Power, Trust, and Building a More Just Economy with Shantel Suárez Ávila

What if the real problem in fundraising isn’t a lack of money, but how we think about it?In this conversation, we sit down with Shantel Suárez Ávila, founder of Más Allá, a nonprofit fundraising consultancy; to explore a deeper, more human approach to fundraising, rooted in community, trust, and systemic change. Together, they unpack the philosophy behind community-centric fundraising and the tension between idealism and real-world constraints. Essentially, how do you practice abundance, collaboration, and justice in systems that reward scarcity, control, and competition?Shantel shares her own journey from early questions about inequality from her experiences growing up in Chicago, to helping organizations raise over $53 million for BIPOC-led and women-led initiatives. The conversation moves beyond tactics into belief systems about money, trust in resource flows, and the cultural shift required to move from individualism to collective responsibility.This episode is both a practical and philosophical look at how we fund change—and what it will take to build a more equitable and connected world.ABOUT SHANTEL SUÁREZ ÁVILAShantel Suárez Ávila (she/ella) is a national nonprofit leader, a founding member and community organizer with San Diego Solidarity Network, member of the Community-Centric Fundraising North American Council, dog momma, yoga student, wife, and founder of Más Allá—an organization focused on reimagining how communities resource the work they believe in.With experience across grassroots organizing, nonprofit leadership, and systems change work, Shantel helps organizations move beyond scarcity-driven fundraising models toward approaches rooted in trust, care, courage, abundance, relationships, and collective sustainability.Through Más Allá, Shantel is co-developing the Collective Resourcing Cohort, a San Diego–based learning cohort where nonprofit leaders and community partners explore collaborative approaches to funding and sustaining community-driven work through a systems change approach. She regularly facilitates workshops and conversations on nonprofit sustainability, resource mobilization, and community power, helping leaders navigate uncertainty while staying grounded in their mission, values, and agency.Since 2021, Shantel has helped raise more than $53 million for women-led and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and serving organizations with Más Allá. She began her career at the headquarters of Obama for America in 2012, where she deepened her commitment to grassroots power-building and people-centered strategy.Shantel is an alumna of DePaul University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and a Next Economy MBA focused on building an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative economy.🔗 LINKSMás Allá: https://www.masallaconsulting.com/Shantel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantel-su%C3%A1rez-%C3%A1vila/Community Centric Fundraising: https://communitycentricfundraising.org/San Diego Solidarity Network: https://www.sdsolidarity.com Nathan's upcoming event series: http://bigideanight.com/