Elsa Gomes Bondlow brings to Lindauer and our clients over 20 years of experience, as a connector, relationship builder, social justice activist, and social change strategist. Elsa is a dynamic leader, known for partnering with communities to create positive inclusive transformation.
As a seasoned fundraiser, philanthropist, and donor advisor Elsa thrives by amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices, empowering them to achieve their own aspirations. She is most fulfilled when she is able to lower barriers to access, encourage dreams and increase the pipeline of opportunities for others.
In 2020, Elsa co-founded the trust-based, woman of color-led, Social Equity Access Fund, which focused on providing basic needs while addressing the social determinants of health. This innovative philanthropic project was established to receive and distribute financial support to traditionally underinvested communities, empowering them to overcome barriers to better their own health and wellbeing.
Elsa served most recently as the Vice President of Growth and Partnership Development at Building Impact, a nonprofit transforming corporate volunteering by partnering with other community-based organizations and corporations for codesigned social impact opportunities. She then contributed there as a Strategic Advisor on Partnerships & Equity coordinating working in business development, client engagement, and the DEIB initiatives.
Elsa was the Chief Development Officer at the International Institute of New England, leading the centennial organization’s fundraising efforts on behalf of immigrants and refugees. Before that, she worked as a Major Gift Officer at both the United Way and at Tufts University. Elsa also served as Director of Development at the MA Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and started her development career at the MA Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, a health and human services organization.
Elsa currently serves as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Women in Development of Greater Boston. She graduated from the LeadBoston 2021 Cohort at YW Boston, a competitive program that explores the complexity of Boston’s inequities through an inclusive leadership lens. Elsa was recognized as one of Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women of 2020 in the category of Philanthropy and Social Justice, by the prestigious Get Konnected initiative.
Born and raised in Portugal, in a Cape Verdean family, Elsa moved to the US as a student and obtained a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice. She holds a BA Degree in Intercultural Studies and Communications from Fresno Pacific University in CA, and a Management Certificate in Health and Human Services from Suffolk University in MA. She is a native Portuguese speaker and speaks fluent Spanish and French.