People in Fundraising: A Nonprofit Podcast by Tim Wilson

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 28: Zena Lum, DEI and Social Justice Advocate

Recorded in fall 2023: Zena Lum joins “People in Fundraising” as a strong recommendation from season one guest Jessica McNeill. They and many others in the Boston nonprofit world endeavor to create a more equitable work environment and build a network of people of color in philanthropy.The bulk of our conversation focuses on social justice, DEI, and volunteer work. Her interview shows the lived wisdom of doors closing and new doors opening, and of Zena’s resiliency and passion for nonprofit work. Her volunteer work has been both formative and informative, including with Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC). 

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. 

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 26: Meena Das, NamasteData.org, British Columbia

Recorded in fall 2023: Meenakshi (Meena) Das shares her genuine and invigorating thoughts on her nonprofit career and data equity in this next "People in Fundraising" conversation! She is the first guest to represent British Columbia in this program.
Born in India, Meena moved from the tech industry to nonprofit work about five years ago. Many guests know her from Meena's free e-newsletters, "Dear Human" and "Data Uncollected," and her other free resources at NamasteData.org
. I became acquainted with Meena through her LinkedIn presence and quickly grew to admire Meena for her insights and humility. ​Meena talks about:* How to sustain our nonprofit work with joy* Her desire to see "everyone feel represented in the data and comfortable in it"* How her "Learn, Write, and Reflect" approach every seven or eight weeks helps Meena to stay centered* How volunteering uplifts, connects, and empowers everyone

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 25: Kelli North, University of Michigan

Recorded in fall 2023: Halloween is the favorite holiday for my next “People in Fundraising” awesome guest Kelli North, MSW. In honor of this, her conversation is going live today! She is also the first guest to represent Michigan in this program.Kelli’s current role was years in the making. She has a foot in prospect development and analytics and also attends meetings of the DEI team, whose initiatives Kelli supports and assists to bridge DEI theory and reality. A first-gen college student – where she was a member of the university’s Native American Student Association – Kelli talks about her lifelong passion for social work and advocacy, and how her desire to work in those spaces led to her nonprofit career. Part of Kelli’s role focuses on identifying donors for the very same scholarship she received that enabled her to attend the University of Michigan.Kelli also discusses:* How her current role developed, with help from Kat Walsh, Heather McPhail, and Craig Leonard, among others;* The University of Michigan’s campus-wide focus on DEI (in strategic planning, KPI’s for DEI activities);* Efforts to diversify the University’s Campaign Council and other campus-wide committees;* Efforts to diversity the University’s donor pipeline, looking at wealth more holistically and discussing indicators that may be introducing biases into their prospect identification and larger donor life cycle program;* Michigan’s DEI Data Policy; demographic data erasure; and white-passing identities and privileges;

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 24: Jason Roesler, Apra Board Member

Recorded summer 2023: Jason Roesler has spent his entire 16-year career to-date in prospect development at his alma mater, Washington State University, from which he has earned three degrees! Jason joined People in Fundraising on *the same day* that WSU went live with a new CRM! Like most other guests across nearly 70 episodes, Jason describes his entrée into fundraising as happenstance. He “felt at home in prospect development almost immediately.” Jason talks about:* The importance of intellectual curiosity in prospect management and research*Taking “informed chances,” a lesson learned from Jon Thorsen*The benefit of informal check-ins with his teams, and how to do that in our hybrid/remote structure*Jason’s answer to a question once posed to “Schitt’s Creek” actor Eugene Levy – “What would you have missed in life without the work you do?” 

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 23: Rachael Walker, Prospect Development Guru

Recorded in fall 2023: Prospect Development Guru Rachael Dietrich Walker is my next guest in "People in Fundraising." She discusses her love of "anything to do with the written word," per her LinkedIn, and how that curiosity led to synergies with prospect research.Rachael covers:* Trying to put curiosity to productive use, and what parameters, like a timer, help Rachael* Being not afraid of the AI revolution, since "computers don't have curiosity." :-)* Rachael's goal, as a breast cancer survivor, to fund nonprofits that research the intersection of this disease and mental health, which is currently not funded well * Rachael's openness in discussing ADH and being neurodivergent* Her reaction to Bono of U2's distinction between an "activist" and an "actualist."

