The Toy Foundation Welcomes Three New Hires
February 15, 2022 | Three new hires have joined The Toy Foundation (TTF), effective immediately. As a 501(c)3 children’s charity, TTF operates under the umbrella of The Toy Association to provide philanthropic support and the vital commodity of play to children and families under stress and in dire situations around the globe.
John Fisterola joins as director of development; Erin Wright joins as manager of marketing/communications; and Erica Wieczorek will serve as a development associate.
Fisterola is an accomplished development executive with nearly 20 years of nonprofit experience focused on development operations, donor stewardship, and external affairs. In his new role, he will be instrumental in creating multi-growth opportunities that lead to diversified revenue streams for TTF.
Most recently, Fisterola served as president of the HOSA-Future Health Professionals (HOSA) Foundation, where he laid the groundwork for the organization's first focused development operation and capital campaign. Prior to HOSA, he led all development and external affairs programs for the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) as vice president of development and external affairs. Under his tenure, DECA increased overall support by 90 percent, diversified its portfolio of support, created a new engagement model with its donor board, and increased DECA's reputation as a national education partner. He also worked on the re-election campaign of the Governor of California and served as a staffer in the California State Assembly and Senate Minority Leader's office.
Erin Wright brings more than a decade of experience in corporate communications to her new role, where she will initiate and implement the Foundation's communication strategy, program-specific initiatives, marketing plans, and related activities. Wright most recently worked at 360PR+ where she led consumer and thought leader initiatives for food and beverage brands with a focus on message development, media relations, influencer marketing, and brand partnerships. Previously, she held positions at APCO Worldwide, Ketchum, and Hunter Public Relations communicating a variety of brands' unique stories.
As a development associate, Erica Wieczorek will provide administrative, development, and marketing/communications support to TTF’s management team. Wieczorek holds a Bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing from Loyola University Chicago, where completing a research project helped unearth her passion for the toy industry and led her to join Women in Toys (WiT). She currently serves on the WiT marketing committee.
“We are so excited to have John, Erin, and Erica join the Foundation team,” said Pamela Mastrota, executive director of TTF. “Their depth of development, marketing, and communications expertise coupled with their passion for the toy industry and helping children in need will have a profound impact on our work moving forward.”
Additional information about The Toy Foundation can be found at ToyFoundation.org