People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

People in Fundraising ep. 157: Valerie Anastasio, Expert in UHNW Prospect Strategy

Valerie Anastasio was one of the first prospect development leaders to be honored with the Ann Castle Award, an annual recognition by Apra chapter NEDRA. The award acknowledges outstanding effort or achievement in the field of development research and related fields.
Valerie's career has spanned many sectors within fundraising, from arts organizations to higher education to healthcare. She has been a tireless advocate for our profession, and I am honored to feature Valerie as today's "People in Fundraising" guest.
In our conversation, Valerie discusses:
* How she entered the fundraising field, and mentions collaborating with other longtime leaders such as Jay Frost and Val Roberts.
* Her deep interest in understanding the motivations and capacities of ultra high net worth (UHNW) prospects, and becoming an expert in this donor segment. 
* How, as a manager, she came to points in mentoring junior prospect development staff on their career goals and sometimes felt that the staffers had advanced as far as they could on Valerie's team/in their shared org. Valerie describes how to have those sensitive conversations in ways that are beneficial to the mentee. 
* Her singing and stage career, which led to her reflections on a quote by Hollywood star Judy Garland: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." I really liked Valerie's thoughts on this!
 
Thank you for being a phenomenal guest, Valerie! I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. 

People in Fundraising ep. 156: Jill Vorndran, Chief Development Officer, Covenant House International

Today's "People in Fundraising" guest, Jill Vorndran, is on a mission to reframe the fundraising profession. "It should be a bride-building superpower," Jill advocates. In her current role, she has been the Chief Development Officer at Covenant House International, a federated organization working to combat human trafficking and youth homelessness, for a decade.
In our conversation, Jill focuses on these topics, along with other ideas:
* The staff retention crisis in the social impact/nonprofit development world - and how Jill's vision for "relentless joy *and* relentless accountability" with staff are ways to retain excellent fundraisers, especially in social services nonprofits.
* The importance of investing in development operations - prospect development, donor relations and stewardship, gift processing.
* The reasons why many people - including some who work in fundraising - erroneously regard fundraising as "a necessary evil," and how Jill reframes our profession when she hears such sentiments.
Thank you Jill for an outstanding conversation! I learned a great deal about Covenant House and your positive advocacy for our fundraising profession.

People in Fundraising, ep. 155: Maia Iva, Co-Founder of Kweet and Co-Founder of Petners Berlin

A native of Ukraine, Maia Iva is my first guest to join "People in Fundraising" from Poland, where she lives. A social impact leader and entrepreneur, Maia co-founded two orgs. - Kweet, a nonprofit AI tool; and Petners Berlin, which seeks to rescue and re-shelter (mostly to Berlin) animals caught up in Russia's continuing onslaught in Ukraine.
Tune in as Maia discusses:
* How her philanthropic mindset began at 5, when she began donating to animal shelters (her "go-to" cause) - and how she later became an animal rights activist.
* The daunting human and business complexities of rescuing animals from an ongoing war zone, and how "pure adrenaline" kept Maia going for days on end as Petners started. Evacuations have shifted to re-settling animals within Ukraine, presenting a new challenge for Petners - how to feed and shelter them, feeding 250,000 animals in 2025.
* Launching her startup with limited know-how about getting a nonprofit started (legal, publications, etc.) - and how this, in hindsight, was liberating to Maia and her team.
* Her response to a quote from one of my favorites, David Bowie. I had to include this, as Maia is based in Warsaw - inspiration for Bowie's song "Warszawa" (the name in Polish of Poland's capital city), from the album "Low," part of Bowie's late 1970's "Berlin Trilogy" - Berlin being Petners' base.
Thank you Maia for an outstanding and enlightening conversation! 

People in Fundraising, ep. 154: Jason Befort, Vail Health & Tim's former Manager

My friend and former manager Jason Befort joins "People in Fundraising" to talk about our many shared interests (baseball, music, The Cold War, 1980's pro wrestling, how "one bad week can be improved with a good Caesar salad!"). And we still manage to spend most of our 55-minute interview talking nonprofit development!
In our conversation, Jason shares his insights on:
* Figuring out how prospect development “keeps everything moving” in a large-scale fundraising shop. He spent 12 years at the Mayo Clinic, where “there aren’t a lot of B+ students in the room!”
* Building prospect development from the ground-up at his current employer, Vail Health, and Intermountain Health Foundation - to which Jason recruited me from Harvard Business School in late 2017.
* The balance between persistence and talent. 
* As someone who has worked fully remote since before the pandemic, how he "breaks down the distance" with his in-office coworkers - including by always having his camera on in virtual meetings and being on-site several times a year. 
Thank you Jason for an incredibly fun and interesting conversation!
 
