First You Talk

Send us Fan Mail This episode explores maternal health disparities, highlighting the challenges local women face and the opportunities for meaningful change. Hear from Jennie Joseph, midwife and founder of Commonsense Childbirth, and Kim Nguyen Gray, Chair of 100 Women Strong . Kim shares how 100 Women Strong arrived at its 2026 grantee decision of investing in maternal health through Commonsense...

Send us Fan Mail Mark and Laurie talk through three charitable giving trends they expect to see in 2026. Plus, Mark breaks down the generations and their typical giving behavior. You'll hear from: Mark Brewer, President/CEO, Central Florida Foundation Laurie Crocker, VP of Strategic Communications, Central Florida Foundation Mentioned in episode: 100 Women Strong giving circle Magical Dining...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of First You Talk re-examines housing from new angles: landlord engagement, private sector affordable housing development, and updates on housing trends and data. Guests: Mark Brewer, President/CEO | Central Florida Foundation Sandi Vidal, VP of Community Strategies and Initiatives | Central Florida Foundation Niki Wilkerson, Co-Founder | Connections Ministry Nikhai&a...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 of Central Florida Foundation's First You Talk podcast is back on January 7th! Visit the First You Talk website . Visit Central Florida Foundation's Instagram . As our region’s community foundation, Central Florida Foundation serves as a launchpad for high-impact philanthropy. Championing the collective power of head, heart and dollar, we coordinate the commitme...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of First You Talk wasn't on our schedule of episodes...but after GoFundMe published nonprofit pages in October without the knowledge or consent of millions of organizations, we had to talk about it and its impact on trust and transparency in the nonprofit world. Laurie discusses discovering Central Florida Foundation's nonprofit page and CFF's subsequen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of First You Talk: Navigating Generosity , we explore the endowment fund - how it works, considerations, and best practices. How does an endowment work? Is it really meant to last “forever”? What happens if the nonprofit selected for an endowment closes? What are best practices that can make the most of an endowed fund? Two philanthropic advisors dive into these qu...

Send us Fan Mail LGBTQ+ is an acronym we all recognize—but how much do we really understand about the people, the history, and the evolving community it represents here in Central Florida? In this episode, we explore the LGBTQ+ landscape through stories of personal resilience, community impact, and forward-looking change. From the legacy of the Pulse tragedy to new models of care and what it means...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Navigating Generosity , Nicole Donelson sits down with David Torre to explore how charitable gift annuities (CGAs) can enhance the value you bring to client conversations. From retirement income strategies to charitable tax deductions, CGAs offer a unique way to align financial planning with philanthropic goals. You’ll walk away with practical talking points, pl...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Navigating Generosity, dive into a popular charitable giving tool: the donor-advised fund (DAF). With this broad overview, you'll learn the differences between a DAF and a private foundation, understand what a DAF can and cannot do, and why a DAF might make sense for a client. You'll walk away from this episode feeling more confident in your knowledge...

Send us Fan Mail Conservation is a word we all grew up knowing, but what does it really mean and how does it relate to other big topics we've discussed on the podcast? Lean into a conversation that covers an array of conservation issues and projects, from Eastern Indigo snakes and land acquisition to Florida's aquifer and efforts to create a Florida Wildlife Corridor, this episode will b...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a new First You Talk Series: Navigating Generosity! Navigating Generosity is designed for professional advisors and anyone who wants to be better informed when discussing charitable giving with their advisors. Our hosts include Chartered Advisors in Philanthropy® and other professionals in this field, including wealth and financial advisors. In the inaugural episode, we...

Send us Fan Mail It's the new craze: PSAFg, right?! We're (sort of) kidding on it being the hot new acronym, but there's no denying the importance of what these letters mean. Piloting, scaling, accelerating and filling gaps is a crucial part of our grantmaking strategy at Central Florida Foundation. In this episode, Sandi Vidal and Laurie Crocker discuss scaling, CFF's new publ...

Send us Fan Mail Join us on this episode focusing on end-of-year giving strategies! Nicole Donelson and special guest David Torre, Director of Wealth Planning at Seacoast Wealth Management, dive into the world of end-of-year giving as David shares his extensive experience in wealth planning, estate management, and charitable giving. Discover the nuances of charitable gift planning, the importance...

