Vandana Tilak

Vandana is known to be a dynamic social entrepreneur and visionary with exceptional fundraising, marketing and sales skills to lead teams and pivot on the ever-changing revenue generation landscape. As the Director and CEO for the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA, Vandana worked with a lean team of 12 to plan and implement branding, marketing and fundraising strategy. The organization set records by doubling revenues in 3 years, pivoting from in-person events to 10 virtual galas attended by 85,000 guests raising $12.8 Million in a pandemic year.

With countless Zoom calls, donor cultivation events and 500 volunteers in 30 chapters around the US she amplified the work being done in India; to serve 120 million meals for Covid relief. Since 2012, as a chapter chair for Los Angeles to Director to CEO for the organization, Vandana raised over $35 million during her 9-year tenure. She piloted programs that engaged young adults and teens to gather grass root level awareness and actively engaged community volunteers to expand the Youth Ambassador program in schools, colleges, and universities, while enabling young adults to hone their leadership skills.

Taking advantage of her expertise as a graphic designer and film maker, she oversaw the production of videos, design, and copy for collateral, planning and executing fundraising events with globally renowned speakers and entertainers In her own words, Vandana says, “I have always set impossible goals and targets for myself; and yet again, I do not limit myself. My endeavor is to serve nonprofits that serve the global community. As my teacher once said, “Set audacious goals – the rest is just work!”