About Me
About Me
About Me
I help mission-driven organizations build products that actually work for the communities they serve.
For the past seven years, I've led product development at companies like Intuit and TaxAct, where I learned how to turn customer insights into revenue-generating solutions. But my real education came from my hometown in rural Virginia, a place where I witnessed firsthand how systems fail the people who need them most.
That dual perspective shapes everything I do. I know how to navigate corporate product processes and secure million-dollar budgets. I also know what it feels like when well-intentioned solutions miss the mark because the people building them don't truly understand the barriers their users face.
After earning my MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business with a focus on social innovation, I've dedicated my career to closing that gap. Whether I'm redesigning a business planning app for low-income entrepreneurs at Centro Community Partners, developing AI-powered tools for housing assistance at Community Economic Defense Project, or piloting a wellness marketplace for underserved BIPOC communities through my venture Lytework, my approach stays the same: start with deep empathy, validate relentlessly, and build products that meet people where they are.
I founded the Spark Mentorship & Scholarship program because I saw students in my hometown limiting their dreams to what felt safe rather than what felt possible. That's the pattern I'm working to break, not just through mentorship, but through products that remove barriers instead of creating new ones.
If you're building something that matters and need someone who can translate community needs into scalable solutions, let's talk.
I help mission-driven organizations build products that actually work for the communities they serve.
For the past seven years, I've led product development at companies like Intuit and TaxAct, where I learned how to turn customer insights into revenue-generating solutions. But my real education came from my hometown in rural Virginia, a place where I witnessed firsthand how systems fail the people who need them most.
That dual perspective shapes everything I do. I know how to navigate corporate product processes and secure million-dollar budgets. I also know what it feels like when well-intentioned solutions miss the mark because the people building them don't truly understand the barriers their users face.
After earning my MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business with a focus on social innovation, I've dedicated my career to closing that gap. Whether I'm redesigning a business planning app for low-income entrepreneurs at Centro Community Partners, developing AI-powered tools for housing assistance at Community Economic Defense Project, or piloting a wellness marketplace for underserved BIPOC communities through my venture Lytework, my approach stays the same: start with deep empathy, validate relentlessly, and build products that meet people where they are.
I founded the Spark Mentorship & Scholarship program because I saw students in my hometown limiting their dreams to what felt safe rather than what felt possible. That's the pattern I'm working to break, not just through mentorship, but through products that remove barriers instead of creating new ones.
If you're building something that matters and need someone who can translate community needs into scalable solutions, let's talk.
I help mission-driven organizations build products that actually work for the communities they serve.
For the past seven years, I've led product development at companies like Intuit and TaxAct, where I learned how to turn customer insights into revenue-generating solutions. But my real education came from my hometown in rural Virginia, a place where I witnessed firsthand how systems fail the people who need them most.
That dual perspective shapes everything I do. I know how to navigate corporate product processes and secure million-dollar budgets. I also know what it feels like when well-intentioned solutions miss the mark because the people building them don't truly understand the barriers their users face.
After earning my MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business with a focus on social innovation, I've dedicated my career to closing that gap. Whether I'm redesigning a business planning app for low-income entrepreneurs at Centro Community Partners, developing AI-powered tools for housing assistance at Community Economic Defense Project, or piloting a wellness marketplace for underserved BIPOC communities through my venture Lytework, my approach stays the same: start with deep empathy, validate relentlessly, and build products that meet people where they are.
I founded the Spark Mentorship & Scholarship program because I saw students in my hometown limiting their dreams to what felt safe rather than what felt possible. That's the pattern I'm working to break, not just through mentorship, but through products that remove barriers instead of creating new ones.
If you're building something that matters and need someone who can translate community needs into scalable solutions, let's talk.
Monetization Matters
Monetization Matters
Monetization Matters
Most impact organizations are carrying hidden risk they haven't named yet.
At Community Economic Defense Project and Centro Community Partners, I watched what happens when that risk becomes visible. Both organizations were doing powerful work, but they'd built their operations on funding models that left them exposed. When government contracts shifted and philanthropic priorities changed, the consequences were immediate. Talented people were let go. Critical programs stalled. Leadership spent more time managing crisis than advancing mission.
The problem wasn't the quality of their work. It was that they'd treated funding as infrastructure when it was actually a variable. Programs that should have scaled couldn't. Services that communities depended on became uncertain. Teams that were built to create change spent their energy trying to survive it.
