The Business of Giving

A child is drowning in a pond. You’re wearing an expensive suit. Do you jump in and save them? Of course you do. But philosopher Peter Singer asks the uncomfortable follow-up: If you’ll ruin a $300 suit to save that child, why won’t you donate that same $300 to save a child dying from malaria in Africa?Welcome to The Business of Giving. I’m Denver Frederick. Today we’re exploring one of the most challenging moral arguments of our time with Peter Singer, whose simple thought experiment has fundamentally changed how we think about our obligations to strangers.Singer’s philosophy forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: if helping distant strangers is moral obligation, not charity, then most of us might be living fundamentally unethical lives.Peter reveals the Oxford moment that transformed him from graduate student to moral revolutionary, explains how effective altruism survived its biggest scandal, and shares why he believes thinking people can literally change the world.Get ready for a conversation that might just change how you see your own moral choices. This is Peter Singer on The Business of Giving.

Today we’re joined by David Coman-Hidy, who leads The Navigation Fund, a $100 million philanthropic organization tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From his punk rock roots to running a major foundation, David brings a unique do-it-yourself mentality to philanthropy that’s shaking up how we think about creating change.David will share how The Navigation Fund is moving faster than traditional foundations, why they’re funding everything from AI consciousness research to youth justice reform, and what the future of philanthropy might look like when the next generation takes the reins. Let’s get started.

Today I’m thrilled to have Bertina Ceccarelli, CEO of NPower, joining us from their headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. What happens when you combine military-trained problem solvers with cutting-edge cybersecurity skills? Magic. Under Bertina’s leadership since 2016, NPower has scaled from $6 million to $35 million while achieving something remarkable: many of their veteran graduates are earning three to four times their military salaries within months of completing the program. But here’s what makes Bertina’s approach revolutionary - she sees barriers as badges of resilience. Today, we’ll discover how NPower is creating AI-resilient workforces, why their corporate partnerships go far beyond traditional funding, and what happens when you treat students as whole people rather than just future employees. This is a conversation about the future of economic mobility in America. So let’s get started.

What if the secret to fixing America’s democracy isn’t in Washington, but in neighborhood meetings and local organizing? Emma Bloomberg believes that’s exactly where our civic future lies.After seven years at Robin Hood Foundation, Emma saw a critical gap: while philanthropy addressed today’s crises, it couldn’t prevent tomorrow’s. The community organizations working to create systemic change were stuck with yellow legal pads, lacking the data tools they needed.So she founded Murmuration – named after flocks of starlings that move as one while staying individual. Her nonprofit provides cutting-edge civic engagement tools to grassroots organizations across the country, helping neighbors drive change at the block level.Today we’ll explore why Emma believes real systemic change happens between elections, how she’s reimagining philanthropy, and why local conversations might be our path through national polarization.This is democracy from the ground up. Stay with us.

Welcome to The Business of Giving! Today, we’re thrilled to have Dr. Russell James, a trailblazing professor at Texas Tech University, renowned for his groundbreaking work in charitable giving and planned giving. With a Ph.D. in consumer economics, experience as a tax attorney, and a passion for neuroimaging, Russell blends hard data with the art of storytelling to uncover what drives generosity. In this episode, we dive into how stories, not just numbers, ignite major gifts and how fundraisers can tap into donors’ life narratives to inspire impactful philanthropy.Stay tuned for a fascinating conversation that will reshape how you think about giving!

Most nonprofit boards treat technology as an operational afterthought—a cost center to manage rather than a strategic lever for mission achievement. But with AI reshaping everything, that approach isn’t just outdated, it could be existential.My guest today is Alethea Hannemann, Co-founder and CEO of Board.Dev. Working alongside Aaron Hurst, she’s helping nonprofit boards become more tech-fluent and values-aligned by placing senior technology leaders in governance roles and upleveling entire boards around strategic technology decision-making.In our conversation, we explore their Tech 28 framework for sparking the right conversations, how the pandemic exposed technology gaps that AI is now amplifying, and why technology choices are fundamentally about values—not just operations.Alethea also shares practical advice for nonprofit CEOs, tech executives, and funders on what each needs to do differently to build digitally fluent organizations.

When your consulting firm has guided nonprofits through a full century of giving, from the Great Depression to today’s AI revolution, you develop some hard earned wisdom about what actually works. My guest, Doug Stewart, is the CEO of Marts & Lundy, the legendary fundraising consultancy celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. And after working with everyone from Ivy League universities to community arts organizations, Doug has a provocative take that challenges how most nonprofits think about fundraising. That mindset shift, from treating fundraising as a side function to making it central to everything you do, is just the beginning of our conversation.We’ll dig into why Doug is telling clients to move forward with major campaigns despite unprecedented uncertainty. How the most successful nonprofits are sustaining momentum through eight year campaigns. Why he believes the middle of the donor pyramid holds untapped treasure. And his surprisingly skeptical view of AI taking over donor relationships. Plus, Doug shares the fundraising metric that most organizations completely miss and why it might be the difference between struggling with annual gifts and unlocking transformational support.Ready to discover what a century of fundraising wisdom looks like in practice? Here’s my conversation with Doug Stewart.

My guest today is a bold and passionate leader guiding one of the country’s most vital humanitarian organizations. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is the President and CEO of Global Refuge, formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Under her leadership, the organization has scaled its operations dramatically while reshaping how we think about welcome, dignity, and the extraordinary resilience refugees bring to America. Today, we’ll explore how Krish is transforming the refugee resettlement model, what she sees ahead in the climate migration era, and how Global Refuge is defending the soul of America—one family at a time.

My guest today is Aaron Hurst, founder of the Taproot Foundation and author of The Purpose Economy. He’s spent decades helping people and organizations find deeper meaning in their work. Today, he’s tackling two urgent issues: bridging the tech gap in nonprofits through Board.Dev, and strengthening civic life through the U.S. Chamber of Connection.He joins us now to reflect on the deeper threads that have guided his journey and to share what he’s learning as he builds the next wave of impact.

Scott Brighton didn’t set out to revolutionize charitable giving in America. But after witnessing his wife struggle to run a nonprofit with just three staff members—and discovering that charitable giving had remained stubbornly flat at 2.5% of GDP for half a century—he knew something had to change. As CEO of Bonterra, one of the social sector’s most influential technology companies, Brighton is now pursuing an audacious goal: lifting charitable giving to 3% of GDP by 2033. That seemingly modest increase would double total giving, unlocking over $580 billion in new funding. But optimizing donation amounts is just one piece of Brighton’s broader strategy. He’s also transforming Bonterra into a “Tinder for nonprofits”—a platform that helps nonprofits and funders discover each other, then uses AI to amplify their capacity to build lasting relationships. Scott joins me now to discuss this bold vision, the surprising insights from Bonterra’s latest data, and why he believes AI will be the great equalizer for resource-strapped nonprofits.