giving intelligence podcast

On this episode, we welcome Jennifer Cowan, Chief Executive Officer of Connections for Children. Jennifer leads an organization that for 50 years has been helping children, families, and child care providers across the Westside and South Bay connect to the resources, education, and support they need to thrive. In our conversation, we talk about why child care is far more than a parenting issue, ho...

Today’s episode is about a simple but powerful idea: we all want our giving to matter. Most donors give from habit or emotion alone, supporting the same causes year after year. But as today’s guest, Matt Coleman, Executive Director of Giving Multiplier, explains, there are also opportunities to give in ways that can be dramatically more effective—sometimes doing far more good per dollar than we mi...

In today’s episode of The Giving Intelligence Podcast, we’ll explore what it really means to support refugees — not just through emergency aid, but through opportunity, education, and partnership. I’ll be talking with Suzanne Ehlers, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, the U.S. nonprofit that raises awareness and resources for the United Nations Refugee Agency. Suzanne shares how her orga...

On this edition of Giving Intelligence, Mitchell is joined by Jeff Schreifels, one of the leading voices in major donor fundraising. Whether you’re a donor seeking a more meaningful way to give back or a nonprofit professional looking to engage your supporters better, this conversation is for you. Jeff shares powerful insights into what truly inspires generosity and how to feel more connected to t...

Join us for an enlightening episode of Giving Intelligence as we sit down with Laurie Herrick, founder of Rainmaker Consulting, to explore how nonprofits can build a stronger culture of philanthropy and engage donors more effectively. Laurie shares her journey from volunteer work with advocacy groups to launching Rainmaker Consulting in 2023 with the mission of helping nonprofits maximize their fu...

Join us for an empowering episode of Giving Intelligence as we sit down with Sarah Jakle, the founder of DemocraShe, an organization dedicated to empowering high school girls to find their civic voice and consider running for office. Sarah shares her passion for helping young women overcome imposter syndrome and societal barriers to leadership, emphasizing that it is their birthright to hold offic...

Welcome to a special episode of the Giving Intelligence Podcast! While we usually explore the stories and strategies of others in the philanthropic world, today’s episode gives you a closer look at the heart of why I do what I do in the philanthropic space. This guest episode features a rerecording of my appearance on the Purpose Driven Advisor Podcast. In this conversation, I share the motivation...

Join us for an inspiring episode of Giving Intelligence as we sit down with John Zavalney, a passionate educator and environmental advocate, whose career has been dedicated to making a difference through volunteerism and education. John’s journey began as a teacher with a focus on biology and general science, but it was his deep involvement in environmental education that truly defined his career....

Join us for a powerful conversation on Giving Intelligence, as we sit down with Justin Szlasa, the director of homeless initiatives at the Future Communities Institute. Justin shares his personal journey with homelessness and discusses how FCI is tackling the complex issue of homelessness in Los Angeles. From creating the LA Working Capital Fund, which supports community-based organizations facing...

In this episode of Giving Intelligence, I have the pleasure of speaking with Egondu Onuoha, a dynamic leader in the nonprofit sector. We begin our conversation by exploring her inspiring journey through nonprofit work and her impactful role at Brooklyn Hospital. As the president of the Grant Professional Certification Institute (GPCI), Egondu shares her insights on the pivotal role of mentorship w...

Join us for a compelling episode of Giving Intelligence, where we sit down with Hardy Smith—an esteemed author, consultant, and motivational speaker specializing in nonprofit boards. Together, we dive deep into the pressing challenges nonprofit boards encounter, from clarifying roles and responsibilities to mastering intentional recruitment strategies. In this enlightening conversation, Hardy shar...

