Kelly Chopus

Philanthropy Executive, Community Collaborations

Kelly Chopus is a social responsibility and philanthropy executive with extensive experience in strategic external relations, corporate giving and community building.  She most recently served as the president and Chief Executive Officer of the Robins Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, where she was responsible for the operations, management and grant making for the one of the region’s largest family foundations. She had been in the role since September 2013.

Chopus served as Director of Community Relations for Fortune 500® aerospace and defense manufacturer, Goodrich Corporation in Charlotte, N.C.  There, she supervised all global philanthropy, community relations and volunteerism. She also served as Vice President of Business Operations for the former WNBA Charlotte Sting from 2002-2005 and as an Associate Producer for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympiad.

In September 2012, Chopus was awarded the 2012 Mover and Shaker Award by Business Leader Magazine. In 2013, The Mecklenburg Times named her one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Charlotte, N.C. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards, task forces and committees across the country, including stints as a national board member for the Association for Corporate Contributions Professionals (ACCP), the U S Airways Education Foundation and regionally for the Southeast Council on Foundations (SECF). In 2015 she was appointed to the Friends of the Family Committee of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) in Washington, DC and she co-chaired the Center’s Non-Family Staff networking group. In Richmond, Chopus serves as a board member for Chamber RVA, Venture Richmond and on the organizing committee for the Capital Region Collaborative. She is also a founding member of Virginia Funders Network, a statewide collaborative of corporate, private, family and community foundations.

In her current work, Chopus helps organizations thrive. She counsels individuals and organizations on nonprofit management and operations. She also advises on strategic philanthropy and continues to provide thought leadership support for people and organizations across the country.

Kelly Chopus is the proud wife of a non-profit executive and the even prouder mother of three smart, funny and compassionate young adults.

Contributions

Non-family Staff Peer Network: Board Chair Dynamics – Expectations, Evaluation, Collaborating, and Engaging Together

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Kelly Chopus, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Join the Non-family Staff Peer Network for a discussion on board chair dynamics and the potential challenges and successes in this role at a family foundation. Whether it be collaborating with other staff and family members, managing complicated expectations and engagements across an organization, or navigating your foundation’s journey, join us and learn from your peers who will ask thought-provoking… Read More

Pride of Place: Sustaining a Family’s Commitment to Community

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Virginia M. Esposito, Gilbert Miller, Kelly Chopus

What does it mean to have “pride of place”? How do giving families retain their commitment to the founding region or community where their philanthropic resources were first created? How can family foundations and funds accommodate increasingly disparate personal interests among those serving on the board while staying true to the original geographic focus of the donor family? These questions… Read More

Non-family Staff Peer Network: CEO Performance Reviews

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Denise Porche, Rusty Stahl, Kelly Medinger, Kelly Chopus

Following our last discussion on board chair dynamics, members wanted to know more information on CEO performance review processes and templates from peers. Join this conversation in June as we take a deeper dive into the importance of CEO performance reviews, and how your organization can support talent management and diverse staff at your foundation and your grantees… Read More

Nonfamily Staff Peer Network: Succession Planning

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Katherine Jacobs, Allison Kupfer, Christine Koehn, Kelly Chopus

Succession planning is a top topic that you as a network requested earlier this year. We’re pleased to spend time with the senior team of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, who have overseen searches, transition management, training, and talent strategy. Join us to hear confidential lessons learned and stories as we have an engaging discussion… Read More

20th Anniversary Symposium: Imagining the Future of Family Philanthropy

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Virginia M. Esposito, Carol S. Larson, Ayelet Baron, Sierra Clark, A. Sparks, Didier Sylvain, Farhad Ebrahimi, Kelly Chopus, Richard Woo, Mary Mountcastle

In addition to a celebration of NCFP’s 20th Anniversary, the Symposium will explore key themes, trends, and bold ideas generated over the year by the Imagining the Future initiative. We will also unveil several new NCFP research initiatives including Pride of Place, a report exploring how boards stay true to the original geographic focus of the family foundation after trustees have moved away.  … Read More

NCFP Nonfamily Staff Peer Network Discussion Group: Achieving Equity…How Exactly? (Call 3)

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Kelly Chopus, Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Patrick Troska

The idea of incorporating equity in philanthropy is gaining traction in the field. The reasons why may be obvious – from longstanding commitments to helping those most marginalized to recent electoral outcomes. But the how of embracing equity can prove elusive – especially when family foundations turn that equity lens inward. What does equity “look like” inside a foundation? Where… Read More

NCFP Nonfamily Staff Peer Network Discussion Group: Achieving Equity…How Exactly? (Call 2)

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Kelly Chopus, Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Patrick Troska

The idea of incorporating equity in philanthropy is gaining traction in the field. The reasons why may be obvious – from longstanding commitments to helping those most marginalized to recent electoral outcomes. But the how of embracing equity can prove elusive – especially when family foundations turn that equity lens inward. What does equity “look like” inside a foundation? Where… Read More

NCFP Nonfamily Staff Peer Network Discussion Group: Achieving Equity…How Exactly? (Call 1)

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Kelly Chopus, Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Patrick Troska

The idea of incorporating equity in philanthropy is gaining traction in the field. The reasons why may be obvious – from longstanding commitments to helping those most marginalized to recent electoral outcomes. But the how of embracing equity can prove elusive – especially when family foundations turn that equity lens inward. What does equity “look like” inside a foundation? Where… Read More

December 2016 NCFP Non-Family Staff Peer Network Call

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Christine Koehn, Kelly Chopus, Kris Putnam-Walkerly

This session will feature a conversation on the strategies and challenges of connecting with community and building an equity lens into your grantmaking and internal operations. It’s a great chance to talk in a private space about this timely and complex topic with your peers around the country! About the NCFP Non-family Staff Peer Network The NCFP Non-family Staff Peer… Read More

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