Giving Ventures

This episode of Giving Ventures features a special interview with Senator James Lankford (R-OK), who provides a charitable-minded view from Capitol Hill. As one of the few U.S. Senators with extensive experience running a nonprofit, Lankford understands the needs and challenges of the charitable community and appreciates the role public policy can play in fostering a vibrant nonprofit sector.In this conversation, Peter and Senator Lankford discuss the state of charitable giving in America, the dangers posed to donor privacy, and how a new tax bill could incentivize more philanthropy.Senator Lankford has represented Oklahoma in the United States Senate since 2015 and, prior to his Senate service, represented the 5th District of Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. Before entering public service, the Senator led the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center in Oklahoma.

When conservatives discuss K-12 education, it can be tempting to cede public schools to their leftward drift and look to alternatives. And while Giving Ventures has featured some fantastic groups working in the school choice field, this episode is all about improving the public schools that educate 80% of our nation's school children.Giving our kids the best public education possible means engaging on the ground and at the local level, especially in our school boards. This episode features two impressive groups working to effect change at the school-board level.First, David Hoyt from School Boards for Academic Excellence describes his work equipping school board members to do their job effectively. SBAE has built an impressive network of state-based organizations and provides members with model policies, legal advice, and more.Then, Aiden Buzzetti from 1776 Project Foundation tells the story of how 1776 Project PAC was formed to help elect conservatives to local school boards before spinning out a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation to arm board members with the policy expertise and know-how they need to reverse pandemic learning loss.

It's important that our elections earn the confidence of American voters. In recent years fraud allegations, lawsuits, and elections rules changes have cast doubt on the integrity of our elections. Thankfully, groups like Public Interest Legal Foundation and the Foundation for Government Accountability are working hard to ensure elections are administered fairly.In this episode of Giving Ventures, Peter checks in with J. Christian Adams of PILF and Madeline Malisa of FGA for a post-election breakdown. Together, Christian and Madeline address issues like mandatory voter identification, ranked-choice voting, and the importance of holding elections for one day only rather than letting ballots trickle in for weeks after Election Day.J. Christian Adams is president and general counsel for Public Interest Legal Foundation. He also serves as commissioner of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity and previously served in the Voting Section at the United States Department of Justice.Madeline Malisa is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, where she is a policy and legal expert on election and initiative integrity. Prior to joining FGA, she served as chief counsel to Governor Paul LePage in the State of Maine.

This episode of Giving Ventures is a rerun of an evergreen conversation between Peter and author Gideon Bernstein about the upside of giving. Learn how the tragedy of Gideon's son's murder changed the way he views the world and his philanthropy. You won't want to miss this poignant conversation, especially if you need a fresh outlook and roadmap for your giving.

With the 2017 tax cuts about to expire and major leadership changes in the executive and legislative branches coming in January, now is a critical time for the future of philanthropy. Reforms to the tax code and IRS regulations about charitable giving will affect not only your tax bill and deductions but also the future of donor privacy, donor intent protection, and key considerations for estate planning.To think ahead about what's in store for conservative and libertarian charitable givers, DonorsTrust recently held a webinar conversation with three experts to explore coming policy changes. This episode of Giving Ventures brings that discussion to you. In the episode we hear from: Stephen Moore, an economist and advisor to President Trump. Steve was a key voice behind the scenes when Republican lawmakers drafted the 2017 Trump tax cuts and offers an inside look into what is likely to come in the second Trump administration.  Christie Herrera, President and CEO of Philanthropy Roundtable, the nation’s leading network for conservative givers. Christie's work gives her a close-up view to the myriad proposals in Congress and the IRS that would significantly alter philanthropic giving.  Michael Whitty, a seasoned expert in estate tax law and planning and partner at Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP in Chicago. Michael gives a view to the estate planning tools we can use as we consider possible changes to the tax code.

This Election Day, Giving Ventures brings you interviews with three groups working to expand the coalition of limited government, pro-liberty Americans by engaging independents who aren't already among the free-market fold.Scott Rasmussen is the founder of the Napolitan Institute, which was formed to deliver accurate, unbiased polling of the American people.Adam Brandon's work with the Independent Center advances the common-sense center of American politics and advocates for Americans who believe in genuine compromise.Christian Robey, president of Our America, which was established to unite a broad and diverse coalition of Americans around a shared sense of patriotism and advance principles like criminal justice reform, freedom of thought, and voter integrity.

Earlier this month, DonorsTrust partnered with the Goldwater Institute and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club for a special event in Phoenix, Arizona. At the event, Peter was joined by DonorsTrust philanthropic advisor Lukas Dwelly and Yellowstone Trust Administration executive vice president Randy Huston for a discussion about the powerful charitable tools you can employ in your planned giving.Lukas is a chartered philanthropic advisor, an accredited estate planner, and charted financial advisor. Randy is certified financial planner with expertise in charitable estate planning and has worked in the charitable trust field for nearly 40 years.In this episode, Lukas covers the basics of bequest gifts, life insurance, and leveraging the full power of your IRA. And Randy gives an excellent overview of charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts. The panel discussion will help you think more strategically about the tools available to you, including donor-advised funds.

What is America’s role in the world? It’s a hotly contested question in American politics that cuts across the left-right divide. Whereas a Reaganite policy view of a strong and robust national defensive capability coupled with American-led diplomacy around the world used to be the norm, leaders on both the left and right can now be found on either side of this issue.This episode explores three groups that go along with John Bolton's view of strong American leadership. Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, explains the evolution of the think tank from its origins in the Cold War to today. From a newer group, Vandenberg Coalition, Carrie Filipetti delves into the organization’s mission and the way it uses its powerhouse advisory board to advance a stronger America. Finally, Alexander Hamilton Society executive director Gabriel Scheinmann emphasizes the importance of cultivating future leaders in the space through AHS’s programming.

While curmudgeonly complaining about “kids these days” is nothing new, it’s hard to deny that there’s cause for genuine concern about America’s youngest generations. The combination of radicalism and ignorance displayed in campus protests may be a variation on an old theme in higher education, but the fragility and emotional instability of these Gen Z students is notable. And even among their younger peers the effects of pandemic learning loss and years of screen addiction are evident in the aimlessness and prevalence of mental health issues in America’s children. Underneath all of these trends are a set of ideas and attitudes toward parenting that have grown in their prevalence in recent decades.This episode features Lenore Skenazy and Andrea Keith from Let Grow, an organization dedicated to promoting childhood independence, along with John Tomasi, who leads Heterodox Academy in its mission to push back against troubling trends on campus and restore academic values like free inquiry and civil debate.

Autocracy is on the rise. There are only 34 liberal democracies – the lowest number in more than 25 years – and they are home to just 13 percent of the world population. How can we reverse that trend?Our guests today are at the vanguard of that work to reverse this decline in global freedom. First we will hear from World Liberty Congress, a newer group created and led by the very dissidents that the group aims to serve. Then, Human Rights Foundation, known for its important work highlighting the dangerous trend toward autocracy. Finally, Ideas Beyond Borders takes the fight to the Middle East region, and you'll enjoy hearing how it goes about its challenging work.