Ascend Fundraising Solutions

Ascend's Mission: In our relentless pursuit of helping charities raise the most funds possible, it is our mission to build the world’s best software-based fundraising solutions.

A leading provider of strategy and technology for 50/50, sweepstakes and Catch the Ace we work with more than 800 charities worldwide, including some of the most iconic brands across the sports and not-for-profit landscapes.

Clients include partners across the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NLL, CFL, & NCAA as well as NASCAR events and PGA tournaments, as well as charitable organizations such as the Special Olympics, United Way Worldwide, hospitals, humane societies, hospices and more.

Our staff is passionately committed to philanthropy, each contributing time and money to numerous causes each year.

Executive Team

Gerti Dervishi

CEO

Gerti is a Toronto-based entrepreneur with an engineering and financial background. As the CEO of Ascend, he is focused on scaling tech solutions that support charitable foundations and positively impact communities across Canada and the USA.

Daniel Lewis

Executive Chair

Daniel Lewis is the Executive Chair of Ascend and the Managing Partner of Orange Capital Ventures, a private equity fund that owns Ascend.

Dan Libro

CPO

Dan Libro oversees the product and marketing teams at Ascend. This includes the implementation and integration of all products and services under the Ascend umbrella.

Rita Fieder

President of Client Services

Rita leads a team that provides non-profit organizations with knowledgeable services and exceptional value by creating a lottery that will be innovative while building on brand awareness. With a unique specialized market the team works closely with non-profits on strategic planning, marketing campaigns, prize procurement/distribution, financial reporting and due diligence.

Ken Cook

CRO

Ken Cook leads the sales and customer success teams. He is responsible for his team’s delivery of outstanding results for our customers over our various fundraising solutions across North American sales, customer success, and strategic partnerships.

Blair McGibbon

CFO

Blair McGibbon is responsible for all aspects of finance operations, including risk management and council to the CEO, board members and senior management.

Shonari Knibbs

Global Chief Technology Officer

Shonari Knibbs leads our technology and development teams, and is responsible for building and maintaining our best in class fundraising solutions & platforms.

Tony Warwick

MD

Tony Warwick is the MD of Ascend and responsible for aspects of business planning, strategy and customer delivery across sports and non profit clients.

Jason Little

VP of Business Development

Jason Little oversees all business development functions for Ascend, this includes all new relationship opportunities and strategic directions for the clients.

Shivani Anand

General Counsel & Corporate Development

Shivani Anand manages Ascend Fundraising's legal matters in Canada and the U.S. as well as the company’s regulatory compliance. Before joining Ascend, Shivani provided due diligence services to clients of Deloitte.

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