Meet Nayeli Pelayo, the new operations director for the NCRC Community Development Fund (NCRC CDF). Nayeli will be integral in the daily management and internal operations of NCRC CDF.
Nayeli comes to the NCRC CDF from ProgressPop, a nonprofit focused on producing pop culture content to increase civic participation with the goal of making the US a more equitable society, where she served as co-executive director. She has over 10 years of experience working in advocacy for social justice nonprofits with an emphasis in DEI, communications, fundraising and people management.
To help get to know Nayeli a little better, we asked her a few questions.
Welcome, Nayeli!
What drew you to NCRC?
The CDF’s mission to help low-income and communities of color thrive through business opportunities and affordable housing development resonates with me as a daughter of immigrants and as the daughter of a small business owner. Wealth building possibilities for folks that have historically been on the margins are important in the movement to combat poverty and NCRC’s CDF is doing great work in giving small business owners the boost they need to not only survive the challenges that come with a pandemic but to also flourish and thrive. I’m excited to be joining such a talented group and contribute to the impactful work.
What are you most proud of in your career?
At my former organization, ProgressPop, I led the content efforts that made a big impact in getting out the vote in key states in the November 2020 elections. We efficiently targeted a multiracial, working class group of progressives who normally don’t consume political news. We inspired 1 million followers across multiple platforms to send over 5 million messages encouraging their friends to vote. Based on previous randomized control trials, we estimate our efforts convinced about 30,000 individuals to vote.
What’s your favorite nonwork activity?
I spent my summers in rural Mexico and have reconnected to my farming roots. I grow vegetables and herbs, have fruit trees, and six chickens.
