People in Fundraising, ep. 139: Jay Frost, Host of "Philanthropy Masterminds" podcast presented by DonorSearch

Jay Frost is a visionary nonprofit leader and prolific podcast host, who is generous with his time and warm in his ability to spotlight nonprofit professionals through his "Philanthropy Masterminds" podcast series (link in comments). Many in our world know of Jay and his work through that podcast (supported by DonorSearch) and other podcasts, including "Frontlines of Social Good" and "The PM Podcast," as well as through conference presentations and publications.

To welcome Jay on "People in Fundraising" is a professional and personal delight. As Jay and I talked, I found many commonalities in our personalities and interests. He is someone I really admire and am grateful for his time in sharing insights on many topics, including:

* Jay's entree into nonprofit development with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). We also discuss current federal funding cuts to anchor institutions like the NEA, and the risks these cuts pose to the nonprofit world and our society.

* Jay's career since his NEA days, working with veterans such as Brian Lacy, Helen E. Brown Brown, and Bill Tedesco of DonorSearch, which presents Jay's podcasts.

* His personable approach to interviewing guests on "Philanthropy Masterminds," and how he loves giving a platform to people to share their stories, including about their childhoods and personal development.

* Jay's response to a theory presented by Annie Midori Atherton in a recent Atlantic article "Your Friends Don't All Have to Be the Same Age," which exposes the growing trend of "the age stratification in American culture," which "confines people to a narrow worldview. A society that mingles more freely across generations would be less lonely and less ageist." I thought Jay's work on his podcasts is a beautiful antidote to age stratification, and Jay discusses his thoughts on this alarming trend and how he seeks to counter it.

* I ask Jay about some of the artwork visible behind him in his podcast episodes - in particular, two framed pieces, one of Groucho Marx, and the other of Charlie Chaplin. Jay movingly shares where these pieces came from, and their significance in his life.

There is so much interesting and enjoyable content in Jay's conversation, and I know my audience will enjoy seeing and learning from Jay as we switch the interviewer/interviewee chairs to have this legendary nonprofit thought-leader and podcast host be interviewed!