 

People in Fundraising ep. 153: Ashutosh Nandeshwar, Ph.D. EVP Data Science Practice Lead CCS Fundraising

Ashutosh Nandeshwar, Ph.D., discusses a range of fascinating topics with expertise and humor in today's "People in Fundraising" interview! I am grateful for his time and excited to share his conversation. In our chat, Ashutosh focuses on:
 
* His academic background and how it prepared him for roles in data science within the nonprofit development industry
* The recent launch of Seeker+, an AI-powered fundraising intelligence tool developed by CCS Fundraising - and how Seeker+ is designed to "make smarter decisions, increase Donor Lifetime Value, and boost fundraising efficiency," per its launch press release, which quotes Ashutosh. 
* His insightful thoughts on one of my favorite quotes, by systems theorist/architect/ inventor Buckminster Fuller: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
* One of his outside-of-work hobbies, and how it fuels his spirit
* Reflections on the implementation of AI, data science, and machine learning across our industry and in fundraising shops of all sizes - and how they relate to a quote from the late, legendary Harvard Business School professor/disruptive tech and innovation thought leader Clayton Christensen. 
 
Thank you Ashutosh for a highly enjoyable and very informative conversation! I know the "People in Fundraising" audience will gain helpful insights from you and your expertise that they can apply to their work - and how they understand and grapple with fast-paced AI, machine learning, and data science advancements in fundraising!

People in Fundraising, ep. 152: Grantyd CEO and Co-Founder Frankie Axam Frederick

Thanks to social impact leader and previous "People in Fundraising" guest Michelle Flores Vryn, who introduced me to today's fantastic guest Frankie Axam Frederick! Frankie joined this podcast around the time that her new company, Grantyd, launched. I appreciate Frankie making time for our interview during a thrilling and busy time in her career!
In our conversation, Frankie discusses:
* How the idea for Grantyd came about, with the ultimate goal of serving as a new source especially for small and grassroots nonprofits to streamline the grant-writing process for funding. And the intricacies, complexities, and excitement of refining the tool, leading to its launch.
* Her career as a dancer, including graduating from the prestigious Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in dance - and how Frankie continues to channel her passion for dance and advocacy by serving as chair of The Black Artists Dance Collective.
* The fundraising roles at a myriad of institutional nonprofits in the arts, youth and family advocacy services, and higher ed. shops, giving Frankie incredibly diverse exposure to the unique and common resource constraints many nonprofits face - and how this benefited her later in the development of Grantyd.
Thank you Frankie for an outstanding and really fun conversation! I wish you and Grantyd continued success.

People in Fundraising, ep. 151: Laurel Teel, Development Leader for Child and Family Services

Laurel Teel is my first guest to represent Alabama in my three-years-old weekly nonprofit series "People in Fundraising." I am excited to get ever so closer to have all 50 U.S. states represented. Here's still looking at you, Mississippi and Arkansas. Laurel was a delight to talk with - honest, thoughtful, and sincere. 
In our conversation, Laurel discusses:
* The hard truths about working in child advocacy and family services-focused nonprofits. She candidly catalogues the mental and emotional impact about working in such emotionally charged and oftentimes very limited resourced environments. 
* The mentorship she has received from prior "People in Fundraising" guest Jason Lewis (he was on this podcast in late 2023 with Jennifer Harris).
* Her reaction to this quote from one of my favorite civic-minded thinkers and writers, David Brooks: "We assume we are being judged on our competence, but mostly we are judged on our warmth. Ethical leaders communicate a joyfulness in what they do and attract followers in part by showing pleasure." 
Thank you Laurel for a very open, honest, and insightful conversation. I wish you well in your future pursuits, and know that many in our audience will learn valuable info about your career history.  

