About Us

KC Nonprofits is located in San Diego, California and was founded by Karen Coutts, a strategic, collaborative and innovative professional with over 25 years of nonprofit experience. The core team is made up of select specialists who have each made meaningful contributions to  nonprofit organizations in San Diego and beyond. Karen thoughtfully matches her team members and resources to each project as needed.

Karen Coutts, Founder

 

 

Karen Coutts, founder of KC Nonprofits, is an expert in strategic planning, fundraising, and membership development. With a career spanning over two decades, she has led initiatives in donor and member infrastructure, multi-million dollar campaigns, and planned giving programs. Her experience is rooted in roles at The New Children’s Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art, where she oversaw diverse streams of giving and launched sustainable programs.

Karen holds a Master’s Degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Boston University and a Certificate in Fundraising Management. She’s a native of San Diego, passionate about her community, and serves on various boards to advance nonprofit missions.

Education

  • CFRM, Indiana University School of Philanthropy, 2006
  • MA, Boston University, 1996
  • BA in Art History and Human Biology, University of California at Riverside, 1994

Board Service

  • Current board member, Balboa Art Conservation Center
  • Former roles include Treasurer at Little Fish Comic Book Studio and President at Point Loma Cluster Schools Foundation.
Loretta Turner

Loretta is an accredited leadership coach and nonprofit consultant based in San Diego. With a decade of experience, she has secured over $5.1 million in grants and specializes in building sustainable grants programs for BIPOC-led organizations. She holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of San Diego and is certified in leadership and executive coaching.

Her expertise lies in leadership development, philanthropic advocacy, and strategic planning. At KC Nonprofits, Loretta focuses on grants, prospect research, and strategic planning, helping to secure funding and guide organizational direction. She brings a mindful, people-centered approach to her work and is a firm believer in the power of committed effort.

Billy Piper

Billy is a San Diego native with a background in social services, working with diverse populations such as military families and individuals experiencing homelessness. He holds a Graduate Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, focusing on human capital development—essentially empowering the people within organizations.

His consulting expertise includes start-up support, governance document creation, and strategic planning. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership with a focus on Change Management, Coaching, and Consultation, Billy aims to empower others to achieve success.

At KC Nonprofits, Billy contributes to research and strategic planning, helping to shape the organization’s future direction. He brings a people-centered approach to his work and is committed to making a meaningful impact.

Fartun Adan

Fartun began her journey of advocacy in high school and has remained committed to work that will make an impact throughout her education and career. She received her BA in Sociology from the University of California Berkeley. The combination of her 7+ years of experience in community organizing, local government, and education sector fuels her passion and tenacity to improve communities.   Through her professional experience and active involvement in grassroots organizing, she has developed strong analytical, leadership and problem solving skills.

Simultaneous to her work with KC Nonprofits, Fartun works for the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Prior to that she worked at the Partnership for the Advancement of  New Americans (PANA) as a community organizer. She also served as a Youth Leader for the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition.  As the daughter of Somali immigrants with a passion for bettering the communities around her, Fartun has the knowledge, lived-experience, and understanding of the needs of immigrants and refugee communities. 

She has been the recipient of  number of honors and awards including 2022 District 9 Council Youth Leader of the Year: Award by District 9 Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. In 2019  she was a participant in the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy Leadership Conference for  undergraduate students who aspire to careers in public service and public policy.   In 2018 she was a “Hit the Ground Running” Intern. This award by UC Berkeley’s  Black Recruitment and Retention Center, honored Fartun’s  organization of workshops and creation of partnerships with local high schools to recruit more black students to attend UC Berkeley.

At KC Nonprofits Fartun works on grants, research, and analytics.