Jennifer Larkin
Chief Development Officer
“I am passionate about connecting and engaging leaders across sectors to leverage the resources needed to build a more inclusive, equitable and prosperous region. I wholeheartedly believe in the profound impact that can be achieved when people from all communities are engaged around a collective goal.”
Jen serves as the Chief Development Officer of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) and is best described as our Partnership Builder.
Having worked at United Way for over a decade, Jen has deep attunement and extensive experience serving in leadership roles on both the mission and fundraising teams.
Previously, she served as the founding Managing Director of Social Venture Partners Philadelphia (SVP), a new initiative that aims to build and nurture an equity-driven community of philanthropists and nonprofit organizations committed to disrupting the structures that enable intergenerational poverty. Prior to SVP, Jen served as the Director of Major and Individual Gifts and was also responsible for the formative stage of United Way’s Innovation Fund. Earlier in her United Way career, she oversaw capacity-building initiatives designed to sustain and strengthen our nonprofit partners through leadership development programming and strategic partnership grants.
Jen is past vice chair of Camp to Belong River Valley, a nonprofit dedicated to reuniting brothers and sisters placed in separate foster, adoptive or kinship homes through events that encourage positive sibling connections and empower meaningful relationships. She also served on the advisory board for Sibling Connections in Massachusetts and has volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Big Brothers, Big Sisters Independence Region, in addition to serving as chair of the Philadelphia chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). In 2022, she was awarded the Greater Philadelphia Social Innovation Award for Innovative Investment Strategy leading to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for her work with SVP Philadelphia.
She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from James Madison University, as well as a Master of Social Services with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Bryn Mawr College. In her spare time, she loves traveling, volunteering, and exploring all the region has to offer with her two young daughters and husband.
Awards & Certifications
- 2022 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovation Award