People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 27: Erin and Chris Lawler, Donor Relations & Prospect Development

Recorded in fall 2023: In the second "People in Fundraising" episode to feature a couple that both work in nonprofits, I am grateful to welcome Erin Powers Lawler and Chris Lawler! Erin and Chris describe how they became familiar with nonprofit work before starting tenures at Harvard University (Chris at Harvard Medical School, Erin at Harvard Business School). Erin joked, “I’ve been at HBS in the same department for 21 years but I’ve had about 23 different jobs!”

They offer intriguing thoughts on former Harvard President Larry Bacow’s statement on being “loving critics” of our institutions. They talk about how their respective work universes rarely overlap and don’t tend to be a focus of the “how was your day?” check-ins once Erin and Chris get home or their hybrid workday ends.