Send us Fan Mail Join Central Florida Foundation's Laurie and Sandi as they talk about a variety of ways to increase your impact of Giving Tuesday! In this episode, you'll learn about: Sandi's role with the Foundation The Thrive Framework 3 Ways to increase your impact on Giving Tuesday and get a refresher on the Giving Map. (Watch a quick video on it HERE !) Visit the First You Tal...

Send us Fan Mail Aligning with Episode 10. Understanding the Foster Care System , this episode explores the perspective of the child who goes through "the system." Ryan Hatcher, a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, sits down with Laurie to share his foster care story, which began as an infant and is still evolving today. We were able to connect with Ryan through his i...

Send us Fan Mail The Foster Care System is complex and nuanced, loaded with stories of terrible struggle and unsung heroes. This episode aims to unpack the system as a whole, starting from the national stage and slowly zooming into Central Florida. Learn about our state’s lead agency system, take a deep dive into what it means to “age out” of the system, and specific areas along the foster care ex...

Send us Fan Mail Jump into a bonus episode that aligns with Episode 7: Why is solving homelessness so hard? Part Two. Hear more from Mark and Sandi's conversation on HB 1365 and the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) mentality, then move over to an extended version of our conversation with Martha Are, CEO of Homeless Services Network of Central Florida and the Central Florida Commission on Homelessne...

Send us Fan Mail First You Talk turns one, and Laurie and Nicole from Central Florida Foundation take a walk down memory lane. How and why did the podcast come to fruition and where is it going? What were the other names and approaches considered? Sit down with Team CFF for a half hour of exploring the power of conversation - and all the laughs we had along the way. Visit the First You Talk websit...

Send us Fan Mail Why are we talking about homelessness again? It's simple. The conversation isn't over. With our homeless population seemingly on the rise and a new law in Florida, there's lots to unpack and untangle. If you haven't listened to Episode 1 yet (Part 1 of this conversation) we strongly recommend you do! Episode 1 provides a great overview of this topic and sets yo...

Send us Fan Mail Get to know Central Florida Foundation's President/CEO, Mark Brewer, better and hear him weigh in on topics such as career highs and lows, book recommendations, pop culture references (yes, we go there!), and more. Visit the First You Talk website . Visit Central Florida Foundation's Instagram . As our region’s community foundation, Central Florida Foundation serves as a...

Send us Fan Mail In this bonus episode that aligns with Episode 6: Are you a philanthropist? Nicole Donelson and Mark Brewer continue their conversation. You'll also hear from a mini community member, Laurie's son, Liam. Visit the First You Talk website . Visit Central Florida Foundation's Instagram . As our region’s community foundation, Central Florida Foundation serves as a launc...

Send us Fan Mail What makes someone a philanthropist? We dive into this topic, breaking down obstacles, misconceptions, trends and more. Learn about the giving continuum, the giving circle model, and how perceptions have evolved over time. Hear from: Mark Brewer | President/CEO, Central Florida Foundation Nicole Donelson | VP of Philanthropic Strategies and Partnerships, Central Florida Foundation...

Send us Fan Mail Troubleshooting issues within our educational system feels overwhelming. A spotlight is often on crisis points, such as kindergarten readiness, third grade reading scores, and graduation rates; but, what if we zoomed out and flew over the entire system at 30,000 feet? What if we thought about the big picture, and determined what exactly we even want out of the system? This episode...

Send us Fan Mail We hear this buzzword a lot: innovation. But what does it mean and is it a part of our community? Furthermore, is innovation a must-have in order to improve our region? Episode 4 digs into all of these questions with some of the best and the brightest in this space - and helps us to unpack this amorphous term and use it in a more meaningful way. This episode covers: How do we defi...

Send us Fan Mail This is a deeper-dive bonus episode that aligns with Episode 3: Why should we care about our community's mental health? Hear Mark and Sandi talk about strategies on creating a reliable and sustainable mental health workforce. Visit the First You Talk website . Visit Central Florida Foundation's Instagram . As our region’s community foundation, Central Florida Foundation...