CDT Staff Spotlight: Victoria Rodarte
We are thrilled to welcome Victoria Rodarte to the California Donor Table team! Victoria joins us as our new Director of Foundation Relations & Engagement, bringing a wealth of experience in navigating the complex philanthropic landscape of the Golden State. In her role, she will be leading our efforts to deepen partnerships with foundations and ensure our collective resources are strategically aligned to build long-term progressive power across California. We sat down with Victoria to learn more about her vision for 2026 and what keeps her inspired outside of the office.
What drew you to the mission of California Donor Table (CDT), and what are you most excited to tackle first in your role as Director of Foundation Relations & Engagement?
I’ve had the privilege of partnering with the CDT team in my previous roles and have always respected CDT’s commitment to building power for the purpose of advancing a progressive agenda and bridging philanthropy across multiple tax statutes. I’m joining at the start of a critical election year, so I’m excited to elevate the c3 (and c4!) opportunities where our foundation partners can plug in.
What is one unique challenge in the California philanthropic landscape that you are eager to help CDT navigate?
We know that so much wealth is concentrated on California’s coast, in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, on both the individual donor and philanthropic institution side. While there is plenty of work to be funded in these regions, those of us on the coast often forget that there is a huge, diverse inland region, where communities have long been disinvested in and disempowered. These regions have both a long history of organizing and are at the center of emerging progressive infrastructure. I look forward to working with the CDT team and with our philanthropic partners to mobilize the much-needed resources to the inland regions of the state.
With your background, how do you see the role evolving to better support our partners and the broader ecosystem in 2026?
One of the key lessons from my decade+ in philanthropy is the importance of creating spaces where funders can share information and align their strategies. My first priority will be learning about our foundation partners and the broader philanthropic ecosystem, especially outside of the Bay Area, which I’m most familiar with. Then, I’d love to evolve my role to focus on funder organizing and facilitating collaboration. By keeping a high-level view of philanthropy across the state, I want to identify opportunities where we can bring funders together around shared priorities during and beyond elections, and across tax status.
The CDT staff often kicks off meetings with personal recommendations. What is one book, show, or hobby you’ve been obsessed with lately?
I just finished watching The Dinosaurs on Netflix, narrated by the “voice of god” himself, Morgan Freeman. I’m obviously not a paleontologist, so I can’t vouch for its historical or scientific accuracy, but they did such a great job with the storytelling piece of it. I was hooked! I was so emotionally invested that I shed a few tears at the dinosaurs’ tragic end.
What can our current members and partners do to best support you as you settle into this role?
The best way you can support me is with your time. I truly value genuine relationships based on trust and shared values, and I want to learn what brings our members to this work, how we might partner, and what I can do to support them in my role. Over the next few months, I’m looking forward to meeting with our current institutional members, prospective members, and foundation partners we frequently partner with.
