The Business of Giving

Angela Williams has spent decades reading the signs that most of us miss—the hairline fractures in systems we’ve long taken for granted. As President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, she leads a network that touches 35 countries and receives 45,000 calls for help every single day. That vantage point has given her something rare: a real-time view of how chaos is reshaping the landscape leaders must navigate. In her new book, Navigating the Age of Chaos, co-authored with futurists Jamais Cascio and Bob Johansen, Williams introduces us to BANI—a framework for leaders trying to make sense of a world that refuses to follow the old rules. In this conversation, we explore why VUCA no longer serves us, how leaders can bend brittle systems instead of watching them break, and why the path through chaos requires attentiveness, flexibility, and intentional connection. It’s Angela Williams on The Business of Giving.

When Marika Anthony-Shaw was touring with Arcade Fire, the band started adding a single dollar to every concert ticket—sending the proceeds to Partners in Health’s work in Haiti. Night after night, that simple gesture grew from $3,000 to $10,000 per show. Over nine years, they contributed more than $2.5 million without asking anyone for money. The question became: Why isn’t everybody doing this? That question launched PLUS1, an organization that’s now embedded philanthropy into the architecture of live events. Today, Marika leads a movement that has raised over $32 million for more than a thousand nonprofits—not by disrupting the concert experience, but by making generosity a seamless part of it. As she puts it: Join us as Marika shares how PLUS1 is changing the way an entire industry thinks about giving—and how every dollar invested in their model unlocks $21 in grants to communities that need it most. It’s Marika Anthony-Shaw on The Business of Giving.

Plinio Ayala didn’t just leave the South Bronx of the 1970s and ‘80s—he returned to it with a blueprint for economic mobility that’s now reshaping workforce development across America. As President and CEO of Per Scholas, Plinio leads a tech training nonprofit that’s placed over 25,000 graduates into careers earning three times their previous income. But here’s what sets him apart: while most nonprofits shrink from rigorous evaluation, Plinio embraces randomized controlled trials. While foundation funding tightens, he’s building corporate investment as his primary growth engine. And while AI disrupts every sector, he’s racing to future-proof America’s workforce—one 15-week bootcamp at a time. Today, we explore how Per Scholas is creating more of those opportunities—and why Plinio won’t scale without data, won’t compromise performance for growth, and won’t accept that talent development is someone else’s problem—it’s ours to solve together.

Anne Filipic is the CEO of Share Our Strength and leads its No Kid Hungry campaign at a moment when childhood hunger in America has reached alarming new heights. With one in five children—nearly 14 million kids—now facing food insecurity, Anne brings both urgency and strategic clarity to a crisis that touches every community in the country. In this conversation, she reveals how recent policy rollbacks have reversed hard-won progress, why the cancellation of federal hunger data threatens our ability to learn and respond, and what it will take to make federal nutrition programs actually work for the families they’re designed to serve. Join us for a conversation about practical solutions, innovative partnerships, and the political will required to ensure no child in America goes hungry.

Welcome to The Business of Giving. I’m Denver Frederick. Right now, in fields across dozens of countries, there’s an invisible race happening. On one side: curious children wandering into what looks like empty farmland. On the other: teams of specialists working meter by painstaking meter to find what’s buried there first.Today we’re joined by Darren Cormack, CEO of the Mines Advisory Group—an organization born from witnessing the devastating aftermath of conflict in 1980s Afghanistan. MAG has since become a driving force behind the global movement to ban landmines, co-founding the International Campaign that earned the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. With 80% of landmine casualties being civilians—nearly half of them children—Darren’s teams operate in some of the world’s most dangerous territories. Recently honored with the 2025 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, he brings hard-won insights about innovation, leadership, and what it takes to build hope in the shadow of war. Join us for this compelling conversation about courage, community, and the delicate art of clearing the path to peace.

