes of poverty on the community and county level, the Center is a multiracial organization dedicated to the use of community organization, research, policy advocacy, multi-cultural education, and multi-sector collaboration as methods of community development and change. Since 1995, its work has concentrated in the four "E's" of Sustainable Development: Economy, Education, Environment and Equity. As a co-founder of the Center for Community Action, Donna remains committed to its mission of organizing and empowering individuals, families, communities, and institutions in order to improve the quality of life and the equality of life in Robeson County and Southeastern North Carolina. This has included change and reform within political, economic, educational and environmental systems.
Donna has played a leadership role in the community organizing, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, both in advancing social change and inclusionary practices. Along with her history with the Center for Community Action, her professional experiences include Executive Director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, an affinity group of the Council on Foundations; the creation and the founding director of the national racial and economic justice program of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and director of the cultural programming office of the North Carolina Indian Cultural Center.
Donna's community and civic involvement has included service on numerous boards and committees. Among her many voluntary boards, she served as a commissioner on the United Church of Christ's Commission for Racial Justice and played a significant role in the Commission's environmental justice work. Additionally, she served on the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation Board of Directors from 1992-2000, and was chair of the board for two terms; as a member of the Z. Smith Reynolds Advisory Panel; as a founding board member of the Changemakers Fund and served as co-chair of the board for two years; on the board of directors of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits from 1992 - 1998 and served as chair of the board from 1993-1997. Currently Donna serves as a founding co-chair of the board of the Wildacres Leadership Initiative and Vice-President of the Robeson County Community Foundation.
Born to the Lumbee people, she resides in her home territory of Pembroke, North Carolina with her spouse, Mac Legerton. They are the parents of four and grandparents of two children. She holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke; an historic state supported American Indian College.
Donna Chavis - Executive Director
