People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

People in Fundraising, season 3, ep. 7: Sharise Harrison

A native of D.C., philanthropy game-changer Sharise Harrison joins "People in Fundraising" to talk about her extensive career experience in nonprofit prospect development. I was really excited to welcome Sharise as a guest, because among other attributes, Sharise is a frequent public speaker on a wide range of social impact topics and has volunteered at the highest levels in our profession. Her conversation is rich with detais about her career journey.
Among other topics, Sharise discusses:
* Working as an Apra International board liaison to Apra's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Justice, and Access (DEIBJA) Committee. Specifically, Sharise talks about the committee's work to create space for DEIBJA offerings in all of Apra's content offerings.
* Sharise's professional involvement with nonprofit organization The Inclusion Firm.
* How Sharise first became acquainted with nonprofit work as a career.
* Sharise being a student of metaphysics and how this shapes her worldview.
* How Sharise's involvement as a panelist with what is now called Apra's "Data Science Now" led her to become even more focused on data science in her career.
* Mentorship provided by Sharise's former manager Amy Carrier, and what she's applied to her career from interacting with Amy.
Thank you Sharise for such a broad, deeply moving, and fascinating conversation! I am honored to share your insights with our audience.

People in Fundraising, season 3, ep. 6: Vanessa Boyle of Hoag Hospital Foundation

Vanessa Boyle joins "People in Fundraising" to talk about, in her own powerful words, "reflection and feeling joyous in a career that so many of us adore and love." And she does a terrific job describing those sentiments in our conversation!
Vanessa also discusses:
* Going from prospect development in a higher ed setting to healthcare, and hitting her one-year mark at Hoag Hospital Foundation in Newport Beach, California.
* The importance of showcasing prospect development in all-staff fundraising meetings, getting a seat at the table, and being seen as valued partners with development leadership - as well as a shift from "administrative" prospect research (such as event bios) to "analytical" prospect development to "create efficiencies and precise reporting."
* Her reaction to this quote from Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel: "We love to talk about kids’ personalities, how unique and weird and joyful they are. We don’t grow out of those characteristics so much as subsume them with duties. But they remain building blocks of our humanness, the enduring difference between us and robots. We must preserve [and rediscover those] not because they allow us to rest and, as such, make us better workers – because they anchor us to who, at heart, we’ve always been." Vanessa provides an excellent answer that ties in to Artificial Intelligence, differences of opinion, speaking up, and other dynamics.
Thank you Vanessa for your warmth, expertise, and insights about your career to-date! This was such a fun and informative conversation,

People in Fundraising, season 3, ep. 5: Mark Egge of Itasca Partners

Mark Egge covers a fascinating array of topics with great insights and humor in our "People in Fundraising" conversation. We talk about his founding role at his prospect development, reporting, data, and dashboards firm Itasca Partners.
(Mark: "It's named for the headwaters of the Mississippi River." Tim: "Cool! I thought it was named for the ship that was the last to be in contact with, and helped search for, Amelia Earhart.")
Rolling with my history-loving geek-ness, Mark discusses:
* His career in prospect development and what led him to launch Itasca Partners
* His involvement with Apra at the local chapter level and later as President of Apra International. "Getting involved with the Apra is the single best career decision I have ever made."
* The importance of presence and intentionality in his work.
* How to build and maintain social connections in work and life, and creating little moments of connecting, "like a little piece of art, in conversation."
This was a really fast-paced, hilarious, and engaging interview, Mark! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for prospect development and larger nonprofit work, and for your volunteer leadership example in Apra.

People in Fundraising, season 3, ep. 4: IESE Business School's Paola Horvath

International Development Officer Paola Horvath joins "People in Fundraising" from Spain - my second guest so far from Europe! Paola and I first became connected about 10 years ago via Nida Januskis, with whom I worked at HBS and Paola worked at INSEAD in Paris.
In our really enjoyable conversation focusing on international fundraising, Paola discusses:
* How fundraising is growing in the Latin America region and what excites Paola about this trend. Paola also shares current challenges.
* How Paola transitioned from business intelligence and prospect research on donors, to her current role as an international philanthropy director.
* A native of South America who is half-Uruguayan, Paola's general experiences living in 7 countries, and how this has helped Paola see how interconnected our world is. "It is a humbling experience," Paola says. "You see how beautiful their landscape is, how simple foods are prepared in so many different ways. People are resilient."
Paola, thank you for a fantastic interview! I am so glad that we reconnected and am delighted to feature you as a guest, with your terrific insights.

People in Fundraising season 3, ep. 3: Stephanie Brouwer

Stephanie Brouwer is my first guest to represent Indiana in "People in Fundraising," and she makes the Hoosier State proud!
Speaking of Indiana, Stephanie excitedly discusses having the 2023 Apra International Prospect Development conference in Indianapolis; she chaired the conference planning committee, a lengthy volunteer leadership commitment lasting over a year.
 