Picture this: You’re selling your old phone on eBay when a single click offers you the chance to send wildfire relief to LA. No forms, no guilt trip, no second-guessing—just pure impulse-to-impact conversion. You might do it without thinking twice. If you did, congratulations—you just participated in the $4 billion revolution Nick Aldridge has been quietly building for 18 years. While the nonprofit world obsesses over donor retention rates and capital campaign thermometers, Aldridge placed a different bet: What if generosity could be so frictionless that people do it almost by accident? The gamble paid off spectacularly. PayPal Giving Fund has moved money to 227,000 charities by embedding charitable giving into the mundane moments of digital life—not by creating new donors, but by catching generous impulses before they evaporate. Nick reveals why the gap between wanting to help and actually helping isn’t about money or motivation—it’s about the three extra clicks nobody wants to make. Join us to explore how removing friction unleashes generosity at unprecedented scale.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Edgar Sandoval arrived in the United States with just $50 in his pocket, unable to speak English, carrying only his American passport and an unshakeable determination. Today, he leads World Vision, one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, serving 100 countries and reaching millions of the most vulnerable children globally. From corporate boardrooms at Procter & Gamble—where he helped transform the meaning of “like a girl” from insult to compliment—to the remote villages of Kenya, Edgar’s journey reveals how divine calling can redirect a comfortable life toward extraordinary purpose. His leadership has revolutionized World Vision’s approach, flipping traditional sponsorship models and launching the organization’s most ambitious campaign yet: reaching 300 million people by 2030. In this conversation, Edgar shares how childhood memories of poverty, corporate innovation lessons, and unwavering faith converge to create massive humanitarian impact. It’s Edgar Sandoval on The Business of Giving.

What if the secret to changing the world isn’t buried in your bank account, but hidden in talents you’ve never fully recognized? Today we welcome John Studzinski—a financier who survived a near-fatal car crash that killed nine others, a philanthropist who’s discovered over 5,000 emerging artists, and author of the revolutionary new book A Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society That Benefits Everyone. For six decades, John has shattered philanthropy’s elitist barriers with a radical truth: every person possesses world-changing abilities, regardless of wealth or status. As founder of the Genesis Foundation, he’s built a movement that rejects checkbook philanthropy for something far more powerful—authentic human connection and hidden talent unleashed. This conversation will revolutionize how you see giving—and yourself. It’s John Studzinski on The Business of Giving.

What started as a solo trek through Nepal’s earthquake-devastated Langtang Valley became a global movement connecting adventure with authentic impact. Today we’re joined by Candice Young, founder of Trek Relief, an organization that transforms travelers into changemakers through community-led projects across the world’s most remote regions. From installing solar panels in Peru to rebuilding schools in Nepal, Trek Relief has completed 28 trips across multiple countries, creating a unique model where participants don’t just witness need—they actively address it alongside local communities. What makes their approach different? Every project emerges from what communities actually request, not what outsiders assume they need. Join us as Candice shares how one moment of witness became a decade of purposeful travel that’s changing lives on both sides of the journey.

Few organizations have redefined what activism looks like in the 21st century more than Global Citizen—a movement that began with three high school friends in Australia and has now mobilized millions of people worldwide, leveraging over $49 billion in commitments that have impacted 1.3 billion lives. At the center of this extraordinary transformation is Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen. Hugh was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s revolutionary declaration that overcoming poverty “is not a gesture of charity, but it’s an act of justice.” From securing $250 million from Norway’s Prime Minister through a strategic Twitter invasion to pioneering the use of music festivals as diplomatic summits, Global Citizen has cracked the code on making world leaders accountable to the world’s most vulnerable. In today’s conversation, Hugh reveals how technology, focus, and relentless innovation are reshaping the fight against extreme poverty. It’s Hugh Evans on The Business of Giving.

Picture this: You’re sitting in an empty Red Cross blood donation center, knowing that premium streaming content worth millions go unused while nonprofits everywhere struggle to afford basic advertising. That lightbulb moment launched Kris Johns from adtech executive to nonprofit revolutionary, founding AdGood—a 501(c)(3) that’s rewriting the rules of television advertising for organizations changing the world. With partnerships spanning A+E Global Media to LG, AdGood has unlocked access to 1.5 billion monthly impressions across 1,000+ channels, offering nonprofits something unthinkable: premium Connected TV advertising at 70% off market rates. But here’s the kicker—their AI-powered platform can create broadcast-quality 30-second video ads in under four minutes, democratizing professional creative for organizations with $250 budgets. Today, discover why Kris believes this isn’t just about cheaper ads—it’s about fundamentally transforming nonprofit marketing. And now for my conversation with Kris Johns, the CEO and Founder of AdGood.

