People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

People in Fundraising 186: Enock Ajayi, Federal University of Technology-Alure, Nigeria

Veteran fundraising leader Enock Ajayi joins "People in Fundraising" from Nigeria in our interview, held in early May 2026. We weathered some WiFi issues and I did my best to edit the interview for our audience. Enock is a passionate social impact leader. I am grateful that he said yes to my invite!
In our conversation, Enock discusses:
* His career in fundraising/advancement, which has mostly been at higher ed. institutions in Nigeria - the University of Ibadan; the Olusegun Agagu University of Science & Technology; and the Federal University of Technology-Akure.
* How people in Nigeria, which has Africa's largest population (over 240 million people) and is the 6th-most populous country in the world, typically view fundraising.
* How earning a Certificate of Achievement from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has enriched his career. Enock focused on "Annual Sustainability - Emerging Scholars on African Philanthropy" at the Lilly School.
* Why he entered the fundraising profession, "due to my love for humanity, charity, and my interest in developing the future generations of my country."
Enock, thank you for a wonderful and interesting conversation! People in our audience will enjoy learning about NGO/social impact work in Nigeria and how you contribute to its fundraising climate.

People in Fundraising ep. 185: Selene Hur, Manager of Prospect Development, YMCA of Greater Toronto

Today's "People in Fundraising" guest, Selene Hur, is a longtime volunteer and social impact leader in Toronto. Recently, she wrote about concluding 10 years of service with Toronto Wildlife Centre. Her love and care for animals is a theme we often wove into our really enjoyable conversation!
Selene shares:
* What led to her volunteer leadership with Toronto Wildlife Centre and other organizations, including serving on prospect development's Apra International board - and what elements of board service have helped her to grow as a person and professional.
* Moments and learning experiences as the YMCA of Greater Toronto's first and so far only Manager of Prospect Development & Research.
* Her reflections on this quote by Time writer Ann Patchett, describing late primatologist Jane Goodall's incredible work: "Genius built on the ability to wait seems particularly female - curiosity dovetailed with patience. When Jane was a child in England, she knew she was meant for animals, for Africa. Without a university education, or fear, she headed into the jungle with a notebook, sat atop a knoll or climbed a tree, and waited."
[Side note: Selene and I talk about the magnificent 2017 documentary, "Jane." We highly recommend this to anyone!].
Thank you Selene for an outstanding conversation!

People in Fundraising ep. 184: Tanya Johnson, AVP of Pipeline Strategy, City of Hope

Today's "People in Fundraising" guest Tanya Johnson and I connected on LinkedIn after she wrote a post to share two items: One, that she had been named a 2025 Fulbright Specialist (congratulations!); and two, how her award's essay was grounded in a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which makes philanthropy necessary."
In our interview, Tanya shares:
* How this Dr. King quote "resonated more deeply than ever" with her.
* What the Fulbright Specialist is, and why more social impact leaders should seek to achieve it
* The launch of Beacon By Lighthouse, an "AI-powered philanthropy coaching platform built on Tanya's 20 years of frontline fundraising and philanthropy experience. Designed for small and growing nonprofits, it provides practical, on-demand guidance for donor strategy, fundraising planning, communications, grant writing, major gifts, and legacy giving, making expert coaching accessible to organizations that may not have the budget for a full-time consultant or strategist."
Here is its website: https://www.lighthousephilanthropyconsulting.com/beacon and its app: https://app.beaconbylighthouse.com/Home
Thank you Tanya for an incredible and fun conversation! I wish you the best at City of Hope and with Beacon By Lighthouse.

People in Fundraising ep. 183: Jason Hill, Co-Founder and CEO, Beyond the Man Box

