June 29, 2022

Stephanie Schenkel joins the Institute for Nonprofit News as the director of network philanthropy, a role that is responsible for designing and managing capacity-building programs and collaborative fundraising initiatives to grow philanthropic support for newsrooms across the INN Network. 

She will support newsrooms by developing resources ⁠— including training programs and shared services ⁠— and by offering one-on-one coaching to grow individual and institutional giving. Additionally, part of her role will be to develop and scale the impact of collaborative fundraising opportunities across the INN network by designing fundraising campaigns to benefit multiple newsrooms across specific issue areas and geographic communities throughout the year.

“Stephanie is joining INN at a very exciting moment. By the end of this year, INN will have grown to a network of more than 400 nonprofit newsrooms,” said Courtney Lewis, chief of growth programs at INN. “Her experience fundraising in journalism and for collaborative initiatives will shape how we support INN members to grow philanthropic support on their own and collectively as a network.”

Previously, Schenkel served as director of institutional advancement for the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network for nearly nine years. There, she managed the development department, working to fund collaborative journalism initiatives, track impact and raise revenue. 

She began her career as community investment manager with the United Way and later worked as the director of development for a literacy organization. 

Schenkel holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Schenkel lives in Connecticut with her family and a very rambunctious Beagle named Sunny.