People in Fundraising, ep. 150: Christina Martin Kenny, Founder of Guava Tree Strategies

For this podcast's 150th episode, I am so pleased to share this interview with Christina Martin Kenny. Many in the "People in Fundraising" community and the nonprofit world are familiar with Christina's excellent LinkedIn posts about workplace challenges that many young mothers who are also nonprofit leaders face. It is a critical topic, and Christina has done admirable work providing platforms for others to candidly discuss their experiences.
In our conversation, Christina also describes:
* Her recent launch of Guava Tree Strategies, a nonprofit consulting firm that "helps nonprofits move beyond survival mode by building sustainable fundraising strategies and nurturing strong teams, so they can focus less on the money and more on the mission."
* A post she wrote in early 2025 about nonprofit leaders shifting from institutional development shops to consulting. It has 5,300+ reactions and over 500 comments, demonstrating the importance of this topic and trend. Christina talks about why this trend won't change "until orgs. start viewing their staff as an investment into their mission," and what holds nonprofit orgs. back from this needed re-framing. Here is Christina's original post:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cmkenny_theres-a-concern-about-how-many-non-profit-activity-7265008260078825472-4fqi?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAAFOPkMBdO1ZccHn1d0ANmpJpzBHWDK0Rzs
* Nonprofit leaders who have enriched and supported Christina's career, including Tasha Van Vlack of The Nonprofit Hive; Courtney Harrness; and We are For Good's Becky Endicott and Jon McCoy.
* Christina's reaction to this quote from British author Vex King: "My kind of people are those who wish others well, remain accountable for their actions, seek growth with you, are kind to strangers, and keep it real without being unnecessarily rude." She shares who comes to mind in her life who has these attributes.
Thank you Christina for a wonderful and engaging conversation! I wish you and your company continued success and enjoyment.

People in Fundraising, ep. 149: Samantha Roose, Fractional Marketing for Nonprofits

Fundraising copywriter and messaging strategist Samantha Roose joins "People in Fundraising" to shine more light on philanthropic psychology and strategic storytelling. I was really excited to connect with Samantha off of LinkedIn to discuss these topics! In our conversation, Samantha enthusiastically talks about:
* Working with nonprofit orgs. "to help convey the heart of their work to donors, and to help donors be able to live out what is most important to them through their gifts." With an intro as strong and persuasive as that, I was eager to hear more!
* How her lifelong fascination with words and messaging being used for good led to copywriting, directing nonprofits, and seeing how copywriting for nonprofits, and then developing a stronger awareness of how nonprofits engage their donors.
* Joining Brenda Moore's legacy giving consulting firm for faith-based and higher educational institutions. Brenda encouraged Samantha to learn about fundraising copywriting, which was her entree into the development world.
* Philanthropic psychology, which focuses on how the mission of a nonprofit organization aligns with donors' values and affirms their good work. And Samantha's approach to drafting and refining appeals, and how she gets to a point of her assignment and then steps away to ponder before returning to finish the work.
* What she learned about herself through a meaningful tradition in her family of 14 people, where each week her family members would get paired up in two's and write a letter to the other person starting with "Your most endearing quality to me today is..." I totally love that family tradition!
 
Thank you, Samantha, for an outstanding conversation!

People in Fundraising ep. 148: Val Roberts, longtime prospect research leader and Tim's first boss

25 years ago this month, Val Roberts became my first-ever manager in nonprofits. I was new to fundraising, with almost no knowledge about prospect research. In the 2+ years that Val was my boss, she helped develop my skills and interest in this side of fundraising. Plus, from Val I learned the value of making work fun and enjoyable - so important in my first post-college role. 
While I had temped for 6 months on the same floor as Val's team at Harvard Business School, we worked on opposite wings in Teele Hall and didn't know each other. Val took a chance and gave an opportunity to a relative unknown - and a quarter-century later, Val's impact on my career and life are profound and so meaningful. 
I am delighted to share Val's "People in Fundraising" interview. She joined me from Panama, where she is loving retirement! In our conversation, Val talks about:
* Career highlights, including how prospect research has dramatically expanded due to technology improvements and how it is viewed by nonprofit leaders. Val jokes that she started in prospect research "back in the dinosaur days, when there was no Internet!"
*How Val's "pathological curiosity" was well-suited to researching donors, alumni, and prospects for her higher education and healthcare employers during her 35-year career.
* What led her to become a dedicated world traveler, and what motivations brought her to Panama. 
* The importance of cultivating a lifelong sense of joy and wonder about life and our world. 
 
Thank you, Val, for a wonderful conversation about your career and life! I loved hearing about your innate curiosity about life, peoples, and cultures from around our world.