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 22: Lindsey Nadeau, UNICEF U.S.A.

Recorded in summer 2023: Longtime Apra volunteer and leader in the prospect development community, Lindsey Nadeau, CFRE shares a lot of great advice in our conversation about volunteer leadership. She also discusses how, as an undergrad phone-a-thon volunteer, she first became familiar with fundraising and, in short order, prospect research.
We also cover:*How Jon Thorsen's management rules inspired Lindsey and her team to build out UNICEF USA's Prospect Development Standards of Collaboration (link in comments to this incredible guide!)*Overcoming imposter syndrome: "You do not need to be an expert to be a volunteer in your profession. You do the work, and that's how you become an expert."

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 21: Jen Wasem, Puerto Rico

Jen Wasem joined "People in Fundraising" this summer from Puerto Rico, a place of special meaning in her life. It is a fascinating anecdote that Jen shares with enthusiasm and a deep respect for the people and cultures of Puerto Rico. Jen relates that Puerto Rico is "where I breathe the best." She describes living in and traveling to many countries, adding, "If you haven't found your place, at least start looking. Go find it!"She shares how she loves both the community and the business, in particular the strategy, of working in philanthropy, working with like-minded *and* like-hearted people. We also talk about:*Personal archaeology, a term used in Bruce Feiler's book "The Search." Jen adds, "People who don't sit with themselves and who they are, are missing out."*Spirituality and a powerful quote from Arthur Brooks: "There is a cosmic purpose to my work, and yours. We have a divine nature that endows my existence, and yours, with transcendental meaning."*At the 38-minute mark, a quote from the 2023 "Peter Pan + Wendy" movie: "Growing up may just be the greatest adventure of all," and how that relates to Jen raising her sons and me raising my four kids.*The influence of Jen's father and the example he set as a person and a senior U.S. Air Force Figure.

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 20: Andy McMahon, D.C.

Originally recorded in summer 2023: Andy discusses:*Artificial Intelligence's impact on our profession and society (a recent NY Times article called this "a land-grab of public opinion about what AI is and what it will do.") And how Andy uses terms such as "predictive model" and "generative model" to help staff better understand Andy's focus on big data.*His motivations for being an active content-generator and knowledge-sharer on LinkedIn*Andy's suggestion to first look at the most narrowly-defined use-cases where Artificial Intelligence can help a fundraising team.*The common rituals in Andy's day to start and wind down a workday and pivot to life outside of the workday.

People in Fundraising, Season 2, Ep. 19: Andrea Holland, UC-Davis College of Engineering

Originally recorded in summer 2023: I am excited to share my recent “People in Fundraising” conversation with Andrea Holland. Andrea has been in their current role at UC-Davis for about 16 months, going from prospect development to serving as the Chief Administrative Officer for two departments at UC-Davis’ College of Engineering. Andrea talks about wanting to branch out skillset-wise, examining their long-term career goals, and how this opportunity developed. “I still get be a part of philanthropy in my current role, just from a different perspective, focusing on stewardship, fund management, board relations, fund spending/compliance/gift agreements.” This is a fascinating part of our chat, as viewers will learn how Andrea’s role is responsible for the fiscal management of two departments and ensuring that donor gifts are spent appropriately. Andrea’s conversation is going live in honor of Bisexual Awareness Week, which began on September 16th and runs through September 23rd. This week is an extension of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, which is held annually on September 23rd. When Andrea and I first connected about our interview, they replied, “I am super open about being bisexual and non-binary.” I feel honored to share some of Andrea’s story with our audience on this platform.