Aliados spotlight: Jen Caynan

In 2016, Jennifer Caynan decided to leave her position as a Regional Sales Manager in advertising sales and seek out a career in alignment with her values. In 2018, after dedicating two years as a stay-at-home mom, Jen pivoted professionally and accepted a position at a nonprofit organization in Marin County. At that same time, she joined Canal Alliance’s dedicated community of donors who make a monthly recurring gift by becoming  a member of the Canal Alliance Aliados (Spanish for ‘Allies’). 

Jen is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She and all of her cousins graduated from college as first-generation students, and many went on to get graduate degrees. Jen remarked, “It just took one generation. There is so much potential in immigrant communities, and people overlook it.” 

Over the last ten years, Jen and her family have felt the impact of increasing hostility and anti-immigrant rhetoric in federal policy. Amidst this climate, she started looking for ways to increase her support of the Latino immigrant community in Marin and turned to Canal Alliance.

Jen was drawn to Canal Alliance’s holistic support of the Latino immigrant community. Canal Alliance addresses the root of inequities through advocacy and policy work. At the same time, the organization provides direct services that support immigrants and their families to break the generational cycle of poverty, become U.S. citizens, obtain living-wage jobs, and graduate from college. Jen said, “People just want to live a good life, put food on their table, have a roof over their heads, and for their kids to have a fighting chance. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.” 

Now, more than two years after Jen joined the Aliados, Canal Alliance is proud to welcome her into the position of Senior Manager of Leadership Giving. In her role, Jen focuses on building relationships with donors and partners who support Latino immigrants to achieve their goals for education, employment, and well-being. Her professional experience, passion, and dedication are already a tremendous asset to Canal Alliance. 

Join the Aliados

Why join the Aliados? As Jen puts it, “Being human, we’re here for each other. When one group is being targeted and criminalized, you’re not that far off. If we allow this to happen to one group, it could happen to anybody. When we see something wrong, we need to stand up and do something about it.” 

You can join Jen and the Aliados today by making a monthly gift to support Canal Alliance. Recurring donations are a budget-friendly way to make a difference throughout the year and provide regular and consistent support for programs and services. Whether you give $5 or $500 monthly, your giving accumulates to support more people to achieve their goals.  

As Jen expresses, “Breaking the generational cycle of poverty is key for getting to the root of community issues. If one community is vulnerable, everyone is affected. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen the gaps and where we are very weak in our community support. And we’ve seen what needs to be done to improve the well-being and livelihood of everyone in our community. When we come together, we can make Marin a place where everyone can live, learn, work, and succeed.” 

To join the Aliados, and help break the generational cycle of poverty, sign up here.