Meet Kelly Dalton: Chatham Literacy’s New Development Director
When Kelly Dalton was searching for her next job, she did what so many people do — she applied everywhere.
“I had applied to about 40 jobs,” she says. “They were all just a need to have a job until I found Chatham Literacy’s post.”
Then a close friend, who was also searching for work, sent her the same listing with a simple message: This has you written all over it.
Kelly laughed. She had already moved it to the top of her list.
“I really wanted to be here,” she says. “Nothing made me more excited.”
That excitement came from something bigger than a job description. Since moving to Pittsboro in 2021, Kelly has immersed herself in the community, meeting people through local coffee shops, music, the arts, and volunteer work. By the time she discovered Chatham Literacy, she realized she already knew many of the people connected to the organization.
“It was my community already,” she says. “I am more amped up and excited to be out helping it.”
Kelly brings years of experience in communications, marketing, nonprofit development, and event planning, but what stands out most is the way she talks about people. For her, development isn’t simply about raising money — it’s about helping people find a place where they belong and feel invested.
“I think to start is to make sure that people know about us, because I didn’t know about us,” she says. “I want people to feel excited to give, and not necessarily financially. I want people to be excited to be involved.”
She hopes to create opportunities for donors, volunteers, learners, tutors, and community members to come together — not just around fundraising, but around the shared belief that literacy changes lives.
Ultimately, that’s the future she sees for Chatham Literacy.
“I want people to feel excited to be involved, having this be one big community where everyone is the same kind of contributor.”
We’re excited to welcome Kelly to our team and can’t wait to see the connections she’ll help build throughout Chatham County. Please join us in welcoming her to Chatham Literacy!
First published on chathamliteracy.org
