First Day Podcast

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conversation about fundraising with millennials and Gen Z. The episode begins by challenging one of the sector’s most outdated assumptio...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...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sits down with sits down with A.J. Steinberg, CFRE, CEO of Queen Bee Fundraising and certified nonprofit rockstar, to talk about the not-so-small challenge of engaging Millennials and Gen Z as donors, volunteers, and board members. AJ opens with a truth bomb: nonprofits have talked about multi-generati...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., rings in the new year with a bang, and a tax code, diving headfirst into the new federal tax policies that officially took effect on January 1, 2026. While the legislation passed in mid-2025, the real fireworks are just starting for fundraisers. Bill breaks it all down, starting with the triumphant ret...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sits down with Nicholas Kristock, Executive Director of Fleece & Thank You, to talk about how storytelling isn’t just an art, it’s a survival skill for nonprofits in the age of distraction. Nicholas shares how his blanket-making nonprofit went from a heartfelt request by his twin sister into a statewid...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., is joined by Martin Georgi, Board Chair of the German Fundraising Association, to explore the powerful partnership between board chairs and CEOs, and how that dynamic drives better fundraising results. Martin, with a resume that spans continents and causes, shares how rebuilding trust, clarifying missi...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fundraising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., is joined by the philanthropic powerhouse himself, Gene Tempel, Ed. D., Dean Emeritus and founding father of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Together, they dive headfirst into a question that keeps many nonprofit leaders up at night: “Is this a bad time to launch a capital ca...

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., is joined by Darian Rodriguez Heyman and Cheryl Contee, MBA, co-authors of AI for Nonprofits: Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work for Your Cause, to demystify what artificial intelligence means for the social sector. Spoiler alert: it’s not a robot apocalypse, it’s an efficiency revolution. From do...

In this retention-minded, myth-busting episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., sits down with Erica Dollhopf, PhD, Associate Director of Research at the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, to explore what hybrid work really means for fundraising outcomes. Spoiler alert: it's not the productivity killer some fear, it might just be a revenue booster. Dr...

In this donor-focused, data-packed episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by Jon Bergdoll, Interim Director of Data and Research Partnerships at Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, to break down the latest findings from the 2023 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy. Now in its 20th year, the report off...

In this data-rich, globally-minded episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. is joined by researchers Dana Doan, PhD and Afshan Paarlberg, JD to explore the newly released Global Philanthropy Environment Index (GPEI). With contributions from over 170 experts across 95 countries, the GPEI paints a detailed picture of the philanthropic landscape in 15 re...

In this research-powered, globe-spanning episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D. welcomes Craig Furneaux, PhD to unpack the how, why, and how-much of building a reserve fund for nonprofit organizations. With his classic Aussie warmth and academic rigor, Craig takes us behind the scenes of nonprofit finance in Australia, where the accounting system do...

In this insightful and timely episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed. D., welcomes back Jacqueline Ackerman, Interim Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), to explore how women navigate charitable giving during times of economic and societal uncertainty. From pandemics to recessions, Jacqueline dives into the resilient giving habits of wo...