Today's "People in Fundraising" interview with Jason Hill is one of the most candid and thought-provoking conversations in this podcast's 4.5 year history. Thank you Jason for creating a space for us to have such a deep conversation! In our interview, Jason focuses on his upbringing and his journey to stronger emotional intelligence and healthy masculinity, which led to his founding of Beyond the Man Box. He describes: * How his mom, grandma, and aunts "raised me to be human, where it was OK to feel the range of normal emotions." His mom sadly, suddenly passed away in 2024, and how such a loss "completely changes your life forever; it’s not a single event, and makes you think about life.” For Jason, this compelled him to leave tech and return to the social impact world, where he had earlier worked for the Audre Lord Project and SAGE, which supports queer seniors in New York City. * Personal challenges such as "having masculinity policed by other men" and seeing "men struggle in silence" with their emotional development - as well as personal successes such as being 15 years sober. * How "a real man is truly integrated in all of the emotional experiences that you can have." Unfortunately, for a lot of men, they learned in childhood (as I did) to "stuff down all the feelings they're not allowed to feel, all the things that say, 'You're not allowed to be human.'" And that for generations as proven by scientific studies, anger is the one (secondary) emotion that boys and men are often given a pass to express. * Re: above, how boys and men build "protective intelligence" through the years, a defense strategy to cope - and how that wall impacts the many and varied relationships a man will have in the home, community, and workplace. * How Jason "had the idea for Beyond the Man Box for a decade, afraid to go out on his own and face resistance from men." His retreats "offer a space and vocabulary for what they’re feeling. 'You can’t have capacity to experience something that you can’t name.' Learning about the nervous system, body signals (chains of emotional reactions that turn into physical coping behaviors and protection strategies such as deflecting, clenching one’s jaw)." * "I want people to know and feel how much I LOVE connecting with people!" * I shared this quote from the late NCAA basketball coach Jim Valvano (Jimmy V): "To me, there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think -- spend some time time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that's a heck of a day!" As you see from Jason's many quotes I share, Jason's perspective resonated with me. In childhood, I was an inquisitive, quiet, sensitive, and bookish kid. Some adults, including male teachers, recognized and boosted me for these qualities, while my guy friends kidded me to the point of annoyance and shame. I felt self-conscious that my masculinity wasn't stereotypical (if there is such a thing). So in middle adulthood now, I am grateful for broader definitions of masculinity, a greater awareness of the need for emotional intelligence, and for incredible people like Jason who are doing the work to equip men and their partners with tools to become emotionally well-rounded humans. Thank you very much, Jason! What an incredible interview that I know will resonate with many people in our audience.

People in Fundraising ep. 182: Siran Hovhannisyan, Executive Director of Socioscope, Armenia

Today's "People in Fundraising" guest joins the social impact podcast from her native Armenia: Siran Hovhannisyan! Since our interview in mid-March, Siran has accepted an exciting new role as the Executive Director of Socioscope Research Centre. Socioscope is a research think tank that supports civil society organizations focusing on human rights issues in this West Asian nation, which in modern times has been independent since 1991.
In our conversation, Siran discusses:
* Her career path, from academic institutions (Yerevan State University, University of Kent in England) to programmatic initiatives to grants. She has focused on philanthropic advising, grant-making strategy, and management.
* Her involvement with the Gender and Leadership Studies Institute and USAID, along with the Prospera International Network of Women's Funds - a collective of independent women's and feminist funds. Through this, Siran was heavily involved with the Womens Fund Armenia.
* How NGO/social impact work is generally viewed in Armenia. Siran fascinatingly describes a divide in public perceptions, including a backlash against progressive ideas in a civil society.
* The mood in Armenia in early spring 2026, in the run-up to last week's parliamentary elections, which kept an pro-Western incumbent prime minister in office.
շնորհակալություն (thank you in Armenian script!) Siran for an incredible interview about your career! I am honored to share your perspective with the "People in Fundraising" audience, and for them to learn about social impact, human rights, and women's and gender issues in your country.

People in Fundraising #181: Steve Mutombo, Founder, The Lord's Hands; D.R. of the Congo

Today's guest, Steve Mutombo, has a remarkable personal story of overcoming challenges in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. In our conversation, he shares how he endeavors now to lift others through educational and job training opportunities, seeking to bridge education and technology gaps across Africa.
Steve and I share some similarities: we live in Utah, and are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of our faith and worldviews weave into our conversation.
In our interview, Steve shares:
* His growing up experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the largest countries in the world. Specifically, he spent his formative years in the D.R. of the Congo's (DRC's) second-largest city, Lubumbashi, near the border with Zambia in southern Africa.
* The mission and specific uplifting work of his NGO, The Lord's Hands. Its website notes that "We are changing Africa - one laptop, one life, one donation at a time!" As Steve tells students, "This is not simply a laptop. It is a library. It is your university, your campus!"
While initially focusing on the D.R.C., The Lord's Hands has since expanded to almost 30 African nations! He, his wife, and his team named it "The Lord's Hands" because they have personally seen the Lord's hands assist them in their lives.
* What inspires Steve about the students to which The Lord's Hands provides laptops and instruction. "There are so many people willing to further their education and improve their conditions, but who simply cannot because of the lack of adequate tools."
Thank you Steve for an uplifting and profound conversation! I am happy to be a donor to The Lord's Hands and to use this podcast to help lift your work.

