Kindred Motes, Founder and Managing Director of KM Strategies Group
Founder
About our founder

Kindred Motes

Founder and Managing Director, KM Strategies Group

Kindred Motes advises nonprofit leaders, funders, and institutions navigating moments where strategy, narrative, and resources need to move in alignment. His work sits at the intersection of communications, philanthropy, public affairs, and institutional decision-making.

Proof of practice

The work has moved through institutions, campaigns, and public pressure.

These figures reflect career-level strategy, communications, audience development, philanthropy, and advisory work led in-house and as an external consultant.

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Accounts engaged through digital marketing and campaign implementation worldwide
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New followers acquired for NGOs, foundations, and nonprofit organizations
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Annual giving budgets managed or advised through foundation and executive roles
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Countries spanned by his portfolio of work, including six LMICs
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Countries where media outreach, messaging, and campaign strategy have generated coverage
The bio

A career built across strategy, communications, and philanthropy.

Kindred Motes is an award-winning executive with nearly 15 years of social impact, communications, philanthropic, and management strategy experience, including campaigns for or in collaboration with some of the most prominent names in the social justice, technology, policy, and philanthropic sectors.

His work has included or intersected with The United Nations, The Obama White House, USAID, ACLU, Global Citizen, Netflix, Participant Media, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Google, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, New America, Southern Poverty Law Center, Girl Rising, GenderSmart Investing Summit, and the Vera Institute of Justice, among others.

Kindred’s strategic planning and management of digital marketing and campaign implementation, led both in-house and as an external consultant, has engaged more than 400 million accounts worldwide. His career audience growth strategies have helped NGOs, foundations, and nonprofit organizations acquire more than 1.1 million new followers.

He has managed multiple strategic grantmaking portfolios and advised teams with annual giving budgets of up to $30 million. His portfolio spans 18 countries, including six low- or middle-income countries.

Strategy
Institutional strategy, executive advisory, campaign architecture, and decision support for organizations operating under pressure.
Narrative
Messaging, public positioning, media strategy, and audience development for mission-driven institutions.
Resources
Grantmaking, funder engagement, philanthropic strategy, and support for organizations moving money responsibly.
Pressure
Crisis, transition, public visibility, and political moments where timing, trust, and judgment carry weight.
Where the work shows up

Public rooms, private strategy, and high-stakes institutions.

Kindred has advised organizations on integrating marketing and social impact campaigns within international and governmental affairs work.

Governmental and multilateral contexts
United Nations G20 Heads of State and Government United States Congress Parliament of the United Kingdom UN Climate Change Conference, COP26
Media coverage and public visibility
The New York Times Forbes Financial Times The Guardian El País Le Monde Vox The Times of India Teen Vogue NowThis Chronicle of Philanthropy Fast Company USA Today
Speaking, teaching, and public forums
SXSW Sundance Film Festival Sidewalk Film Festival University of St Andrews Carnegie Mellon Heinz College University of Alabama Hunter College, CUNY University of Essex
Media and public voice

Sharing perspectives on social impact.

Kindred’s public commentary connects strategy, philanthropy, institutional responsibility, and the practical work of moving resources toward social impact.

The Great Battlefield
Strategies for Social Impact with Kindred Motes
Listen on SoundCloud
NPR · SouthBound with Tommy Tomlinson
Kindred Motes helps companies doing well make sure they’re doing good.
Listen on WFAE
More media
Recent media, interviews, and public commentary from Kindred Motes and KMSG.
View recent media
Teaching, service, and credentials

The work is grounded in practice, study, and public responsibility.

Current service
President of The Etolia Fund; Chair of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Alabama; Advisory Council Member of Harvard Business Review; Advisory Council Member of Fountain House.
Previous service
Senior Advisor to Global Citizen and New America; Young Leaders Board member at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; advisor to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation; communications advisor to Justice Centre Hong Kong.
Teaching
Visiting Instructor at the University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences; guest lecturer and advisor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in English from Birmingham-Southern College, where he was a Harrison Honors Scholar; Master of Arts in international relations with honors from the University of Essex.
Executive learning
Executive education at the London School of Economics focused on leading social enterprises, business strategy, and impact leadership; nonprofit strategic planning training through Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; sustainable and impact investment fundamentals certification from US SIF.
Recognition
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from Birmingham-Southern College; recognition by the University of Essex Department of Government as a graduate excelling in his field; Webby and Telly Award-winning work on behalf of nonprofit organizations.
Work with KMSG

We’re ready when the work is serious.

If you need strategy, narrative, funder engagement, executive advisory, or campaign support at a moment where timing matters, start with a conversation.