Latest Episodes
Episode 40 - An Interview with Lou Nanni, University of Notre Dame - Leadership, Handling Uncertain Times with COVID-19 & the Coronavirus Pandemic, and Inspiring Others with Your Mission.
Lou Nanni - Vice President of University Relations, University of Notre Dame
This week we’re joined by Lou Nanni to discuss leadership during the time of COVID-19 & the coronavirus pandemic, how to motivate a team during times of great uncertainty and times of great success, the importance of adaptability, how to hire people who will be “other focused”, what are the greatest pressures facing leaders today, and how to find and tell the great stories that connect people to your mission. All that and more inside…
Episode 39 - An Interview with Dee Dee Mendoza, Dartmouth College - Entrepreneurs, Philanthropy, and Founders' Pledges; A new "pre-exit" philanthropy
This week we’re joined by Dee Dee Mendoza to discuss entrepreneurs and philanthropy, especially “pre-exit” philanthropy. Engaging entrepreneurs in fundraising presents challenges not encountered in the typical donor engagement. Dee Dee Mendoza discusses how organizations have approached engaged entrepreneurs in their pre-exit philanthropy stage through the use of founders’ pledges, recognition society engagement, and providing value to entrepreneurs that is needed at each phase of their company’s lifecycle. All that and more inside…
Episode 38 - A Long Overdue Episode, an Apology, and a Big Announcement!
Thanks for your patience in between this and our last episode. Just a quick episode today and I encourage you to participate in today’s call to action! That and a big announcement inside…
Episode 37 - An Interview with Sarah Beaulieu - Founder of The Uncomfortable Conversation - Philanthropy in a #MeToo World
This week we’re joined by Sarah Beaulieu to discuss Philanthropy In A #MeToo World. Nonprofit fundraising is a place where uncomfortable realities surrounding sexual harassment and sexual violence need to be addressed. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1 in 4 women in nonprofit fundraising have experienced sexual harassment and 1 in 14 men have experienced sexual harassment. Sarah Beaulieu discusses how to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence, how to react to incidents when they arise, and our need to make workplaces safer for our employees and volunteers to ensure that everyone knows that their safety is our most important priority in fulfilling our missions.. All that and more inside...
Episode 36 - An Interview with Eric Freidman - Author of Reinventing Philanthropy - Effective Altruism and How It Affects Nonprofit Fundraisers
Eric Freidman Discusses Effective Altruism
This week we’re joined by Eric Freidman to discuss Effective Altruism and how this philosophy and social movement thinks about charitable giving and how that might affect fundraisers in your approach with individual donors and development offices in building your communication plans. Eric is the author of Reinventing Philanthropy: A Framework for More Effective Giving which was inspired by his personal quest to find the most effective way to direct his own philanthropy. In today’s episode we’ll hit on how donors compare nonprofits, how donors interested in effective altruism may change their donation habits over time, and even touch on the question of whether fundraising can be one of the ten most harmful jobs out there. All that and more inside...
This week, I’m going to go back to a topic that I interviewed a few guests about early on in the show, where we find joy in our work. As we near the end of many organizations fiscal years, that means reflecting on the year past, planning for the year ahead, and hopefully getting a jumpstart on some early success. Perhaps you’re coming off a great year where you hit your goals and then some, or you might be coming off a year where you came in under budget. Either way, it’s good to step back and remind ourselves why this work can be so meaningful and enjoyable. That and more inside...
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, we talk about how 2017's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December 2017 affects the work of nonprofit fundraising and the ways donors are incentivized or disincentivized to give philanthropically through the tax code. We'll discuss the charitable tax deduction laws, the standard deduction changes, the impact of changes in SALT (State and Local Taxes) deductability, the increase of the estate tax exemption, the reduction in marginal tax rates, which businesses and individuals benefit from the tax law changes, whose giving is likely to increase and decrease, and what tools nonprofits can use to encourage wise giving methods from their donors such as Donor Advised Funds, shifting from seasonal giving appeals to cause and need-based giving appeals, and more.
Episode 33 - An Interview with Brian Gawor "The Giving Geek" & VP of Research at Ruffalo Noel Levitz - Modern Phonathons and How They Reinvigorate Your Fundraising
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, Brian Gower, Vice President of Research at Ruffalo Noel Levitz discuss the modern phonathon and its place in your fundraising plan. Brian touches on what you need in place before launching your phonathon, how phonathons aid data collection, the returns you might expect, how to integrate the phonathon and social media, thank-a-thons, how your phonathon callers can build your pipeline to development staff hiring and more.
MiniEpisode 1 - 2018 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference "No Bystanders" - A Preview with Jane Wales, Founder and CEO -
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, we feature our first mini-episode, a preview of the 2018 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference with guest Jane Wales. Jane shares what sparked her interest in founding the Global Philanthropy Forum, what attendees can expect, and how to participate with the conference even if you are unable to attend through their online broadcasts, find that and more inside...
Episode 32 - An Interview with Dale Nirvani Pfeifer, Founder and CEO of Goodworld - Social Payments, Social Giving, and how Technology is Changing People's Relationship with Money.
