Jeanne Kojis, co-founder of nonprofit Ripple Impact NW, to retire at the end of January

Longtime nonprofit leader Jeanne Kojis will retire as board chair of Ripple Impact NW at the end of the month.

Kojis, 70, who has more than 50 years of experience in nonprofits, including 30 years in Clark County, made the announcement Dec. 5.

Kojis co-founded Ripple Impact NW with local entrepreneurs Heidi Johnson Bixby and Megan Dixon in 2021. The Vancouver nonprofit connects other local nonprofit organizations to donors with the goal of expanding the breadth of philanthropy.

“I’m someone who sees both a large landscape from a big-picture view — like a bird high in the sky — and also sees the details down on the ground. Being able to see the potential in the larger vision as well as how that is real on the ground keeps me moving forward,” Kojis said.

Ripple Impact NW expects to announce an updated leadership plan soon.

Since 2020, Kojis has also served as director of nonprofit resources at Integrated Tax Services, a Vancouver accounting firm. There, she focused on special projects including specific research for clients, according to a news release. Kojis officially retired from Integrated Tax Services at the end of 2024.

Ripple Impact NW

Ripple Impact NW launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of uncertainty for many nonprofits, Kojis said.

Bixby, Dixon and Kojis worked together at Integrated Tax Services and knew each other through the nonprofit community in the Northwest.

“Together, we encountered some misunderstandings about nonprofits and community needs,” Kojis said. “I facilitated giving circles for a decade, as well as some topic-based tours of area nonprofits. People can come to us for information and connection.”

In order to prevent some of those misunderstandings, Ripple Impact NW provides resources to create giving plans for individuals, families and businesses, whether they have $100 or $1 million to donate.

People are referred to Ripple Impact NW by financial planners, tax advisers, attorneys, and others whose clients may be looking for local organizations to support, Kojis said.

However, consultants do not offer financial or tax advice or hold investments for donors. Instead, they help donors find local nonprofits aligned with their goals, Kojis said.

“Jeanne’s commitment to our nonprofit community will continue to leave a lasting legacy for not only nonprofits, but the entire ecosystem of donors, advocacy and our overall community,” Bixby said.

50 years of work

For 20 years, Kojis served as the executive director of the Nonprofit Network Southwest Washington, which dissolved its programs in April 2023.

Kojis has also served on boards for local organizations that benefit the environment, education, the arts and social services.

She was a founding member of the Nonprofit Association Washington and served on national public policy committees for both the Independent Sector and the National Council of Nonprofits, according to a news release from Ripple Impact NW.

Kojis was an original member and served multiple terms on the Charities Advisory Council, which is part of the Washington Secretary of State’s office.

In 2006, she received both the Friend of the Foundation award from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington and the Women of Achievement award from YWCA Clark County.

Kojis lives in rural Clark County with her husband of 47 years, John Kojis. They have three adult children and grandchildren.

In retirement, she looks forward to remaining engaged in the community with volunteering and consulting.

“Nonprofit organizations are entities which can make our common dreams for a stronger community real. I am honored to have spent my lifetime working alongside people who come together to make change for the common good,” Kojis said.