Influential Woman · Grant Consulting, Nonprofit

Tina Jones

Chief Operating Officer, Communication Mark

Atlanta, GA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Business Administration degree from Columbia Southern University (2019) Cert Certificate in Grant Writing Cert Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Member Grant Professionals Association Georgia Chapter (Past President Member Approximately 2020-2022) Member Association of Fundraising Professionals (Board Member) Member Habitat for Humanity DeKalb County (Board Member) Member Theater in the Square Marietta Georgia (Board Member)

Her Story

About Tina

My journey in the nonprofit world began 27 years ago, right after high school, when I got a job with City Year in Boston. At the time, I didn't even know the nonprofit field was a thing - it was just a job for me. But City Year, which became the model for AmeriCorps, opened my world to community service and gave me opportunities to create programs, work with volunteers, and do outreach in ways I don't know I would have received in college. I enjoyed the idea that I was helping people, and the organization was all about personal development. From there, I just continued in the nonprofit field forever. Today, I'm the Chief Operating Officer for Communication Mark, a grant writing company where I've been for nearly 5 years. The CEO and I work together as the two executives of the company, handling client retention, client acquisition, contracts, and marketing. I oversee our staff of grant writers, grant strategists, and contracted consultants who report to me, and I direct and manage our work with clients who are nonprofits across the nation. We help them get funding for all their different needs, whether it's healthcare, education, youth development, or homelessness. We do it all. What I love about this work is that we're really behind the scenes, keeping the lights on, paying salaries, feeding people, making programs possible. When I drive and see a building that we got a grant for, I think, 'Yeah, I did something to help them.' That feels good.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Tina

01What do you attribute your success to?

I think it's my drive. I've always been someone who sees a goal and goes after it. It comes from, honestly, being brought up by a single parent and seeing her struggle to feed us, to pay rent, and just do all the things that she had to do. I learned very quickly as a teen - I got my first job at 14 - that if I wanted anything in life, I was going to have to work hard to get it. My mom just didn't have the resources. She certainly had a good job and did what she could, but she was trying to figure it out as well. So I had to make some things happen, and that really stayed with me. I've always had the drive, always been goal-oriented, always going after what I want.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would tell them to don't be afraid to fail. There's a quote somewhere, like, if you fail, at least you tried. That's really what I would tell them to always remember - that you can get back up, you can rechart and figure things out, do things a little differently. Hopefully, you will learn a lesson, you will grow. We only learn when we make mistakes. So don't be afraid to fail. It's not the end. It can be the beginning in some cases. It teaches you something. You think, okay, I messed up there, I should do it a different way.

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