TRANSFORMATIVE
PHILANTHROPY
SERVICES
Working with the world's leading Philanthropists, foundations and non-profits on:
Strategic impact planning
Building your ideas and passion into a strategic action plan
We deliver a customized plan, informed by unique feedback from successful and creative professionals in the space, built with your strengths and opportunities in mind. We’ll source suggested partners and grantees to help maximize your giving- delivering impact in the sectors you are passionate about.
Philanthropic Portfolio Management
Handling all of the work once you decide where to focus your philanthropy
We monitor progress on your philanthropic portfolio, are a resource for the organizations and leaders that you support, and help to connect organizations to the right people and partners. We will work with organizational leadership, boards, and other funders to ensure the success of your gifts and report on progress regularly.
Ongoing
Counsel
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Providing continuous support to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities that you face
We get the right people around the table, make impactful connections and help you or your grantees work through what’s blocking the way to success. We are committed partners in problem solving, whether we’re just at the table for the day or available on-call through a retainer.
Political
advising
Helping to align your goals with champions in the political space
We connect you with the right partners and craft a strategy to support progress in the areas that mean the most to you.
Kevin Hager
President
Prior to launching Hager Advisors, Kevin led Understood.org as the founding managing director, building a team of more than 50 people and overseeing an annual budget in excess of $15 million. Understood is a four-year-old social impact startup that quickly scaled to serve more than 2.5 million people each month by the time of his departure. Understood won many awards and accolades, including the Webby for best family and parenting site and recognition from the Obama White House, but most important, positively impacted millions of families struggling to navigate learning and attention issues.
Prior to Understood, Hager worked closely with social entrepreneurs, boards, foundations and philanthropists to scale the work of high-impact nonprofits like the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Dramatists Guild Foundation.
A passionate advocate for social justice, Kevin held leadership positions on several political campaigns, including roles as press secretary and campaign manager. He has been involved with various LGBT organizations and helped to raise funds for a variety of causes, organizations, and candidates.
Kevin serves on the advisory board of SXSWedu and is the board vice president for the Dramatists Guild Foundation. He has been a featured speaker on effective philanthropy and social impact at Harvard, Yale, NYU, and at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna.
Originally from Kansas, Kevin lives in New York City with his husband, Timothy.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Dana Brinson
Programme Officer, Oak Foundation
Learning Differences Programme
Kevin Hager has been a thoughtful, strategic partner with Oak for many years. He deftly managed the Oak-funded Student Voices research project which revealed important findings that both shaped the field and Oak’s own work. As Managing Director of Understood.org, Kevin built community and connection while driving for results. I highly recommend working with Kevin.
SALLY QUINN
Journalist, Author and Philanthropist
Kevin has been a trusted advisor to our family for several years now. He’s helped make our vision for Quinn's philanthropy and activism a reality. In fact, he’s been like a guardian angel for Quinn and me.
Rachel Routh
Executive Director, Dramatists Guild Foundation
During an incredible growth phase for our organization, Hager Advisors has been a masterful guide in how to grow substantially and sustainably. Kevin's experience and diplomacy have helped us navigate both the micro and macro effects of change, and I could not be more grateful to have his expertise.
At Hager Advisors We BELIEVE:
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Having the right person at the table can make all the difference. We bring fresh, big-thinking leaders, grounded in real-world experience.
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Technology is a fundamental lever for change. Advances in technology have opened worlds of new opportunity to help people more efficiently, more effectively, and at greater scale than ever before.
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Engaging makers and doers is vital. Bringing together successful leaders who have navigated the challenges in a space, know the key players, and bring strong networks ensures that we don’t just discuss great ideas, we bring them to life.
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Investing in leadership is a game changer in the social sector. Any good VC will tell you that leadership is vital to an organization's health and future impact. Great leaders, in the social sector or anywhere, aren’t just born, they’re developed.
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We must stay focused on impact. Remaining intentional about the change we want to make and holding ourselves accountable to those results is core to transformative philanthropy.