Aidan Kankyoku | Curriculum Vitae

Advised one of the largest US/UK farmed animal advocacy funders on grant evaluation and overall portfolio strategy.

Provided expert sectoral analysis based on extensive movement network, assessing organizational effectiveness and strategic fit.

Guided allocation decisions to high-impact campaigns and infrastructure projects based on my on-the-ground perspective.

Designed and launched PAF’s flagship ballot initiative campaign in Denver, CO, engaging 300+ volunteers and becoming the city’s top political issue of the 2024 cycle, with 80+ local and several national media features.

Built and led a team growing from 2 to 8, fostering a high-autonomy, results-oriented culture that developed deep subject expertise across roles.

Secured and managed budgets set to reach $1M annually in 2026, raising funds from philanthropic sources and a wide grassroots donor network.

Developed multi-city political campaign strategy, now active in Denver, Washington DC, and Portland, OR, with further expansions in the works

Led research and strategy development influencing multiple organizations’ approaches to public narrative, coalition-building, and voter engagement.

Published widely read reports including an 18-month messaging study that shifted national messaging & political strategy in the animal advocacy space.

Facilitated coalition-building between grassroots groups with histories of interpersonal conflict, creating new shared infrastructure and joint initiatives.

Self-published research reports based on a broad set of methods including >200 hours of interviews and focus groups, literature review of >60 publications, and survey experiments from n=500 to n=30,000.

Conducted full research lifecycle: survey design, deployment, data analysis, and publication of findings to inform field-wide strategy.

Developed and executed movement interventions based on our research findings in a field that often fails to bridge the gap between researchers and campaigners.

Embedded with social movement organizations in the US, Canada, and UK training their leadership on movement strategy, grassroots organizational practices, and messaging

Gathered hands-on experience in a wide range of organizations, regions, and cause areas.

In my first social movement volunteer role, built an obscure local activist scene from nothing into one of the most successful in the country measured by number of activists and media reach

Recruited hundreds of activists, developing dozens into local leaders.

Designed and ran local campaigns based on the organization’s theory of change, leading to an invitation to join the leadership committee.

Designed and led undercover investigations that garnered up to 10M+ views.