On this edition of Giving Intelligence, I sit down with Grey Hillard-Koshinksy of CASA of Bristol County.  We discuss the complexities of the foster care system, with Grey sharing their journey from being a volunteer to becoming the founding Executive Director of a new program. The conversation also touched on the challenges faced by young people in foster care, the importance of social wealth, an...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence, I sit down with Cathryn Dhanatya, PhD. Cathryn has over 2 decades experience in working in the non-profit realm from teaching to field work to administration to consulting. She is a frequent speaker on topics involving non-profit matters. We discussed how all donors can think like a professional funder and ways for anyone looking to change the world can take...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence Mitchell talks to Tracy Vanderneck of PhilCom, whose mission is to make communities better by providing nonprofit organizations with the tools they need to deliver on their missions effectively and efficiently. We discuss the aspects of what makes an effective board, the responsibilities of board members and how nonprofits need to evolve and adapt to changing...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence I talk to John Del Bello of Bgiving. We discuss the new BGiving social media app as a way to connect donors to nonprofits in their community. John explains how there are so many Americans who want to give and don’t know who to give to and how many nonprofits are doing great work but do not have the size and scale to promote their work to a large enough audien...

After a hiatus in July, we’re back with a brand new episode of Giving Intelligence. I sit down with Alison Raitt of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica to discuss their mission and programs and highlight their positive impact on the community and the great work that Boys and Girls Clubs do throughout the United States. We discuss the need for greater awareness of their tremendous work and vol...

Mitchell sits down with Chris Baca of Meals on Wheels West. They discuss the work that Meals on Wheels across the country does, not only feeding those in need but also providing other services such as job training, helping with clothing, and other assistance programs. They finish the conversation discussing the importance of volunteering and how anyone from someone with just a few minutes to membe...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence, Mitchell talks to Carly Basile from Experience Camp, a national non-profit that transforms the lives of grieving children through summer camp programs and innovative, year-round initiatives. We discuss how approximately six million children in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver by the time they turn 18 and how Exper...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence I sit down with Evan Rahman of Khan Academy. We discuss Khan Academy’s mission to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Evan shared the mastery learning approach used by Khan Academy, and how it’s used both as a supplement to classroom learning and a self-learning tool. She also shares their recent integration of AI to help student learne...

Mitchell sat down with Tom Gordon of Responsive Law. They explored the Responsive Law's mission of representing the interests of individuals in the legal system., its efforts to improve legal services for consumers, and the challenges faced in navigating the legal system. They discussed the roles of lawyers and non-lawyers in problem-solving, the importance of raising awareness about legal sys...

Mitchell sat down with Dog's Without Borders' executive director Chloe Lawrence, board member Nicole Lapidus, and their adoption coordinator Kim to discuss their work in finding forever homes for their rescues dogs. We discussed the need to find stray and rescued dogs homes after the pandemic, and ways to help dogs in need outside of giving them their forever home. We reviewed ways anyone...

Mitchell and Adam Rein of CapShift discusses his company, Cap Shift, and its focus on impact investing. They touched on the challenges of impact investing under different models and the importance of simplifying and storytelling around underlying investments. Mitchell and Andy review the difference between impact investing and ESG investing and how both might be appropriate to different individual...

Mitchell sits with Andy Posner from Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit that addresses poverty and climate change through equity financing. They explore how Andy's organization utilizes donations and investments from foundations to make a difference. The discuss the substantial impact small loans from Capital Good Fund can have on recipients, their communities, and the world.

Mitchell sits down with Genevieve Riutort of Westside Foodbank. They discuss Westside Food Bank's mission, its effort to meet the needs of the community, and its plan to purchase a building to ensure food security for future generations. They highlight the organization's role in providing food to social service agencies and the growing need for food assistance. They go over the different w...

On this episode of Giving Intelligence, Mitchell interviews Eva Goulborne of Littlefoot Ventures. As a change to our normal format, Eva is a consultant to many nonprofits and grantmakers but doesn’t currently work for a nonprofit. We discuss her background in food systems and how they translate to the work she does today to use her knowledge of these systems to help protect all of us from climate...