Zack Burgin
Zack is a capacity-building expert and organizational architect with over 18 years of experience in advocacy and electoral campaigns. As the Founder and Executive Director of the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table (NCET), he built the organization from a $250,000 concept into a $1.5M independent 501(c)3. He united a broad coalition of over 70 member organizations, and this new infrastructure was the driving force behind landmark statewide ballot initiative victories, including Medicaid expansion, capping payday loan interest rates, and raising the minimum wage.
At the national level as Co-Director of State Capacity Building at State Voices, Zack served as a fundraising principal for 24 state affiliates, increasing their grantmaking from $2M to over $6M. He designed and managed a $2.7M capacity-building initiative and built a sub-granting system that has distributed over $25M since 2021.
J. Petersen
J. is a nonprofit specialist and artist who blends a decade of experience in fundraising and operations with a professional creative practice. He describes his approach as "head in the clouds, feet on the ground," pairing creative vision with building critical organizational systems required to make it a reality.
J. played a hands-on role in scaling the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, where he was a core administrative and fundraising team member during its transformation. As Supporter Engagement Manager, he designed and implemented the organization's individual fundraising strategy from the ground up, executing the digital, peer-to-peer, and direct mail programs that tripled its grassroots donations. At State Voices, he supported frontline fundraisers in raising ~$12 million annually through expert data management, grant proposal preparation, and style guidance.
Beyond nonprofit systems, J. is an artist and craftsman. He leverages this creative expertise to translate complex data and abstract concepts into compelling visual narratives. His passion for comics and graphic novels informs his approach to building reports and presentations that don't just inform, but also tell a visually compelling story that resonates with donors, stakeholders, and partners.