Portfolio 

Khalia Shaw is a nonprofit development and communications strategist with more than a decade of experience advancing philanthropic and institutional goals. Currently based in her hometown of Cleveland, OH, she serves with The Cleveland Orchestra, where she leads prospect research to inform strategy for major and principal giving officers.

Alongside her professional work, Khalia brings a deep sense of purpose to community engagement. She serves on the Advisory Board of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, her alma mater, where she contributes to strategic planning, board development, and communications. Previously, she served as Secretary of the Fairfax Recreation Center Advisory Board, where she played a key role in building the board’s communications infrastructure and helping articulate a bold, intergenerational vision for the community hub.

Now in its third year, the khalia effect, her boutique consulting business is expanding its reach through new strategic partnerships. the khalia effect supports small to mid-sized nonprofits in developing values-aligned, data-informed fundraising strategies and communications approaches that help organizations build their capacity, especially in the face of systemic inequity.

Khalia’s portfolio includes support for multi-million and multi-billion-dollar campaigns, though her heart remains with organizations building transformational change at the grassroots. Whether advising C-suite executives, nonprofit founders, or frontline advocates, she brings both analytical precision and cultural awareness to every engagement.

A passionate advocate for equity, creativity, and collective work, Khalia continues to uplift efforts that center healing, access, and self-determination. She finds joy in meaningful conversation, community connection, and the timeless brilliance of voices like James Baldwin, J. California Cooper, and Nikki Giovanni. She is also a proud mother to a college student studying stage management at the esteemed University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.