People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 18: Jessica Wade, Science History Institute

Originally recorded and aired in summer 2022: Episode 18 takes us outside higher education and healthcare sectors to one of the coolest museums in the country: The Science History Institute in Philadelphia! The Institute is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022-23, and I am grateful to Jessica Wade, the Relationship Management Analyst, for being my guest to describe what's in store for this milestone!
Jessica talks about how she got to The Science History Institute after working three jobs at the same time for over two years - and how this museum non-profit's mission, people, and collections have inspired her to stay for close to the last decade. She describes her multi-faceted role as "being around many people, or a lot of books!" 

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 17: Neida Jimenez, D’Amore-McKim School of Business Northeastern University

Neida Jimenez is my guest in Episode 17 of "People in Fundraising," and the candor and confidence she infused our conversation with are remarkable. Well worth your time! Neida talks about her passion for Major Gifts fundraising, and how bad chapters involving angry donors can end up as successful conclusions as fundraisers build relationships where angry donors are heard.
In a half-hour full of Neida's enlightening perspective, she talks about how white hairs are an asset; how being a seasoned nonprofit professional is empowering for women like her; how the programs she raises funds for will outlive her, the donors, and the initial recipients; and the challenges in Neida's career of not having similar mentorship opportunities as other colleagues.
Neida talks candidly about her passion to diversify the fundraising profession, where "there aren't many people who look like me." Hear what Neida is doing to change that with "a beautiful rainbow of color and experiences," starting at the 21-minute mark. 

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 16: Ron Bembry, School of International Public Affairs, Columbia University

Episode #16 in "People in Fundraising" features one of my favorite people from my first nonprofit employer: Ron Bembry of Columbia University! Like me, Ron is a huge StarWars fan. We were determined to find ways to work in the Galaxy far, far away into our professional conversation.
Ron talks about his major in music industry and his first role in fundraising, at his alma mater, Northeastern University. A mere seven years into his career, Ron is a young nonprofit professional now overseeing Columbia's School of International Public Affairs' #annualgiving and #leadershipgiving, and after a brief detour into fintech and interviewing/onboarding during the height of the pandemic, Ron is excited to be back in higher education fundraising.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 15: Kyle Garvey, Northeastern University

Originally recorded and aired in summer 2022: 15 episodes across 10 states (20% toward my goal of interviewing at least one person from each state) in "People in Fundraising," and today I am excited to share my conversation with someone who has worked in nearly that many roles and organizations: Kyle Garvey.
Kyle's development career has spanned higher education, management, law, environmental research, healthcare, and now engineering fundraising, in Annual Fund as well as Major and Principal Gifts. His description of engineering's everyday impact at about the 31-minute mark is enlightening.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 14: Collette Call, UC-San Diego

Originally recorded and aired in summer 2022: Collette Call is a dynamic, insightful, and humorous person, and our conversation could have gone on much longer if not for a donor visit she had already lined up. In our wide-ranging conversation, Collette outlines her first positions in fundraising at Harvard and the career-changing influence the roles had on her. She candidly discusses when she recognized that she had lost her "why," and what she did to regain it as a young professional.
Having spent much of her career in healthcare philanthropy, Collette shares some terrific insights about wrestling with the question, "How do I feel ethically about fundraising in healthcare." Our conversation wraps up with Collette sharing her ideas for a Ph.D. pursuit and, among other goals, helping to create professional pathways in fundraising for people who don't want to be a manager.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 13: Brian Robinson, Florida

"People in Fundraising" continues its expansion across the country, and today I am proud to feature my interview with Brian Robinson, who lives in Florida.
Brian and I became acquainted a few months ago during a two-day Apra virtual open house, and we kept getting slotted into the same breakout sessions. He was friendly and great to connect with, and I wanted to have him on our program to share what he did at his remote prospect research employer, The FOCUS Group. At the time of our conversation, Brian was still leading research efforts there. He was also heavily involved with membership recruitment and retainment for the Apra Florida chapter.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 12: Jennifer Vincent, Blackbaud, North Carolina

In Episode 12, I am excited to chat with someone from leading cloud computing software company Blackbaud - Jennifer Vincent, an account executive in the higher education area.
Jennifer covers the Southeast Region and works fully remote, thanks to Blackbaud's "remote first" policy. In this wide-ranging and really fun conversation, Jennifer talks about building the prospect development program at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
The heart of our chat centers on a question Jennifer gets frequently from others in prospect management and research: "How did you make the change from non-profits to the for-profit side at Blackbaud? What was that like?" I loved Jennifer's analogy, so be on the lookout for it!

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 11: Rich Horne, Vassar College, New York

After 10 episodes featuring frontline fundraisers, prospect management and research gets its turn in the "People in Fundraising" spotlight! Rich Horne joins us from Vassar College in New York State, where he is the Director of Prospect Development & Research. I appreciated Rich's eagerness to be a guest on our program; our interview was held less than two weeks after I invited him on.
Rich excitingly talks about top-level strategy making in a multi-hospital environment, prospect management in higher ed and healthcare, and research in higher ed and healthcare.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 10: Jessica McNeill, Harvard Business School

HBS Assistant Director of Reunion & Leadership Giving Jessica McNeill joins us from her office in Boston. She discusses the challenges of engaging with alumni in the pandemic era, where so many previously in-person touchpoints went all virtual. Jessica also shares her desire to increase engagement with black alumni; her work with the HBS Dean's Anti-Racism Task Force; and challenges women of color experience in the philanthropy world.
 
Jessica highlights the impact and importance of her involvement with Women in Development and the Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC). She is a rising star in fundraising, and I am honored to have welcomed Jessica as our next guest! She is an alum of Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, which is podcast host Tim Wilson's home town - and his father's employer for the last several decades.

People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 9: Marla Habert, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin

A decade into her nonprofit career, Wisconsin native Marla Habert has worked in her home state and in the Boston area, in both higher education and healthcare. That range of experience and successive leadership roles are reasons I was excited to welcome Marla to our podcast series. 
​
Marla and I left Harvard Business School on almost the exact same day in 2018 - and our going-away parties were one day apart! She recounts returning to Milwaukee and the benefit of knowing the community and its needs as she manages a team of gift officers at Froedtert (Fray-dert) and the Medical College of Wisconsin. In our wide-ranging chat, Marla touches on resources, managing teams, the grind of fundraising, and working toward her goal as a young professional "to lead an organization that is meaningful to me." She is well on her way!