Both organizations turned to product as a way forward. At Centro, we repositioned their business planning app to generate sustainable revenue while serving low-income entrepreneurs. At CEDP, I led the launch of SwiftAid, an AI-powered housing assistance platform, and helped establish the CED Loan Fund to create new income streams. These weren't just tactics to stay afloat. They were strategic decisions to treat product as a lever for organizational resilience.
Here's what became clear: the organizations that weather funding volatility aren't the ones reacting to it. They're the ones that diversified before they had to.
We know funding climates shift. We know political priorities change. We know philanthropic giving fluctuates. What's harder to predict is timing. But organizations can prepare anyway.
I work with nonprofits to assess where they're exposed, identify opportunities to productize their work, and build revenue models that create stability when funding is uncertain and fuel growth when it's not. This isn't about choosing between mission and money. It's about building the operational resilience that allows your mission to endure.
If your organization is ready to move from reactive to strategic, I can help you get there.
Most impact organizations are carrying hidden risk they haven't named yet.
At Community Economic Defense Project and Centro Community Partners, I watched what happens when that risk becomes visible. Both organizations were doing powerful work, but they'd built their operations on funding models that left them exposed. When government contracts shifted and philanthropic priorities changed, the consequences were immediate. Talented people were let go. Critical programs stalled. Leadership spent more time managing crisis than advancing mission.
The problem wasn't the quality of their work. It was that they'd treated funding as infrastructure when it was actually a variable. Programs that should have scaled couldn't. Services that communities depended on became uncertain. Teams that were built to create change spent their energy trying to survive it.
Both organizations turned to product as a way forward. At Centro, we repositioned their business planning app to generate sustainable revenue while serving low-income entrepreneurs. At CEDP, I led the launch of SwiftAid, an AI-powered housing assistance platform, and helped establish the CED Loan Fund to create new income streams. These weren't just tactics to stay afloat. They were strategic decisions to treat product as a lever for organizational resilience.
Here's what became clear: the organizations that weather funding volatility aren't the ones reacting to it. They're the ones that diversified before they had to.
We know funding climates shift. We know political priorities change. We know philanthropic giving fluctuates. What's harder to predict is timing. But organizations can prepare anyway.
I work with nonprofits to assess where they're exposed, identify opportunities to productize their work, and build revenue models that create stability when funding is uncertain and fuel growth when it's not. This isn't about choosing between mission and money. It's about building the operational resilience that allows your mission to endure.
If your organization is ready to move from reactive to strategic, I can help you get there.
Most impact organizations are carrying hidden risk they haven't named yet.
At Community Economic Defense Project and Centro Community Partners, I watched what happens when that risk becomes visible. Both organizations were doing powerful work, but they'd built their operations on funding models that left them exposed. When government contracts shifted and philanthropic priorities changed, the consequences were immediate. Talented people were let go. Critical programs stalled. Leadership spent more time managing crisis than advancing mission.
The problem wasn't the quality of their work. It was that they'd treated funding as infrastructure when it was actually a variable. Programs that should have scaled couldn't. Services that communities depended on became uncertain. Teams that were built to create change spent their energy trying to survive it.
Both organizations turned to product as a way forward. At Centro, we repositioned their business planning app to generate sustainable revenue while serving low-income entrepreneurs. At CEDP, I led the launch of SwiftAid, an AI-powered housing assistance platform, and helped establish the CED Loan Fund to create new income streams. These weren't just tactics to stay afloat. They were strategic decisions to treat product as a lever for organizational resilience.
Here's what became clear: the organizations that weather funding volatility aren't the ones reacting to it. They're the ones that diversified before they had to.
We know funding climates shift. We know political priorities change. We know philanthropic giving fluctuates. What's harder to predict is timing. But organizations can prepare anyway.
I work with nonprofits to assess where they're exposed, identify opportunities to productize their work, and build revenue models that create stability when funding is uncertain and fuel growth when it's not. This isn't about choosing between mission and money. It's about building the operational resilience that allows your mission to endure.
If your organization is ready to move from reactive to strategic, I can help you get there.
Anisha Carter Consulting © 2025. Designed by Goran Babarogic
Anisha Carter Consulting © 2025. Designed by Goran Babarogic
Anisha Carter Consulting © 2025. Designed by Goran Babarogic