Helping charities grow with the power of spare change

Matt Conaghan ’15

Head of Marketing, Change Donations

MAJOR: MARKETING

In 2019, Matt Conaghan ’15 hopped a one-way flight from Washington, D.C., to Dublin. After leaving his copywriting role with Ogilvy & Mather, his journey to the Emerald Isle led him to the opposite end of the marketing spectrum and into the world of nonprofit fundraising at Change Donations. 

Co-founded by Lizzy Hayashida and Conaghan’s brother, William, Change Donations is an international fundraising platform that helps nonprofits and schools grow with the power of spare change. The platform allows users to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to their favorite causes. As the head of marketing and branding, Conaghan leads the conception, creation, and promotion of marketing materials while also focusing on design and charity growth. 

A Maryland native, Conaghan earned his degree in marketing from Notre Dame in 2015 and his master’s in 2020 in digital marketing and strategy from Trinity College Dublin, where he now also works as an adjunct teaching fellow. While at Notre Dame, he was also selected as the youngest head writer in the history of the Keenan Revue. Conaghan continues to showcase his comedy chops on his social media channels, where his impressions and humorous skits have earned him over 120,000 followers.