About Jonathan Joseph Ganjian
I have had a unique experience with the not-for-profit sector. It has played a role since before my earliest memories. As a child adopted vis-a-vis a not-for-profit adoption agency with special needs (ataxic cerebral palsy) I have always been intimately aware of the lasting impact effective organizations can have on each life they touch. Growing up dealing with a mother battling cancer, deeply involved in charity surrounding “the C word” and a diabetic father in higher education it would seem that the charitable sector has always been an integral part of my life and that of my family.
Since my childhood, I've lent my then-developing public speaking skills to high schools, The Anti-Defamation League and True Colors CT to combat homophobia in the classroom as a workshop facilitator and speaker; I honed my talents as a communicator teaching on weekends for a faith-based institution since the age of 16, implementing programming and educating students in comparative religion. As an undergraduate studying English literature at Hofstra University, I mastered the art of creating and interpreting narrative, applying abstract concepts and theories learned in the classroom to my work as a freelance copywriter and editor, working on hundreds of documents of various types, from papers and dissertations, to resumés and freelance copywriting. I spent my summers speaking domestically or internationally (China and Central/Eastern Europe) with a D.C. based not-for-profit chaired by members of congress where I was trained in a variety of international matters of policy, debate and analysis on contemporary geo-political issues.
During that time I also co-founded Buddhism and mindfulness company Art of Dharma, from which I stepped away in 2014 having reached an aggregated 12 million people any given week. The deep insights gained in the new and social media space have influenced my philosophy on engaging audiences with content and bring a contemporary and tech focused eye to my development and strategic planning consulting. This drive to leverage technology for good was a key impetus behind AOD and my personal response to the Newtown tragedy, raising thousands through crowd funding platform Indiegogo for the Newtown Rotary Club for their Sandy Hook Fund.
In 2014 I also opened my fine art studio focusing on large and medium format abstract paintings, J Joseph Studio where I continue to produce collections and commissions for discerning clients. You can learn more about that here. I was then advisor to the board of directors to AIDS Project Greater Danbury for four years, helping the agency identify areas for improvement as informed by industry leading best-practices and the mentorship of top thinkers in the field learned at the Fundraising Managementprogram at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Since 2016 I have been engaged as an advisor to Impact Capital founder David A. Dunlap and am a stakeholder in R5 Limited (Malta). I advise David on a variety of R5 and Impact Capital ventures ranging from international commodity deals, industrial mining contracts, hospitality and lifestyle brands.
From 2018-2020 I raised over $5M for LA-based client-partners in the legal cannabis, and entertainment spaces while drafting application permits, training leadership, and managing investor relations.
In 2020 I co-founded Little Red Fashion, the first fashion ed-tech and publishing company focused on teaching kids about and through fashion. I wrote & project managed our award winning critically acclaimed first book “The Little Red Dress”. It is the first augmented reality kids book about fashion in history, earning praise from industry pillars like Fern Mallis and literary critics alike.
Previously, I have acted as the producer of short-format video content including not-for-profit promotional materials for CT-based Save-A-Suit and the mini-art documentary Don’t be Afraid It’s Only Art. As a freelance writer on topics related to art and culture, my work has appeared in The CFDA as well as NYC based Posture Magazine and The Mighty and numerous podcasts.
I am an insatiable reader, hiker, yoga practitioner, painter, opera-goer/singer, and dog-lover. My favorite authors are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Edith Wharton, Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera, and Vladmir Nabakov.
I reside in Los Angeles and split my time between there and Fairfield County Connecticut.