Dwayne Ashley

Dwayne Ashley

Founder and CEO

With over 30 years in the philanthropic industry, Dwayne Ashley has utilized his knowledge of fundraising and passion for social justice to create opportunities for people of color through his founding of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting (BPC), the nation’s only full-service Black-owned fundraising firm. Throughout his career, Dwyane sought to align with organizations that shared his values regarding the betterment of Black-and-Brown people and, through that alignment, has raised over $1 billion to support those communities.

During his early years, the spirit of charity was instilled into Dwayne through witnessing his great-grandmother’s establishing one of the first schools to educate blacks in Heflin, Louisiana, which has now been memorialized as one of the oldest Black churches in the state. The weaving of his greatgrandmother’s legacy into Louisiana’s rich history pushed Dwayne to forge his own path and attend Wiley College and the University of Pennsylvania’s Fel’s School of Government, where he learned how he too could use his knowledge to help the disenfranchised.

Following his time in college, Dwayne joined notable organizations like the African American Development Officers, the New York Society Library, and The Giving Institute—serving on the board of each—as well as serving as a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where he sat on board positions with Philadelphia and New York City chapters. In addition to professional organizations, Dwayne is also a member of community-based organizations like One Hundred Black Men of New York and fraternity Phi Beta Sigma, where he has been honored with the ‘Bigger Better Business’ award leading to his five-time inclusion in Ebony Magazine’s list for most influential Black Americans.

Before launching BPC, Dwayne spearheaded development for notable organizations, like Jazz at Lincoln Center, 100 Black Men of America, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the United Negro College Fund, and the United Way of Texas Gulf Coast; in addition to leading capital and annual campaigns to raise funds to ensure the work of these organizations thrived. This trajectory led to the founding of BPC in 2016 and the establishment of practices located in New York, Washington DC, Baltimore, Fairfax, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where Dwyane employs 105 professionals with a combined 800 years of experience.

His commitment to equality extends far beyond fundraising and led Dwayne to author several books centered around educating the next generation of dreamers: Eight Steps to Raising Money: Measuring Your Fundraising Impact, Word for Word Publishing; 8 Winning Steps to Creating a Successful Special Event with Carol Campbell, Director of Events at Prairie View A&M University; I’ll Find A Way or Make One: A Tribute to HBCUs with noted journalist Juan Williams and Dream Internships: It’s Not Who You Know, But What You Know!

Unlock Your Organization’s Full Fundraising Potential with Bridge Philanthropic Consulting

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we specialize in harnessing the collective power of philanthropic organizations and institutions, helping them achieve unparalleled success in fundraising and beyond.