Jonathan Hansen Has Grown from Grants & Development Officer to Hunger Task Force’s Chief Strategy Officer
50 Faces. 50 Stories. 50 Years of Fighting Hunger.
Hunger Task Force is proud to be Milwaukee’s only Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, Hunger Task Force is highlighting “50 Faces of Ending Hunger,” honoring the anti-hunger heroes who champion Free & Local and support our mission to end hunger.
———————————————
Upon graduating with a Master of Arts degree in English from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 15 years ago, Jonathan Hansen began his successful career at Hunger Task Force as a Grants & Development Officer. Holding that title for nearly five years, he was responsible for managing all funding requests and grant writing and generating donor reporting for all areas of Hunger Task Force including the food bank, Advocacy department and The Farm.
“When I finished graduate school, I had a lot of interest in grant writing, especially in the nonprofit sector. So, I threw my hat in the ring when I saw Hunger Task Force had an opportunity and I landed the job,” said Jonathan. “Stepping into the role allowed me to put my key learnings into practice to support a really great mission.”
Upon receiving a promotion to Director of Development, he took on new responsibilities that included overseeing Hunger Task Force’s fundraising, marketing, public relations, volunteer program and community events.
“For me, that was a great opportunity for continued professional growth. As a development professional, you really need to know the different facets of every corner of the mission and its programs,” adds Jonathan.
While in that role, he was a part of a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign to purchase and retrofit the current Hunger Task Force headquarters in West Milwaukee.
“Getting to work with all the generous donors and community organizations who helped support our growth and transition to our new headquarters was a highlight of my career,” he shares. “Knowing I played a pivotal role in furthering our mission and securing a space to increase our capacity to serve our community and state is so rewarding.”
Now, nearly completing his first year in his new role of Chief Strategy officer, Jonathan has enjoyed the challenges of overseeing the planning, development and execution of Hunger Task Force’s strategic plan, financial and resource development and all agency programmatic activities.
“Although I’ve been working to end hunger for more than a decade, we have not accomplished that goal yet. That is something that is always going to drive me,” says Jonathan. “I really want to make sure that I am putting the mission of Hunger Task Force and our values at the forefront of everything I do because I’ve found that when I do that—when I keep mission in mind and let our values guide me—I do my best work.”
Jonathan has successfully developed relationships with a bevy of community partners that include well-known, local organizations Johnson Controls, Kohl’s, Harley-Davidson, Sargento and Anthem who have made significant financial contributions that have helped ensure children, families and seniors receive healthy food with dignity and furthered Hunger Task Force’s mission to end hunger.
Meet the 50 Faces of Ending Hunger!
Click below to discover real people making a difference in the fight against hunger – new faces added each month! As we journey through our 50th year, keep checking back to meet more incredible individuals making a difference.