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, Dale Nirvani Pfeifer, Founder and CEO of Goodworld, discusses how social payments and social giving. Dale touches on how technology is shifting the way that people interact with money, how that plays out in new forms of giving, how privacy and transparency are perceived differently by younger generations, how the giving patterns of these generations differ from previous ones, how our storytelling might need to catch up to new forms of content consumption and more.
Episode 31 - Last Episode of 2017, Thank You for Listening and 2018 Preview!
In the last episode of 2017 I want to stop to say thank you for listening! The first year of producing this podcast for you has been incredibly rewarding and I want to stop to express my gratitude for that and a number of other great things that happened during this year. I hope you enjoy a few insights into me as a person and enjoy a few topic previews for 2018.
Episode 30 - An Interview with Darius Jones, Vice President & General Manager of Garfield Produce - Social Enterprises & NonProfits, Advantages/Disadvantages & Preparing for Large Investments
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, Darius Jones, Vice President and General Manager of Garfield Produce discusses how a social venture can sometimes be the preferred model for having a lasting impact on a community, how social enterprises differ from nonprofits, how to think about scalability and replicability when you're launching your organization or expanding, and how to prepare for a large grant of social impact loan. Darius' story is inspiring and uplifting and his insights are important for anyone launching a new nonprofit or social enterprise, existing organizations thinking about how to scale operations, and anyone considering how new organizational structures might improve your ability to serve others. That and more inside...
Episode 29 - An Interview with Beathe Ogard, President of Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund - Social Media Guidelines for Nonprofits, Volunteers, and Travelers
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, Beathe Ogard, President of Studentenes og Akademikernes Internasjonale Hjelpefond (Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund) or SAIH shares with us SAIH's newest social media guidelines for volunteers and travelers as well as some background on SAIH's efforts to raise awareness of stereotypical representations of the beneficiaries of nonprofits and aid organizations worldwide. SAIH's past successes include Africa for Norway and the RadiAid awards. This episode features essential considerations for any nonprofit in their marketing efforts and ideas that are important for all nonprofit employees, board members, and volunteers to consider in how the represent and speak about their program beneficiaries and partners. That and more inside...
Episode 28 - An Interview with Debra Palms Barber, CEO of SweetBeginnings - Lessons Learned from Social Enterprises and NonProfit Partnerships
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, we're joined by Brenda Palms Barber, Executive Director of the North Lawndale Employment Network and founding CEO of SweetBeginnings a social venture which produces an all natural line of raw honey and honey-infused body care products while providing important transitional job opportunities for individuals who struggle with barriers to employment. Brenda and I discuss nonprofits and social ventures and hit on a range of topics including: her experience of launching a social venture from within the umbrella of her nonprofit organization, the pros and cons of being not-for-profit and for-profit, what lessons and metrics Brenda has brought from one world to the other, and how combining the two creates for some great opportunities for symbiotic relationships, and more.
Episode 27 - Donor Retention, Its Importance and How to keep Your Loyal Supporters Coming Back for More!
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, I discuss donor retention, its importance, and what we can do to improve our organization's donor retention. I explore some of the systemic need for better retention efforts, how we can be donor-centric in our approach, the latest research on donor retention in the non-profit sector, and more...
Episode 26 - Research-based Fundraising Resources - Improve Your Practice with Evidence!
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, I highlight fundraising resources available to you that are research based and which cite their methods and sources. This episode came as a result of searching for annual appeal techniques that are backed by evidence and struggling to find them. We look at four main resources, The Science of Philanthropy Initiative, the Lilly School of Philanthropy, the Social Innovation Review, and NextAfter to examine what each offers, how they might be useful to you in your practice, and how we can all contribute to a more evidence based approach in our field. That, how to look more professional when scheduling meetings, and more inside...
Episode 25 - I took a new job! A family update and information about my new role as VP of External Relations with Horizons For Youth
Who is this devilishly handsome episode guest?
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, I share an update on my own life, the story of the new job I have with Horizons For Youth and some information about our amazing kindergarten through college programming. I also share some updates from behind the scenes in the MacCready household, including the nonprofit work of my wife that's making me so proud. That and links in today's shownotes inside...
Episode 24 - An Interview with Tiffany Khan, Director of Sun Devil Giving at ASU Foundation - Online Giving Days
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, we're joined by Tiffany Khan, Director of Sun Devil Giving at the Arizona State University Foundation. Tiffany and I discuss giving days and preparing for the challenges of an online giving day, building communications tools that help distribute ownership and engagement, choosing the date of your giving day, considering how to give other departments notice to prepare for the load they'll see, providing instant recognition for giving day donors, and more inside.
Episode 23 - An Interview with Jeff Cosgrove - Director of Nonprofits at Conversant - Success With Online Advertising
This week on The Philanthropy Podcast, we're joined by Jeff Cosgrove, Director of Politics, Advocacy, and Nonprofits at Conversant. Jeff and I discuss online advertising and cover a broad range of topics including: how nonprofits can cut through the noise in online advertising, what messaging is leading to increased fundraising success, how to help boards and directors believe in and invest in online advertising, segmenting and oversegmenting, how gift attribution policies need to be redefined to catch up with an online and social platform, how organizations can make the leap from being good in this area to great, and more. To hear all that and to see this week's links, click here for more...
