35.1 Sexual Harassment in Fundraising (PART 1): The History of Sexual Harassment and Pillars of Change with Dr. Ann Olivarius

Today’s episode (or 2-part series) is quite heavy - we are going to be talking about sexual harassment in fundraising. There is explicit content and potentially triggering storytelling so I want to make sure you listen to today’s show in the right place - mentally, physically, and emotionally.  

For this series, I have the incredible honor of interviewing Dr. Ann Olivarius who is recognized around the world for her pioneering work in representing victims of sexual violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Her firms in the US and UK have achieved landmark settlements for survivors of abuse and have successfully coordinated international efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. 

In this episode, we hear about Ann’s coming of age and the background stories that led her to birth the legal case for sexual harassment and coin the term date rape. You will learn about Dr. Olivarius’ experience as a philanthropist as a part of Women Moving Millions, and how that experience has led to additional awareness about the different money stories we hold, and how deep they go. 

In this conversation, we talk about some of the gender dynamics and historical foundational elements of the funder/fundraiser relationship that make it particularly vulnerable for sexual harassment situations. And we talk about some of the other forms of violence and racism in the sector because, as we know, sexual harassment is not the only form of harassment and abuse. At the same time, we also know that sexual harassment is a huge issue in our sector and one that needs to be talked about in a bigger way. 

Dr. Olivarius shares a wide perspective on the issue; she shares some cases she’s worked on through her successful career and explains why we urgently need to change fundraising norms in the sector to break the cycle of toxic power dynamics. 

Episode Highlights Part 1: 

(04:42) - Who is Dr. Ann Olivarius? The sexual abuse and power dynamics during her coming of age and how that led to the work she does today.

(08:53) - How the legal basis for sexual harassment came to be what we know today

(17:07) - Dr. Olivarius’ experience with Women Moving Millions and how it impacts the way she looks at the movement of money and fundraising  

(20:23) - Drawing the Line: The importance of holding people accountable for sexual harassment even if other problems arise as a result

(22:29) - Money and Control: How theories on money and the movement of money is used to reinforce and protect power 

(23:43) - Sexual harassment in philanthropy: the gender dynamics and historical foundational elements of the funder/fundraiser relationship that make it particularly vulnerable for sexual harassment 

(27:06) - How do you know when it’s sexual harrassment?

(27:31) - Changing the dynamic imbalance and how to create fundraising norms that support fundraisers to do their critical work.