Venture Overview
Victory Cup Initiative shifts haphazard philanthropic giving into a strategic effort that elevates a business’s profile while increasing employee engagement through social entrepreneurship. Founder Karolyn Stewart, Director of Business Development at Burr & Forman, brings over 20 years of cross-industry experience spanning legal, financial, nonprofit, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. Through VCI, she works to align business growth with meaningful social impact.
Website: www.victorycupinitiative.org
Venture Issue Area: Civic Engagement
Venture Headquarters: Orlando, Florida
Venture Founders
Ashley Vann and Karolyn Stewart are the co-founders of the Victory Cup Initiative, an organization created to help nonprofits tell their stories more powerfully, build relationships with community and corporate partners, and attract meaningful support for their missions.
Ashley is a nonprofit fundraising expert, donor relationship cultivator, and founder of Vann Strategies, where she helps mission-driven organizations strengthen fundraising, strategic planning, donor engagement, board development, and community-building efforts. Her belief in the power of storytelling to inspire social impact helped shape the vision for Victory Cup.
Karolyn is a strategic business development and marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience across industries including legal, financial, nonprofit, hospitality, retail, agriculture, and professional services. As Director of Business Development at Burr & Forman, she supports 360 attorneys across 19 offices in securing new work. She also serves on the boards of the Victory Cup Initiative and the Bobcat Fund.
Together, Ashley and Karolyn bring deep expertise in fundraising, storytelling, relationship-building, marketing, and business development to strengthen nonprofits and connect them with the communities and partners that can help them grow.
