What Donors Want

To kick off Season Three, the Hewlett Foundation is back! But this time with a twist: Alfonsina Peñaloza, Programme Officer at the Foundation (and first What Donors Want guest ever) co-hosts with Rachel Stephenson Sheff, and together they interview Hewlett’s President, Larry Kramer, to understand his unique role from a leadership perspective. Larry has been President of the Foundation since 2012 –...

After Season Two, producer Rachel Stephenson Sheff sits down with the I.G. team to discuss key insights from this second round of interviews. In this roundtable discussion, the team reflects on the diverse range of Season Two guests - from foundations, to individuals, companies, intermediaries and thought leaders - and highlights key themes and takeaways. For anyone seeking a short, sharp recap of...

In the twenty-first episode - to celebrate #InternationalWomensDay - Rachel Stephenson Sheff interviews three panellists from the With and For Girls Collective, the world’s only participatory fund by, and for, adolescent girls. Founded in 2014, With and For Girls supports extraordinary girl-led and girl-centred organisations through an annual awards process. The twist? All awards are fully evaluat...

In the twentieth episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Amy Whight chat with Sharna Goldseker and Michael Moody – co-authors of the groundbreaking book, ‘Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving.’ Based on years of research and candid insights from hundreds of next gen donors, this book offers a rare profile of the new face of philanthropy; these are the Gen X and Millennial...

In the nineteenth episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Jasmine Awad chat with Philippa Charles (Director) and Flora Craig (Head of Grants) from the Garfield Weston Foundation. No stranger to UK fundraisers, Garfield Weston is a family-founded, charitable grant-making Foundation, which supports a wide range of causes across the country, donating over £70 million annually - and this is episode is an...

In the eighteenth episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff travelled to New York to host a very special live recording at Segal Family Foundation's Annual General Meeting. We are thrilled to announce that the podcast is now officially sponsored by the Segal Family Foundation - and to kick this off Rachel co-hosted a panel discussion with the Foundation's Director of Partnerships, Cher-Wen DeWitt, featurin...

In the seventeenth episode, Alisha Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Sara Elisa Miller, Director of Philanthropy and Special Projects at 5000 Broadway Productions – production company of the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda. We’re often asked by our charity and non-profit clients about the role of celebrity talent in fundraising and advocacy, and how organisations can strategically enga...

In the sixteenth episode, Carlos Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Kabir Kumar, Senior Director at Walmart.org, to explore the philanthropic approach of one of the world's largest corporate donors. From grant-making and in-kind donations, to employee volunteering and shared-value partnerships - this conversation is an exclusive look behind the CSR curtain of the brand we all know, and...

In the fifteenth episode - recorded live with a studio audience - Emily Collins-Ellis and Rachel Stephenson Sheff sit down with philanthropist, Sonal Sachdev Patel, at the Institute of Fundraising's 2019 Fundraising Convention in London. They delve into Sonal's experience as the CEO of her family's foundation, explore the crucial elements of relationship-building (in Sonal's words, "it's a lot lik...

In the fourteenth episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff sits down with social justice philanthropy expert, Edgar Villanueva, to discuss 'Decolonizing Wealth' - his book that offers hopeful and compelling alternatives to the dynamics of colonisation in the philanthropic and social finance sectors. They delve into Edgar's advice on fundraising as a grant-maker and non-profit leader, explore consideration...

In the thirteenth episode, Emily Collins-Ellis and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Emma Turner, Head of Client Philanthropy Services at Barclays Private Bank. Emma has been leading this service since its inception in 2008, and is an expert advisor to HNWIs and their families on their global giving strategies. With her, they discuss the unique intersection of wealth management and philanthropy, n...

To kick off Season Two, Alisha Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Tillie Peacock, Head of Partnership Insight at Oxfam. They discuss a brilliant piece of philanthropic research Oxfam has just released around donor preferences, ambitions and experiences. From issues of transparency to a deep-dive of donor ambitions, these reports put evidence to intuition and are something no fundraiser...

After Season One, producer Rachel Stephenson Sheff sits down with the I.G. team to discuss key insights from the first 10 episodes. In this roundtable discussion, the team reflects on the diverse range of Season One guests - from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to entrepreneurial philanthropists - and highlights the key themes and takeaways. For anyone seeking a short, sharp recap of What Dono...

In the tenth episode, I.G.'s Emily Collins-Ellis and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Zia Khan, Vice President of Innovation at the Rockefeller Foundation. They discuss innovative financial mechanisms and how they differ from traditional grant relationships, what motivates a donor to explore these alternative financial models, and their collective fandom for 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.' This conv...

In the ninth episode - recorded live with a studio audience - I.G.'s Carlos Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Andy Bryant, Executive Director of the Segal Family Foundation. They discuss how to stand out when submitting to an open portal, fundraising from American donors, the unique characteristics of family foundations, and so much more. With a live Q&A from fundraisers (alongside our...

In the eighth episode, I.G.'s Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Amy Whight chat with philanthropist, Paul Lindley - Founder of the UK's number one baby food brand, Ella's Kitchen, and The Lindley Foundation. With Paul, they discuss the varying motivations of individual donors and what they commonly seek from charitable partnerships, entrepreneurs vs. fundraisers, and so much more. He shares incredible s...

In the seventh episode, I.G.'s Alisha Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Ramatu Bangura from the NoVo Foundation. As one of the most progressive foundations out there, NoVo brings an incredibly unique perspective to the table, particularly around supporting women and girls; they discuss how to fundraise for grassroots movements, the work (and time) that actually goes into building relat...

In the sixth episode - recorded live with a studio audience - I.G.'s Alisha Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Nicolas Patrick, Partner and Head of Responsible Business at global law firm, DLA Piper. They discuss fundraising from corporate partners, the unique characteristics of law firms, internal decision-making structures at DLA, and so much more. With a live Q&A from fundraisers and...

In the fifth episode, I.G.'s Carlos Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Jennifer Alcorn and Emily Inslee of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They discuss the internal decision-making structures at Gates, the qualities of a dream fundraiser, the importance of complete honesty in a donor partnership, and so much more. This episode is an exclusive deep dive into the world's largest Foun...

In the fourth episode, I.G.'s Juliet Cockram Agnew and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Nick Jenkins - Founder of Moonpig.com and former Dragons' Den judge. They discuss how strategic philanthropists want to really understand the issues and expect approaches to be well researched, as well as what fundraising charities can learn from entrepreneurs on Dragons' Den. They also uncover some of Nick's...

In the third episode, I.G.'s Emily Collins-Ellis and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Adam Askew from Comic Relief. They discuss how to stand out in the written application process, what makes a programme officer's life easy, and how to tell brilliant impact stories. They also deep dive into coffee vs. tea, and Britney vs. Christina (among other important questions).

In the second episode, I.G.‘s Alisha Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Lynne and Peter Smitham, Co-Founders of The Kiawah Trust. They discuss how best to approach private trusts for funding, how to deliver a compelling pitch, and how to unlock flexible six-figure support. They also deep dive into coffee, music and superpower preferences - among much more.

In the first episode, I.G.'s Carlos Miranda and Rachel Stephenson Sheff chat with Alfonsina Peñaloza, a Programme Officer at the Hewlett Foundation. They discuss how best to approach major foundations for funding, how to talk about mistakes, and what goes into a fantastic grantee-programme officer relationship. You'll also learn what her favourite Beatle's song is, what Hogwarts house she would be...