In this episode of The First Day from The Fundraising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D. is joined by philanthropic power duo Una Osili, Ph.D. and Jon Bergdoll, M.A., to unpack the freshly minted Giving USA 2025 report. Spoiler alert: Americans gave over $590 billion in 2024. Adjusted for inflation, giving grew a solid 3.3%, with a hefty assist from a booming stock market, low unemployment, and a collective sigh of economic relief post-pandemic. Dr. Osili brings the analytical fire, groundi...
Jun 29, 2025•18 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fundraising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., sits down with executive search guru Bill Peterson of CarterBaldwin to unpack the high-stakes world of CEO transitions, and their ripple effect on fundraising. Think of it as succession planning with heart, spreadsheets, and maybe a few tissues. Drawing from the recent Compassion International case study, Peterson emphasizes that a successful handoff isn't just about filling a seat; it's about preservi...
Jun 22, 2025•17 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fundraising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D. sits down with philanthropic power couple Linn and Byron Braun, who offer a refreshing and candid look into the donor’s mind. From third-grade campaign trail adventures to launching garden programs and anti-child abuse foundations, the Brauns’ journey is a masterclass in giving with heart. They walk us through how their charitable spirit evolved, from separate individual passions to a shared mission of ...
Jun 15, 2025•18 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fundraising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes back the brilliant Una Osili, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. They dive into the hot-off-the-press study, The Next Generation of Philanthropy, revealing how Millennials and Gen Z are shaping the future of charitable giving. Spoiler alert: these younger donors may not have all the money yet, but they sure have the passion, and th...
Jun 08, 2025•18 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D. welcomes back the ever-insightful Lindsay Marciniak, MPA, Managing Director of CCS Fundraising, to dissect the latest edition of CCS’s Philanthropy Pulse Report. Broadcasting from the heart of Chicago, Lindsay dives into this year’s fundraising pulse check, highlighting trends, triumphs, and the occasional head-scratcher. The survey gathered insights from nearly 650 organizations worldwide, with about ...
Jun 01, 2025•21 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., reconnects with his longtime mentor and fundraising sage, Tim Seiler, Ph.D., Director Emeritus of The Fund Raising School. Together, they dive into a topic that’s more relevant than ever: how to navigate the stormy seas of fundraising during uncertain times. Dr. Seiler shares war stories from his early fundraising days, reflecting on crises from the 1987 stock market crash to today’s mix of economic a...
May 25, 2025•20 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes Dr. George Newman, Associate Professor of Management and Marketing at the University of Toronto, to explore one of the most deceptively simple questions in fundraising: Should we give donors gifts? Backed by years of research and a background in psychology, Dr. Newman offers a compelling and somewhat counterintuitive answer, those tote bags and coffee mugs might actually be hurting more than ...
May 18, 2025•16 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., sits down with Virginia Harrison, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Clemson University, to dig deep into a question many nonprofit professionals fear to ask out loud: Why do donors leave? With a background in public relations and firsthand fundraising experience, Dr. Harrison brings both academic insight and real-world perspective to the increasingly vital topic of donor stewardship. Drawing from her rese...
May 11, 2025•17 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes back Dan Heist, Ph.D. and Gen Shaker, Ph.D., to explore new research on how fundraisers are navigating relationships with donors who give through donor-advised funds (DAFs). With nearly 2 million DAF accounts holding $250 billion and distributing over $50 billion annually, these philanthropic vehicles are now a central feature of the fundraising landscape. The study, presented at AFP ICON, sh...
May 04, 2025•18 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes back the legendary Kay Sprinkle Grace to tackle a critical topic: staying resilient in fundraising during turbulent times. Kay emphasizes that the nonprofit sector becomes even more essential when the world feels shaky. She reminds fundraisers that their steadiness provides the strength communities crave, and that their role is to radiate hope, not hoard anxiety. Rather than surrendering to f...
Apr 27, 2025•19 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes back Rick Dunham, founder and chair of Dunham+Company, for an insightful breakdown of donor confidence heading into 2025. Drawing on a fresh national survey of 1,500 active donors (each having given at least $20 in the past year), Dunham reports that 91% of donors plan to continue giving, an encouraging signal in a landscape often marred by doom-and-gloom headlines. Even more uplifting? A rob...
Apr 20, 2025•17 min
In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D. sits down with Mark Mayer, Ph.D., clinical associate professor at the Kelley School of Business and former brand manager turned humor scholar, to explore the serious power of being funny in fundraising. Mayer’s deep dive into advertising and branding reveals that humor isn’t just a crowd-pleaser, it’s a message-multiplier. “You don’t want it just to be funny,” Mayer notes, “you want it to achieve somet...
Apr 13, 2025•17 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz welcomes Jaclyn Piatak, Ph.D., professor at UNC Charlotte and co-author of Volunteer Management: A Strategic Approach, to bust the myth that volunteers are just free labor. Piatak lays the groundwork for a new way of thinking about volunteers, not as warm bodies to do the grunt work, but as essential, diverse contributors who require thoughtful management, planning, and engagement. And yes, that includes job descriptions, onboard...
Apr 05, 2025•15 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Geah Pressgrove, Ph.D., professor at West Virginia University and public relations maven-turned-research powerhouse, to explore the mighty mechanics of donor stewardship. Dr. Pressgrove pulls back the curtain on her groundbreaking 2017 research that distilled 26 donor engagement practices into five clear stewardship buckets: relationship nurturing, reporting, responsibility, regard, and recognition. These are...
Mar 30, 2025•19 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Patty McIlreavy, President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), to discuss how charitable giving shifts during times of disaster. Patty begins by reframing the very concept of disaster—not as the event itself, like a hurricane or wildfire, but as the collision of an event with a community’s vulnerability. This vulnerability, often rooted in systemic inequities, becomes the true disaster. CDP...
