
Conversations Shaping the Future of Philanthropy
Bringing together philanthropy scholars and fundraising practitioners to bridge the gap between theory and practice
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About the Make Mission Podcast
The first six episodes of this podcast will examine how large-scale societal shifts such as the pandemic and the Great Resignation are impacting the world of philanthropy. We’ll explore how emerging technologies such as cryptocurrency are changing how nonprofits fundraise and the efforts nonprofits are taking to become a more inclusive workplace.
Listen to the trailer below and subscribe today.
Episode 1
Who runs the world? Women philanthropists and why they matter
What causes are women paying attention to and how does their support manifest? How are girls and young women today building philanthropy into their whole-self development? How are women particularly fulfilled by their philanthropic activity and motivated to create change? And most of all, how can they best be served by the organizations they wish to support?
Guests

Executive Director
The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools
Beth Gillespie
Assistant Professor
Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration, University of Memphis
Guests

President and CEO
Bryant Group
Dr. Mandi Stewart
Associate Professor, School of Public and International Affairs
North Carolina State University
Episode 2
When One Door Closes: Maximizing nonprofit leadership transitions
Research shows that board leadership is crucial, especially during an executive transition. During this time, what does a supportive, engaged board look like? What do board members most need as they stretch their capacity to assess the needs of the organization and identify and onboard a new leader? What results can stem from this preparation, or lack thereof? Based on the preferences and priorities of board members during the hiring process, how can a burgeoning nonprofit executive position themselves for a leadership position?
Episode 3
Who Gives a DAF: Understanding Donor-Advised Funds and their users
With the increasing use of Donor-Advised Funds in the modern philanthropic landscape, understanding how people give is becoming just as important as understanding why people give. However, the relative newness of this giving vehicle can cause anxiety among even the most seasoned of fundraisers. And like many nascent subjects, research on its function and the qualities of those who use it is relatively limited.
Guests

Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Nonprofit Management
George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at Brigham Young University
Heather Engel
Associate Vice President for Gift Planning
University of Virginia
Guests

Kautz-Uible Professor of Economics
University of Cincinnati
Joel Rivera
Assistant Director of Development, Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Wake Forest University
Episode 4
Tales from the Crypto: Futurism and Philanthropy
Can you prepare your nonprofit for a future that looks wildly different from the present? It’s a future with a blockchain’s worth of new words, definitions, and approaches to understanding futurist donors who have deep passion and pockets for new, disintermediated technologies.
Episode 5
Controlled Chaos: What makes TikTok different for nonprofits?
There’s a new kid on the block when it comes to nonprofit messaging: TikTok. And as a result of its frenetic short-form videos, artificial intelligence, and relative ease of video creation and amplification, it is changing the way organizations relate to their audiences.
Guests

Associate Director of Communications and Content Strategy
SUNY Brockport
Dr. Kimberly Wiley
Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Sciences
University of Florida Department of Family, Youth, and Community Services
Guests

Assistant Professor
John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University
Karen Isble
Vice President for College Advancement
Kalamazoo College
Chelsey Megli
Chief of Staff for Advancement
University of Oregon
Episode 6
Safe and Supported: Combatting Sexual Harassment toward Fundraisers
Sexual harassment within the nonprofit sector, often perpetrated by donors, is an uncomfortable yet very real experience for fundraisers. But researchers and fundraising leaders are bringing light to this darkness – and they’ve joined us for this important episode.
About the host
Anna Schlia
Vice President
Graham-Pelton
Status quo breaker, frontline fundraiser, and researcher of donor inclinations, Anna Schlia is an expert in principal and major gifts, collaborative ask strategy and management, program building, and solicitation team leadership. Relentlessly inquisitive about nonprofit institutions and the donors who support them, Anna is completing a Ph.D. on the topic of donor motivations and is a noted presenter on the topic.
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Graham-Pelton is the fundraising consulting firm chosen by leading nonprofit organizations worldwide.
Our mission is to elevate philanthropy so nonprofits can flourish.