First Day Podcast

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. sits down with Ann Fitzgerald, founder of AC Fitzgerald, to talk about the critical role of donor stewardship in nonprofit success. Fitzgerald emphasizes that nonprofits often struggle with donor retention, noting a staggering 70% of new donors never make a second gift. She explains that effective stewardship—building relat...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. sits down with Miguel Lopez, CFRE, Senior Manager of Development at the San Diego Foundation, to discuss the organization’s innovative El Camino Fund. Miguel shares his personal motivation for launching the fund, rooted in his experience as a first-generation Mexican American in San Diego. He highlights the Foundation's mis...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. sits down with Hava Goldberg, Director of Corporate and Major Giving for Habitat for Humanity Canada, and discusses what motivates fundraisers to stay with nonprofit organizations. Goldberg, who recently celebrated her seven-year anniversary at Habitat, shares her reflections on retention and what organizations can do to fo...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. chats with Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer for GivingTuesday, about the "Giving Pulse" tool—a data-driven approach to tracking generosity trends in the U.S. Woodrow explains that Giving Pulse provides weekly insights into American giving behaviors, helping nonprofits understand how and why people give. This tool surve...

In this episode of "The First Day from the Fund Raising School," host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. discusses the key findings of the 2024 Giving USA report with Josh Birkholz, CEO of BWF and Board Chair of the Giving USA Foundation. The conversation kicks off with the staggering headline figure—$557 billion in charitable donations, the highest ever. Adjusted for inflation, however, most donation so...

In this celebratory episode of "The First Day from the Fund Raising School," host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes Lilya Wagner, Ed. D., CFRE, a pioneer in the world of professional fundraising, as they commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fund Raising School. Lilya reflects on her early days in the profession, particularly when she transitioned from teaching to become Vice President for Ad...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Chad Gobel, MBA, a renowned fundraising consultant, about a novel approach to identifying major gift donors, particularly within healthcare organizations. Gobel, who has over 30 years of experience in philanthropy, discusses the importance of shifting the focus from traditional wealth-based identification metho...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Sara Konrath, Ph. D., a social psychology expert recognized for her research on empathy and its connection to philanthropic behavior. The conversation centers on recent findings from a study tracking empathy trends among Gen Z and Millennials. Initially, research from 1979 to 2009 revealed a concerning decline...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Fund Raising School with a special guest, Tim Seiler, Ph. D., who led the School for 20 years. Together, they take a nostalgic trip through the evolution of fundraising, sharing key insights from the school's history and the enduring principles that have shaped the field. Dr. Seiler fo...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. looks at the uncertain economic climate of mid-2024 and its potential impact on fundraising efforts. The big question on everyone’s mind: are we on the brink of a recession, or is it just a distant possibility? With conflicting signals from various economic indicators—like the rise in unemployment to 4.3%, fluctuations in t...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Abby Jarvis, Head of Content for Neon One. They discuss Neon One's new Recurring Giving Report, revealing significant trends and insights into the world of repeat donations. Abby breaks down the concept of recurring giving, explaining it as donations set to repeat at regular intervals, typically monthly. Surpri...

In this special 50th-anniversary episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes Amir Pasic, Ph. D., Dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The discussion begins by reflecting on the Fundraising School’s impactful journey over the past half-century. Dr. Pasic emphasizes the importance of this milestone, noting the School’s significant contri...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Julia Campbell, a fundraising consultant specializing in digital communications and storytelling for nonprofits. They discuss the art of storytelling to enhance fundraising efforts, emphasizing its power in connecting with donors on a human level. Julia underscores that stories are fundamental to human communic...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. emphasizes the critical role of a strategic plan as the foundation for successful fundraising efforts. He begins by likening the strategic plan to a "Big Bang" moment for nonprofits, stressing its pivotal role akin to the genesis of relationships or partnerships. Bill highlights a surprising statistic from his extensive non...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Dr. Gene Tempel, the founder of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Dr. Tempel shares the history and evolution of the Fund Raising School, which was established by Henry and Dottie Rosso in 1974 and later donated to Indiana University in 1988. He highlights how the School has transforme...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Anna Pruitt, Managing Editor for Giving USA and Adjunct Faculty Member from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. They discuss the 2023 findings from the Giving USA report. The total charitable giving in the United States reached a record high of $557 billion in current dollars, showcasing...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Angelica Suarez-Trujillo, a seasoned advisor at Resilia specializing in nonprofit capacity building. The discussion centers on the crucial practice of relationship-based fundraising in higher education and beyond. Angelica defines this approach as shifting from transactional to transformational relationships, w...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Karen Boyd, Ph. D., Economist and Director of Research at the Policy and Innovation Center, and discuss the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and fundraising. She highlights the rapid advancements in AI technologies, emphasizing their potential to augment rather than replace human fundraiser...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. discusses the complexities of household charitable giving, aiming to dispel concerns regarding its purported decline. Stanczykiewicz begins by dissecting the oft-cited statistic that only 50% of households make charitable donations, suggesting that this figure may not accurately reflect the willingness of individuals to giv...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Patrick Rooney, Ph. D., Professor Emeritus of Economics and Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, to discuss the impact of presidential elections and other world events on charitable giving. Dr. Rooney shares insights from decades of research, revealing that presidential ca...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Jessica Browning, MBA, Principal and Executive Vice President at the Winkler Group. They discuss the complexities surrounding major and mega gifts in fundraising. Jessica acknowledges the significant contributions of major donors like McKenzie Scott while also highlighting the pitfalls of over-reliance on such...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sheds light on the evolving landscape of donor demographics, particularly focusing on Millennials. Contrary to common misconceptions, recent economic data suggests that Millennials are not only financially stable but thriving. They are emerging as significant donors, surpassing Generation X in charitable giving per househo...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Diane Kaplan, Senior Fellow at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In a revealing discussion on the nuances of nonprofit collaboration, Diane shares her insights from her extensive experience with the Rasmuson Foundation. She illustrates the power of strategic partnerships in leveraging the...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE and Steven Shattuck of Capital Campaign Pro, a unique platform designed to revolutionize traditional fundraising campaign consulting. Capital Campaign Pro assists nonprofit leaders in running their capital campaigns by offering a robust support system that includes an online toolkit, exper...

In this episode of the First Day Podcast, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Danielle Vance-McMullen, Ph. D., Assistant Professor at DePaul University and Dan Heist, Ph. D., Assistant Professor at Brigham Young University shared key findings from their extensive research on Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). Conducted in collaboration with the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative, their s...