First Day Podcast

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Julianne Read, founder and principal of E and E Fundraising & Events. Bill sets the stage by naming the rumors, myths, and legends that swirl around special events: they are either the ultimate fundraising solution, they never work, or they live somewhere in that wonderfully confusing middle ground...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Christina Daniken, senior member of the research team at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Editor-in-Chief, for Giving USA. The big headline: charitable giving in the United States reached $617.2 billion in 2025, growing 5% in current dollars and crossing the $600 billi...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Karen Houghton, CEO and Founder of Infinite Giving, for a clear, lively, and highly practical conversation about endowments: what they are, why they matter, and when nonprofits should start thinking about them. Karen brings a rare mix of nonprofit leadership, technology, finance, venture capital, a...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Soren Kaplan, PhD, nationally regarded educator, consultant, and author, for a practical and energizing conversation about nonprofit collaboration. Drawing from Soren's 2025 article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the episode asks a big question: why should fundraisers and nonprofit leade...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Jasmin Graham, founder, president, and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences, for an energetic conversation about leadership, vision, representation, and yes, sharks. Jasmin shares how her lifelong connection to the ocean, her curiosity for science, and one fateful Twitter exchange with other Black w...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Neelam Makhijani, Director of Strategy and Operations for SUVIDHA, for a lively and practical conversation about blended financing; bringing different kinds of funders together to create long-term social impact. Neelam explains that blended financing combines private capital, government support, co...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Connie Falcone, JD, founder and CEO of Firefly Athlete, for a conversation about what fundraisers need to know when sports and philanthropy collide. Connie brings serious insider credentials: seven seasons leading Cubs Charities, a 2016 World Series ring, and the proud title of “Connie from the Cub...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Janie Judd, founder and principal of Elevé, a national consulting firm that helps nonprofits “work better without losing what makes them human.” Their conversation tackles a challenge many mission-driven professionals know all too well: what happens when you care so deeply about the cause that you...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Mladenka Majerić, CEO of the Yellow Dot Foundation in Croatia and an international leader in nonprofit effectiveness, fundraising culture, and philanthropic development across Europe. Bill and Mladenka first connected at the Central and Eastern European Fundraising Conference in Bratislava, Slovaki...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes back Phil Purcell, Director of Planned Giving for the Central Territory of The Salvation Army, a veteran faculty member at The Fund Raising School, and nationally recognized expert on planned giving, nonprofit law, and charitable organizations. Phil joins the conversation fresh from leadership role...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes back Lindsay Marciniak, Managing Partner at CCS, for a data-rich conversation about the fifth edition of the Philanthropy Pulse Report. The report draws on responses from 618 nonprofit organizations across 47 states and 18 countries, giving fundraisers a broad look at both recent fundraising perfor...

In this energizing and highly practical episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Lisa Hacker, Director of Philanthropic Planning for the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, for a thoughtful and forward-looking conversation about fundraising with millennials and Gen Z. The episode begins by challenging one of the sector’s most outdated assumptio...

In this timely and highly practical episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Jon Bergdoll, MA, interim director of data and research partnerships at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, for a clear-eyed conversation about what the 2025 federal tax policy changes could mean for charitable giving. The episode opens with...

In this thoughtful and instructive episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Michal Werner, CAP, CFRE, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, for a rich conversation about major gift fundraising and the patience it requires. Framed around the idea that there is “joy in the journey,” the episode...

In this practical and timely episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Ruth Hansen, Ph. D., Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, for a smart conversation about checkout charity and what it reveals about contemporary donor behavior. With her characteristic blend of research rigor and practitioner awareness, Ruth explo...

In this thoughtful and deeply human episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Alison Jane Martingano, Ph. D., Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, for a fascinating conversation about empathy, burnout, and what fundraisers can learn from research rooted in healthcare. With clarity, warmth, and just the right amount of...

In this lively international edition of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes Lynda Harwood-Compton, Director of Latch Fundraising, for a smart and spirited conversation about what it really takes to engage millennial and Gen Z donors around the world. Lynda brings both global perspective and practical wisdom, tracing her own journey from teaching bl...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes Jeff Spitko, CFRE, Senior Director of Integrated Fundraising at the San Diego Foundation and a leading voice on digital fundraising strategy. Right out of the gate, the conversation challenges one of the most persistent myths in nonprofit fundraising: that digital fundraising is simply a matte...

In this forward-looking episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sits down with AI practitioner and marketing maestro Chris Strom of Sunrise Association to tackle a question that’s buzzing louder than a caffeinated chatbot: what can artificial intelligence actually do for fundraising? Chris doesn’t sugarcoat it. Yes, AI can be wrong. Yes, hallucinati...

In this data-packed episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes back philanthropic powerhouses Genevieve Shaker, Ph. D., and Dan Heist, Ph. D., to unpack the brand-new Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative report. And folks, the headline is clear: DAFs are not just “a thing,” they are a major thing. With $90 billion flowing into donor advis...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes fundraising veteran Rick Shadyac, JD, former longtime leader of ALSAC, the fundraising powerhouse behind St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Major donors love bold vision. But how do leaders decide which big ideas are brilliant… and which are just bonkers? Rick’s advice is refreshingly pract...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes Mladenka Majerić, CEO of the Yellow Dot Foundation in Croatia and a respected voice in philanthropy across Central and Eastern Europe. Right out of the gate, the duo tackles a deceptively simple but often neglected truth: fundraising doesn’t start with an appeal, a gala, or a clever email subje...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sits down with Carly Berna, Vice President of Marketing (and the impressively titled “Fundraiser in Residence”) at Virtuous. Carly shares findings from the latest Virtuous Benchmark Report, a treasure trove of data gleaned from over 570 nonprofits using the platform for at least three years. The result...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes back the ever-insightful Michele Dole, MS, CFP, Senior Vice President at Key Private Bank and cherished faculty member. Michele brings her unique perspective as both a former fundraiser and a current financial advisor, helping to demystify the world of wealth and financial advising for those i...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., digs into the booming world of artificial intelligence and what its rapid rise might mean for your fundraising future. Bill highlights the many ways AI is already helping fundraisers: writing donor letters, prepping for meetings, and identifying potential major donors; all with greater efficiency and e...