The Metric Philanthropy Isn't Measuring (But Should)

In this episode of Distilling Philanthropy, Josh Stamer sits down with Kari Hernandez (SVP of Growth at Ren, Inc.) to challenge how we measure (and practice) modern philanthropy. They dig into donor-advised funds (DAFs), why "assets parked" is the wrong scoreboard, and what it looks like to move from check-writing to problem-solving with real outcomes, momentum, and fulfillment. If you're a high net worth donor or advisor trying to deploy charitable capital with more clarity and less friction, this conversation delivers a sharper framework for what's next. Kari leads growth strategy across product, partnerships, and market expansion at Ren, a philanthropy-tech company powering charitable giving infrastructure for donor-advised funds, nonprofits, wealth managers, and fintech partners. Her background spans systems engineering and operations, including early work at Disney, leadership roles at McKinsey, and VP positions at Indigo Agriculture and Veho. She holds degrees from USC (BS Industrial & Systems Engineering), MIT (MS Transportation), and Harvard Business School (MBA).