Meet Ryan Thornton
Grant Writer
Community-minded | Narrative-based writer | Mission-oriented | Connector
Education and Experience
Ryan's Experience:
Ryan Thornton brings experience across nonprofit communications, fundraising, event planning, and community outreach, along with a strong background in journalism and education. Before joining Loving Venti, Ryan led communications and outreach for a small nonprofit in Burlington, Vermont—wearing many hats and building flexible systems to make the most of limited time and resources.
Ryan also helped launch and lead Vermonters for People-Oriented Places, a volunteer advocacy organization that has advanced successful campaigns focused on placemaking and sustainable development while building community and social capital across the region. Earlier in his career, he reported on local and regional governance in Austin, Texas, researching and writing multiple high-quality stories each week, often focused on housing and transportation issues and shaped by tight deadlines.
Ryan's Education:
MA in Literature, Texas State University – San Marcos, TX
BA in Rhetoric & Writing and Religious Studies, University of Texas – Austin, TX
Inspiration
What inspired Ryan to work with nonprofits?
“I’m naturally drawn towards organizations with a social mission whether they operate on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis. After moving from Texas to Vermont, I’d been looking for ways to help strengthen communities but wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to go about it. I ended up finding a position with a statewide nonprofit that helped strengthen communities by helping create more opportunities for ownership and democratic practices in the workplace, specifically for Vermont-based businesses.
I learned a lot about nonprofits in my years doing this work, including how nonprofits and businesses can work together to create positive social change. I also learned about many of the challenges that small nonprofits face, from funding gaps to a lack of clearly defined internal systems and practices, and how to prevent or address such issues. In the US, nonprofits are filling so many of the critical gaps that support communities, and I’m excited to help organizations build their capacity so that they can focus less on getting money through the door and more on fulfilling their mission.”
Fun Facts about Ryan
“I’m a dad, a tenor in Milwaukee’s Bach Chamber Choir, a Chinese tea lover, and occasional builder of public furniture. I like a good adventure, too—although I don’t do quite as much long-distance adventuring now that I’m a parent, I’ve done a fair bit of traveling and exploring by backpack or bicycle. I’m always happy to swap travel stories or chat about whatever energizes you!”
What led Ryan to join Loving Venti?
“In my most recent role I was working for a nonprofit that supported businesses, so it’s both fun and challenging (in a good way) to now be working for a business that supports nonprofits. Loving Venti has a clear mission, a people-centered culture, and an inspiring work environment to help employees develop and use their natural strengths. In terms of impact, it’s a joy and privilege to be able to support such a variety of mission-based organizations that are doing so much good here in Wisconsin.”
Ryan's favorite skill that he uses in his work with Loving Venti:
“Well the process of exploration/research and writing are central to my work here, and I deeply enjoy this work. I’ve been gifted with the innate curiosity that makes gathering new information and telling a compelling story inherently rewarding; it’s all the better when the story I get to tell has the potential to help support and amplify the work of leaders serving people and making their communities stronger.”
Favorite project Ryan has worked on at Loving Venti so far and why:
I’m just getting to know the partners I am working with, but I have been inspired by the work that Center for Deaf-Blind Persons is doing to help people and create opportunities for accessible community-building.”