People in Fundraising #180: Bibi Babatunde-Ikoton, Services and Housing in the Province

Thank you to Canadian social impact leader Pamela Aranas for connecting me with today's "People in Fundraising" guest, Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun! A Nigerian Canadian, most of Bibi's fundraising career has been with health, human services, and community development NGO's. She is currently Director of Fundraising and Initiatives at Ontario-based Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP). In our interview, Bibi shares: * Her viewpoint that as social impact leaders, "We are value provides, and we try to hope and inspire other people." * Why she is "really passionate about how faith, culture, and lived experience shape our approach to philanthropy, and how emerging fundraisers, especially women and people of color, can navigate leadership and visibility in this sector." In addition to her fundraising work, Bibi is a Christian pastor and an enthusiastic celebrant of her faith. * How her global perspective informs her work in Canada. Thank you, Bibi, for an uplifting and enjoyable conversation! I really enjoyed our time together and am excited to share your experience with our audience.

People in Fundraising, ep. 179: Bwagu Isa, Director of Village Stand Uganda

Today's "People in Fundraising" guest is Bwagu Isa, founder and director of Village Stand Uganda. He and I chatted in January 2026, and he is the first podcast guest from Uganda. We connected via LinkedIn, which Bwagu is now no longer on, though he and his NGO are active on Instagram and other social media.
In our conversation, he describes:
* Village Stand Uganda's community-based operations in the rural Tororo District of eastern Uganda, bordered to the east by Kenya. The NGO focuses on providing meals, education, and training skills to under-served children and families in the District.
* What led Bwagu to launch Village Stand Uganda in 2020 and how it has grown in response to continued and emerging needs to help orphans, widows, and other population groups.
Thank you Bwagu for a sobering and informative conversation. I feel honored to help shine a spotlight on your important NGO and its mission to lift up more vulnerable people.

People in Fundraising #178: Sok Tng, Associate Director of Prospect Research & Management, Pomona College

Following on her Pomona College Rodger Devine's "People in Fundraising" interview, Singapore-born Sok Tng joins my podcast to discuss her fascinating career! Sok shares that her "childhood dream was to become a veterinarian - a wildlife veterinarian working in wildlife conservation," and how her career took unexpected paths that ultimately led Sok to nonprofit fundraising. In our conversation, Sok discusses:
* Pivoting from wildlife conservation to a Master's degree in Information Sciences, to working in libraries and conducting grant-seeking research. Through the libraries, Sok met two prospect researchers, and the rest is history!
* Why Sok "loves research, and I love how research informs other aspects of advancement....Prospect management is locating seemingly disparate pieces of information and finding ways to piece them together to form a picture."
* Her desire to "use what I have learned to help other smaller organizations that cannot afford or do not have enough resources. I volunteer to help other orgs., sit on the board of smaller nonprofits, and try to scale."
Please watch or listen to these and other goals and experiences that Sok enthusiastically shares in today's episode! Thank you for a great conversation, Sok!

People in Fundraising #177: Rodger Devine, Chief of Staff & Advancement Operations, Pomona College

Today's phenomenal "People in Fundraising" guest is Rodger Devine, a recent Apra International president and author of two books, "Data Science for Fundraising" and "Hands-On Deep Learning with R." We covered a lot of different topics, for which Rodger shared interesting personal and professional insights, as he dispensed gems such as replacing "Yes, But" with the new-to-me phrase "Yes, If."
In our chat, Rodger discusses:
* His diverse career background prior to entering nonprofit fundraising, and then how he entered our field at his alma mater, the University of Michigan;
* His fondness for and learnings from the landmark book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice" by Shunryu Suzuki, published in 1970;
* How "micro-habits" can turn into and shape one's destiny;
* Whether there is a third book (or more) in Rodger's future, and why he loves piano music;
* His experience as President of Apra International from summer 2023 through summer 2024. Apra is the premier global organization for prospect development, data science, and prospect research leaders in nonprofit fundraising.
Thank you Rodger for a rich and enlightening conversation! I appreciated your time and your warmth in our chat. Thank you for being a strong advocate for prospect development!