Mar 23, 2025•19 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Dr. Ashutosh Nandeshwar, Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising and author of Data Science for Fundraising, to explore the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in nonprofit fundraising. Dr. Nandeshwar breaks AI into two key categories: traditional AI, which includes predictive analytics and machine learning (long used for prospect identification and donor cultivation), and modern AI, which ...
Mar 16, 2025•20 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Dr. Patrick Rooney, Emeritus Professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, to discuss the ongoing debate over the Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD). With decades of expertise in philanthropy and economics, Dr. Rooney explains how tax incentives impact charitable giving, particularly in light of past tax reforms that significantly reduced the number of itemizing households. While ...
Mar 08, 2025•15 min
In this episode of The First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Robert Osborne Jr., principal of The Osborne Group, to discuss the often-overlooked but crucial segment of mid-level donors. With extensive experience in frontline fundraising and consulting, Robert highlights the importance of mid-level gifts—typically ranging from $1,000 to $50,000—as a key driver of nonprofit sustainability. He emphasizes that while many organizations focus on small donors or major gifts, ...
Mar 02, 2025•20 min
In this episode of the First Day podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Lynne Wester, founder and principal of the Donor Relations Group. Drawing from her background at Walt Disney World and expertise in fundraising, Lynne shares how nonprofits can enhance donor relations by creating memorable, emotionally engaging experiences. She emphasizes that donor stewardship isn’t just a follow-up step—it’s the foundation of sustainable fundraising success. Lynne explains that just as Disn...
Feb 23, 2025•16 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP®, Vice President at Kindsight and co-author of the study Donor Perceptions of AI. The conversation discusses how donors perceive the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the nonprofit sector. This independently funded study surveyed over 1,000 U.S. donors who contributed between $20 and $200,000 over the past year, offering a rare look into their comfort level with AI and it...
Feb 16, 2025•21 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Ann Fitzgerald, MA, founder of AC Fitzgerald and alumna of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Ann shares her expertise on helping nonprofits navigate financial crises, offering practical strategies for organizations that find themselves overly reliant on a single funding source. The conversation was sparked by a recent federal funding pause in early 2025, which served as a wake-up cal...
Feb 09, 2025•16 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Arleen Peterson, ECRF, MA, Executive Director, Relational Services for the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Arleen shares her experience leading growth at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, highlighting how visionary leadership and strategic engagement can drive significant fundraising success. She discusses the importance of looking beyond an organization’s immediate environment, gathering insights from indu...
Feb 02, 2025•18 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Angela Altamore, Associate Vice President of Donor Relations and Experience at BWF. Angela provides an in-depth look at the importance of donor relations in nonprofit fundraising, breaking down the distinctions between donor relations, donor stewardship, and donor experience. She uses the metaphor of building a house to explain these terms: donor relations act as the “blueprint” for a donor’s overall journey,...
Jan 26, 2025•18 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Laura MacDonald, CFRE, Founder and Principal of the Benefactor Group. Laura discusses the critical role endowments play in fostering long-term financial resilience for nonprofits. She emphasizes that endowments, distinct from operating reserves or rainy-day funds, are strategic investments in which the principal remains untouched while annual draws (typically 4–6%) provide a steady revenue stream. With $12 tr...
Jan 20, 2025•18 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Betsy Erickson, Head of Family and Individual Services at Arabella Advisors, to dissect the top obstacles donors face when it comes to charitable giving. Backed by a collaborative study from the Gates Foundation, Arabella Advisors, and others, the conversation dives into the psychological and logistical hurdles that deter even the most well-intentioned philanthropists. These include the paradox of too many ch...
Jan 13, 2025•21 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D. explores the trends and opportunities awaiting fundraisers in 2025. The episode begins on a high note, celebrating record-breaking charitable donations reported in 2024, despite inflation’s impact. Bill emphasizes that smart budgeting and realistic goal-setting remain key to navigating such challenges. With the S&P 500 ending 2024 on a positive note, Bill points out historical trends suggesting a fruitful year ahead fo...
Jan 05, 2025•13 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Anthony Heaven, Ph.D., professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, to discuss the experiences of African American fundraisers working within predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Drawing from his qualitative research, Dr. Heaven shares insights into the challenges, biases, and opportunities that Black fundraisers encounter, from navigating isolation to advocating for diversity ...
Dec 15, 2024•28 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes Christopher Beck, CAP, Principal Gift Advisor at ALSAC/St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, to demystify the complexities of planned gift fundraising. Often seen as daunting and overly technical, planned giving involves helping donors consider their legacy while navigating tax and estate planning strategies. Christopher shares insights on how fundraisers can overcome these challenges by focusing on relationsh...
Dec 08, 2024•14 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., speaks with Elaine Martyn, Senior Vice President, Private Donor Group, of Fidelity Charitable, to explore the role of donor-advised funds (DAFs) in modern philanthropy. Fidelity Charitable, the largest recipient of charitable donations in the United States, administers DAFs as a tool for strategic giving. Elaine explains how DAFs operate as “charitable investment accounts,” allowing donors to contribute assets, receive im...
Dec 01, 2024•26 min
In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., speaks with Travis Tester, MA, CFRE, Chief Development and Communications Officer for Foster Success, about innovative ways nonprofits can use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance fundraising. Foster Success, a nonprofit supporting Indiana youth transitioning out of foster care, operates with a $5 million annual budget and a small fundraising team. Travis emphasizes that AI is not just for large institutions, sharing h...
Nov 24, 2024•24 min
