People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

May the 4th Be With You! It's a special day for "Star Wars" fans like me and today's guest, Barron Cato. After recently completing one goal (Greening the Map of the U.S.), today starts a new podcast goal:
Each week for the next 52+ Mondays, "People in Fundraising" will feature an interview with a nonprofit leader of color. This is an important new goal for my podcast, and I am grateful for the reception so far to my invite from a diverse, and world-spanning, collection of upcoming guests. Launching this goal with Barron is an honor.
In our conversation, Barron discusses:
* How his role as the Director of Data Science and Analytics has evolved over the 5 years he has held this position;
* His liberal arts and business studies, coupled with Barron being a Certified Intuition Master Practitioner, a Certified Yoga Body Breath Coach, and a martial artist - and how his mastery and application of these broad elements compliment each other;
* how he has seen gift officers/MGO’s adapt to the implementation of data science and analytics tools to advance fundraising objectives. In particular, Barron shares what has worked well in his communication and training of MGO’s to help them become more willing and eager to see data science and analytics’ critical contributions.
* some of his favorite parts from "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away!"

Amanda Crawford, CFRE, is my first guest to represent Mississippi on "People in Fundraising." She is a terrific nonprofit leader who warmly shares her enthusiasm for fundraising work and its impact on communities.
Thank you to prior "People in Fundraising" guest Jen Wasem for connecting Amanda and me! With Amanda's interview, I have now interviewed at least one nonprofit leader from each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico!
In our conversation, Amanda shares:
* How volunteering with the American Cancer Society directly led to her career in nonprofit development;
* The mission and impact of the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, where she is its Executive Director;
* The general fundraising landscape in the Magnolia State and how it has evolved during Amanda's career
*Amanda's exciting involvement with Indiana University's Lilly School of Philanthropy, as a student and, more recently, as a co-teacher in fundraising courses.
Thank you, Amanda, for a warm and very enjoyable conversation! I am grateful for your nonprofit leadership example and how our interview greened the map of the whole U.S.! 

Julia Dossett Morgan is the first guest to represent the U.S. state of Arkansas! 49 out of the 50 U.S. states covered. For me as a podcast host, it was well worth the wait - Julia is a dynamic, down-to-earth, and enthusiastic nonprofit development leader and person! Her conversation is a real treat for our audience. Julia discusses:
* Her path to nonprofit development, starting with attending a nonprofit career fair her senior year of college. That led to several years with Steppenwolf Theater Company in nonprofit marketing and communications.
* How "genuine affection for people and a deep belief in the mission of the organization that I work for are, luckily, two things that come naturally for me. And I can build on those."
* An Illinois native now living in Arkansas, how Julia connected to nonprofit orgs. and opportunities in central Arkansas. This led to her joining the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. Julia also shares a terrific overview of the Institute's programs, location, and mission as a convening center.
* Interestingly, Julia and I both moved to other states (Minnesota to Arkansas for her, Massachusetts to Utah for me) in May 2018.
* Why Julia recommends Priya Parker's book "The Art of Gathering," and why she's excited for this September's publication of Priya's, "The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict."
* The power of experiencing art and artwork in a communal setting, such as plays.
Julia shares so many more interesting facts about her career, her role as the Chief Advancement Officer, and the Institute's work! Thank you Julia for an amazing conversation!

My conversation with today's "People in Fundraising" guest, Aaron Silverman, was one of the most emotionally moving interviews in the fours years of this podcast. Aaron movingly shares how a devastating personal loss has led him and his family to launch the Ari Foss Foundation. Their foundation is named in honored memory of their newborn son, Ari. Aaron describes the immense family grief and their conviction "to help other parents and families with financial assistance for cremations of funerals when there is a stillbirth or neonatal loss." Ari's "memory lives on through the Ari Foss Foundation helping families when the unthinkable happens," per its website.
Aaron also vulnerably shares how he has processed his own grief and questions, and in turn how he has - in time - been able to engage with other men who have similarly lost a child. Further, Aaron details the Ari Foss Foundation's efforts to engage with local and state media to get its message to communities in South Carolina, including TV interviews and an annual memorial walk and 5K.  
I greatly admire Aaron and his family's vision to provide financial support to other families at a time of extreme emotional hardship and decision-making. Thank you Aaron for sharing Ari's and your whole family's story with me and our audience.