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On The Brightside: Conversations on Philanthropy: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Anna Schlia
On The Brightside: Conversations From The Field is a live podcast series hosted by Anna Schlia of Brightside Philanthropy. Episodes will feature researchers, writers, and practitioners who are asking interesting questions, exploring fresh ideas, and helping us think differently about fundraising and nonprofit work.Together, we'll explore the stories behind their work, what they're learning, what surprises them, and what it might mean for the way we do ours.
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- 2 days ago59 min
Hallway Conversations from ARNOVA 2025
At ARNOVA 2025 in Indianapolis, Anna grabbed a microphone and caught as many researchers as she could: in hallways, between sessions and, once, in a hotel lobby with techno music playing. Eight scholars follow the money from the student who doesn't know a donor paid her tuition, to the monthly donor, to the billionaire, to the organizations doing the work. Every conversation ends with something a fundraiser can do tomorrow. Consider it a preview of ARNOVA 2026, November 19 to 21 in Philadelphia.About this episode: Recorded at ARNOVA 2025 in Indianapolis, where nonprofit researchers and practitioners gather to share what they're learning. Nine conversations, three acts: the donor, the money, and the organization.Act 1: The DonorTeresa Waddle Gotthardt: What scholarship recipients know (and don't know) about the donors funding their education.Lauren Dula: How gender, messaging, and checkout giving shape donor behavior.Jackie Ackerman: Why women's and girls' organizations still receive just 2% of charitable giving, and how fundraisers can better engage women.Act 2: The MoneyDanielle Vance-McMullen: Why monthly donors deserve major-gift-level stewardship.Hans Peter Schmitz: MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropy, and the Giving Pledge.Alicia Schatteman: The rise of the "Trad fundraiser" and what nonprofits need to tell donors about operating costs.Act 3: The OrganizationHeather Carpenter: How policy changes are affecting Louisiana nonprofits and what they need from funders.Mohannad Mofawaz: How entrepreneurial thinking helps Nigerian nonprofits navigate scarce resources.Mentioned In This Episode: Fieldwork, Brightside Philanthropy's coaching program for frontline fundraisers: https://www.brightsidephilanthropy.com/fieldworkMusic: "A Million Moments" by Jackie Venson, used with permission. Visit Jackie at jackievenson.com and listen to the song on Spotify.
- 2 days ago24 min
Dungeons and Dragons for Nonprofits, with Tim Sarrantonio
Tim Sarrantonio chairs the Fundraising Effectiveness Project and spent years at Neon One. Now he's designing a game. We talk about why the sector keeps confusing the tricks of market capitalism with generosity, who decided every nonprofit needs a gala and a golf tournament, and how his Generosity Roundtable helps boards and teams practice conversations about identity and trust.About Tim: Tim Sarrantonio is the founder of The Generosity Spectrum, an educational gaming studio, and the designer of its first title, the Generosity Roundtable. He has chaired the Fundraising Effectiveness Project for about two years and has been involved with it for more than a decade. Before launching The Generosity Spectrum, he spent years at Neon One.Mentioned In This Episode: Fieldwork, Brightside Philanthropy's coaching program for frontline fundraisers: https://www.brightsidephilanthropy.com/fieldworkMusic: "A Million Moments" by Jackie Venson, used with permission. Visit Jackie at jackievenson.com and listen to the song on Spotify.
- 1 weeks ago45 min
The Podcast Queen Takes the Guest Chair, with Kathryn Van Sickle | Plus: Gift Wrap with Eric Rezsnyak
Kathryn Van Sickle has hosted more than 150 episodes of The Development Debrief, and she tells us what the best fundraisers she's interviewed have in common. We also get into why parent giving matters more than ever and how Yale raised its parent giving society from $10,000 to $40,000. Plus: Gift Wrap with Eric Rezsnyak, dishing on Elon Musk's SpaceX share pledge and Ariana Grande's new foundation.About Kathryn: Kathryn Van Sickle is Director, Parent Gifts at Yale, where she leads a team and still carries an active portfolio. She hosts The Development Debrief, a podcast she launched in November 2019 that now has more than 150 episodes.In this episode:Three themes from 150+ episodes: There will always be a reason for people not to give, relationships with peers at other institutions are "superpowers," and AI now comes up in every conversation.Her three people: Her dad, who also works in the field. Rhea, whom she met as a student at Trinity College and who is still her mentor. And her best friend from her first job, the friend she can call without having to phrase anything productively.Doors are open, so walk in: Senior leaders tell Kathryn they hold office hours and want to help, but people aren't coming. Her advice is to put yourself there and keep following up.What great fundraisers share: They're eternal optimists (the work is a "deadlift," and everyone starts at zero every year). They stay hyper-focused on moving the needle. They see each donor's whole philanthropic picture. And they're in lockstep with their leader.Why parent giving, why now: Every year brings new families who are proud and excited to get to know the institution, while campaigns are closing out with fatigued donors.Raising the bar: Yale's Parents Leadership Council started at $10,000 fifteen years ago, moved to $25,000 in 2019 and is now $40,000, with about 150 families. Her advice: start with a number that feels authentic to your organization & get leadership buy-in.Loves and losses: Kathryn's favorite part of her role is her active portfolio of families. Her challenge is balancing that portfolio with managing a team, something she's still figuring out three and a half years in.Gift Wrap with Eric Rezsnyak: Prospect researcher Eric joins Anna to dish on this week in philanthropy:Elon Musk's pledge on X to give one SpaceX share to every child in America, and how you'd book a gift announced by tweetThe buzz around "third wave philanthropy" from new AI wealth, and the case for trust but verifyAriana Grande's Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, a fiscally sponsored project of the Entertainment Industry Foundation & what celebrity giving really looks likeMentioned in this episode:The Development Debrief podcastKathryn on Instagram: @devdebriefEric's podcast: Great Pop Culture DebateFieldwork, Brightside Philanthropy's coaching program: https://www.brightsidephilanthropy.com/fieldworkMusic: "A Million Moments" by Jackie Venson, used with permission. Visit Jackie at jackievenson.com and listen to the song on Spotify.
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About On The Brightside: Conversations on Philanthropy
On The Brightside: Conversations From The Field is a live podcast series hosted by Anna Schlia of Brightside Philanthropy. Episodes will feature researchers, writers, and practitioners who are asking interesting questions, exploring fresh ideas, and helping us think differently about fundraising and nonprofit work.Together, we'll explore the stories behind their work, what they're learning, what surprises them, and what it might mean for the way we do ours.
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