The Business of Giving

The following is a conversation between Kevin Brown, the founder and CEO of Mighty Ally, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Many of the world's most significant social problems remain unsolved: one-quarter of all humans live without electricity; 750 million people lack access to clean drinking water; and preventable diseases like diarrhea take the lives of two million children each year. Do these problems seem to be more significant than what website you're going to click on to book your next hotel stay? Well, the organizations that are working on these problems above certainly do not have the level of expertise or support in marketing or strategy that big global brands do. My next guest thought he would do something to address that. He is Kevin Brown, the founder and CEO of Mighty Ally.

The following is a conversation between John Kania, Founder and Executive Director of Collective Change Lab, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. My next guest has been a practitioner, researcher, writer, teacher, and speaker on how organizations and people can achieve change together. For 17 years, he ran FSG, a nonprofit consulting firm and think tank. From 2018 to 2020, he served as executive-in-residence at national venture philanthropy, New Profit, co-leading the launch of a systems change practice. He is John Kania, the Founder and Executive Director of Collective Change Lab.

The following is a conversation between Elise Westhoff, President & CEO of The Philanthropy Roundtable, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. The Philanthropy Roundtable, founded in 1991, is America's largest network of donors committed to protecting philanthropic freedom, upholding donor intent, and strengthening our free society through charitable giving. And here to discuss their work and some of the issues where they're currently engaged is Elise Westhoff, the President and CEO of The Philanthropy Roundtable.

The following is a conversation with Allison Fine and Beth Kanter, Co-authors of the upcoming book, The Smart Nonprofit: The Human-Centered Approach to Artificial Intelligence for Social Good, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Denver: AI for Good brings together the best minds and technologies to solve the world's most urgent challenges such as reaching the sustainable development goals by 2030. Well, what about AI4Giving? What possibilities does it provide to enhance and expand philanthropy? What do you need to know but also need to be mindful of? Those answers were provided in a recent paper funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and co-authored by my next two guests. They are Allison Fine, a pioneer in the use of digital technology for social good, and Beth Kanter, a recognized thought leader in digital transformation and well-being in the nonprofit workplace. And they will be coming out with a new book next spring on the subject titled The Smart Nonprofit: The Human Centered Approach to Artificial Intelligence for Social Good.

The following is a conversation between Jeroo Billimoria,  Co-founder of Catalyst 2030, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Catalyst 2030 is a global movement of social entrepreneurs and social innovators from all sectors who share the common goal of creating innovative people-centric approaches to attain the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, in 2030. One of the co-founders of this initiative is Jeroo Billimoria, who among other things, founded Child Helpline International and Child and Youth Finance International. And she is with us now.

The following is a conversation between Meg Massey, Co-Author of Letting Go, How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Denver: The events of the past year have shined a light on the way that philanthropy and impact investing is conducted. It comes as no surprise that decision-makers tend to be disproportionately white, male, and from backgrounds of privilege, and decisions tend to be made in a closed and opaque fashion. But there's another story that's unfolding - one where funders have chosen to cede decision-making power to people with lived experience of the problem at hand. And that story is told in an exceptional book titled Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control. And it's a pleasure to have here with us its co-author, Meg Massey.

The following is a conversation between David Levy, Vice President at Amazon Web Services, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Denver: The nonprofit sector tends to operate on tight budgets, so the cost of up-to-date technology can seem prohibitive. But effective use of technology can spawn innovation, improvements in efficacy, and better delivery on mission, more than justifying the cost and challenges of organizational change. A company that partners with many nonprofits in this area is Amazon Web Services or AWS. And here to tell us what they do and the possibilities for your organization is David Levy, vice president at Amazon Web Services.

The following is a conversation between Laura Walker, President of Bennington College, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. The first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in the liberal arts curriculum was Bennington College in Vermont. Through its truly distinctive education, Bennington seeks to cultivate a mindset for change, a capacity to break new ground, and the conditions for progress. And here to discuss that with us, as well as the significant challenges facing the academy, is Laura Walker, the president of Bennington College.

The following is a conversation between Susanna Pollack, the President of Games for Change, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Gaming reaches close to 3 billion people worldwide. An organization that promotes the use of games and immersive media to drive social impact is Games for Change. Now, how good an idea is that? And here to talk about this work, as well as the upcoming Games for Change Festival, is Susanna Pollack, the President of Games for Change.

The following is a conversation between Anne Connelly, Co-author of Bitcoin and the Future of Fundraising: A Beginner's Guide to Cryptocurrency Donations, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving. Fundraisers are well aware that if you don't ask for the gift, it's almost certain you'll never see it. What's even more certain is that you'll never see a gift of cryptocurrency if your organization isn't set up to accept it. And these gifts, well, they can be pretty significant. Further, the technology that enables the existence of cryptocurrency, the Blockchain, has the potential to radically change the way nonprofits operate. Here to discuss these profound developments, it's a pleasure to have with us Anne Connelly, the co-author of Bitcoin and the Future of Fundraising: A Beginner's Guide to Cryptocurrency Donations.