Stephanie also covers:
* What she is passionate about in social impact philanthropy
* Embracing being herself, with confidence and authenticity
* Stephanie's reply to a famous quote by jazz legend Miles Davis: "Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself."
* The importance and impact of community in one's professional and personal lives.
 
Thank you Stephanie for such an engaging and touching conversation!

People in Fundraising, Season 3, Ep. 2: Joan Ogwumike and Elizabeth Roma, The Obama Foundation

In a "People in Fundraising" first, we feature an interview with two guests who are also coworkers: prospect development veterans Joan Ogwumike and Elizabeth Roma, of The Obama Foundation!
Our conversation airs almost 15 years to the day of President Obama's first inauguration in 2009.
Joan and Elizabeth discuss their careers in prospect management and research; what trends and developments Elizabeth has seen over her 25-year career; and Joan's professional blog, "A Researcher's Diary."
Elizabeth and I served for a few years on Apra International's Online Content Committee.
And in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, both Joan and Elizabeth share their thoughts on Dr. King's message from his Dexter Avenue Baptist Church sermon in 1957: "“Love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals."
Thank you Elizabeth and Joan for a wonderful conversation!

People in Fundraising: Michelle Flores Vryn

People in Fundraising's third season kicks off with a fascinating conversation featuring top nonprofit leadership voice Michelle Flores Vryn! Among many intriguing topics, Michelle discusses:
1. what topics (DEI, burn-out, workplace balance, etc.) drive her level of engagement among social sector people and causes in her LinkedIn activity
2. Michelle's love of talking about the future of philanthropy and AI; how she stays current with emerging trends and developing thought leaders in these topics; what excites and gives her cause for concern about the future of philanthropy and AI (together and/or separately)
3. Michelle's daily habit of meditating (since June 2008) 
4. Her involvement with AFP GlobalThank you, Michelle, for such an engaging and rich conversation! 

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 31: Randall Hallett, Nebraska

Recorded in fall 2023: Nebraska gets on my "People in Fundraising" map thanks to my friend and podcast mentor Randall Hallett! I became acquainted with Randall five years ago through our work at Intermountain Health. Since then, he provided incredible guidance to me two years ago as I planned to launch this webcast. I am grateful for Randall's ideas and support.With 25+ years of fundraising experience, Randall is the CEO and founder of philanthropy consulting firm Hallett Philanthropy. In our really enjoyable conversation, Randall covers:* His upbringing in Nebraska and how he entered the philanthropy world* His recently published book, "Vibrant Vulnerability: Mastering Philanthropy for Today's and Tomorrow's Healthcare CEOs." https://lnkd.in/gdA7EU3N
* How Randall develops content for his own weekly podcast, "Around with Randall." It is a terrific resource on a wide variety of nonprofit, work/life, and general interest topics. Well worth anyone's time to listen and subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gxXccTpK
* Randall's and his family's long connections to the University of Nebraska. This is a touching and insightful part of our conversation. * Why he chose to conclude each "Around with Randall" podcast episode with this Gaelic observation: "Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And then there are those who just wondered what happened." This reminds me of how the late Robert F. Kennedy was eulogized by his brother Ted in 1968, inspired by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw: "Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?'" 

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 30: Joanna Schofield, Maryland

Recorded in fall 2023: My first guest to represent Maryland, Joanna Schofield, does a masterful job articulating two critical issues: Development work, and "the silent crisis" in American society concerning the millions of full-time professionals who need to adjust schedules and energy to fulfill their employment while also serving as caregivers to loved ones.
Joanna discusses:*Serving as the sole fundraiser for the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, at Johns Hopkins University*How she transitioned from prospect development to frontline fundraising - bridging the processes and data utilization aspects of the former with the implementation and creativity aspects of the latter as she engages donors*Beginning at the 26-minute mark, her cofounding role (with Talia Selove) of "Professionals Who Care," as a vehicle to give full-time workers who are also caregivers outlets and resources to assist them. Creating more workplace cultures where such employees are acknowledged and accommodated are critical and a win for employers trying to recruit and retain such talent. Donor Participation Project's Louis Diez is a member-at-large of Professionals Who Care.

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 29: Paul Majnik, University of Utah

Recorded in fall 2023: I am grateful to have known Paul Majnik since meeting him in summer 2006 while visiting my extended family in Utah. Paul and Katie Nelson kindly had an info interview with me, when it was two of them in prospect research at the University of Utah. Since then, Paul's team has grown in leaps and bounds, and a lot of staffers have been there for many years.Paul discusses:* Overseeing multiple teams with their own managers (prospect research, prospect management, reporting, IT, and gift services)* Successful traits Paul sees in managing people and teams, including "hiring the smartest and nicest people I can, and then finding out how I can help them succeed."