Karen Michelle Zapata Herrera has 4 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico, and a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in China. As a Schwarzman Scholar, she specialized in the global governance of migration, leadership in public crisis and emergencies, and civil society organizations, and wrote a thesis titled “The role of national policies and NGOs in addressing the mental health of left-behind and migrant children in China, Mexico, and the U.S.”. She is currently the Social Investment Coordinator at the Mexican nonprofit Alternativas y Capacidades, managing civil society strengthening projects, as well advising donors on how to improve their philanthropic programs. Previously, as a Jr. Project Manager at Hult Prize Foundation, she contributed to young entrepreneurs’ development and leadership by recruiting young leaders across the Americas region and operating the global communication strategy for mentors. Previously, as the Fundraising and Grants Specialist at World Vision, she managed and designed the private international grants proposals in topics such as WASH, education, economic empowerment, child protection, among others. Michelle has also volunteered and interned at several other nonprofits aimed at children and youth development and protection, including Children International, International Youth Federation, among others. Through these experiences, she has developed strong project management, grant writing, business development, and volunteer management skills. Michelle is passionate about child migration, social entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment.
Host Organization: One to World
Role at Host Organization: At One to World, Michelle will be serving as the Fundraising Fellow. Michelle will help implement strategies to meet the organization’s annual fundraising goals, working closely with One To World’s Executive Director, Director of Development, consultants, and Board of Directors. The Fellow will support all functions of the Development department, including gift processing, management of donor data, special events planning and execution, cultivation and stewardship of donors, and private grant prospecting, writing, and reporting. The Fellow is a vital piece of a small team that generates revenue to support the organization’s direct services for K-12 youth and international scholars, and will contribute to meeting a fundraising goal of almost $1 million a year.