Picture this: A young lawyer with $3,500 from a church committee and an audacious dream to fix what seemed unfixable—the fact that when development projects failed in low-income communities, they left “a hole in the ground for the next 30 years.” That lawyer was Elyse Cherry, and today she’s the CEO of BlueHub Capital, having turned that modest start into a staggering $20 billion in community transformation across 42 states. But here’s what makes her story remarkable: she’s never forgotten that first lesson about standing “at the intersection of downtown and community.” You’ll hear how BlueHub’s game-changing SUN initiative has prevented nearly 1,250 foreclosures while injecting $67 million back into communities. It’s Elyse Cherry on The Business of Giving.

What happens when you realize your values guide only half a percent of your wealth while the other 99.5% operates by completely different principles? You become what Sharon Schneider calls an “Integrator.” As founder of Integrated Capital Strategies and author of “Handbook for an Integrated Life,” Sharon works with ultra-wealthy families who’ve grown tired of the schizophrenic dance between making money and doing good. Her journey began at Foundation Source, where she helped families perfect their charitable giving while watching their investment portfolios—often 20 times larger—fund the very industries their foundations were fighting against. Today’s hyperconnected world has made this contradiction impossible to ignore. When your phone shows you exactly who made your t-shirt and your coastal property insurance rates explode due to climate disasters, the old two-pocket system stops making sense. Today, she reveals how Integrators are rewriting the rules of wealth. It’s Sharon Schneider on the Business of Giving.

Welcome to The Business of Giving. I’m Denver Frederick, and today we’re joined by Michele Jawando, President of the Omidyar Network. Michele’s journey has taken her from Capitol Hill to Google to one of philanthropy’s most forward-looking technology ventures, giving her a rare perspective as both builder and translator — connecting policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society. At a moment when AI is reshaping work, childhood, and connection itself, she’s leading an ambitious effort to “hardwire humanity into technology,” ensuring that dignity, fairness, and inclusion are embedded in our digital future. We’ll discuss AI companions and children, why 18-year-olds should help design the digital future, and how philanthropy can shift tech’s incentives toward human flourishing. It's Michele Jawando on The Business of Giving.

The nonprofit sector is hemorrhaging talent—10,000 full-time jobs vanished in the first 70 days of 2025. While many leaders wait for the storm to pass, Nancy Murphy, CEO of CSR Communications, has a blunt reality check: the storm isn’t passing. It’s the new weather. Nancy has spent her career helping nonprofits navigate disruption and developed the sector’s first objective measure of board change readiness. Her diagnosis is stark—leaders are clinging to outdated models while the ground shifts beneath their feet. For the past five years or so, we've been living in what a futurist calls the BANI world– brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible. And we know that the pace and volume of change will never again be as slow or as small as it is today, if you can believe that. Today, discover why waiting for stability could be fatal—and what change-ready organizations do differently when crisis strikes.

Welcome to The Business of Giving. I’m Denver Frederick, and today we’re joined by Ryan Dewey Smith, founder and leader of Inperium, one of the most expansive nonprofit networks in the country. Operating across 20 states, Inperium has pioneered a revolutionary affiliation model that’s transforming how nonprofits achieve sustainability and scale. Ryan started Inperium nearly a decade ago when he recognized that traditional nonprofit structures were failing organizations serving our most vulnerable populations. Through innovative sole-member affiliations, tax-exempt municipal bond financing, and even nonprofit employee stock ownership programs, Inperium is rewriting the playbook for nonprofit collaboration. This is a conversation about the future of sustainability in the social sector.

What if the key to solving urban poverty isn’t creating new programs, but matching proven solutions with communities that need them most? Ali Knight, CEO of GreenLight Fund, joins us to discuss a revolutionary approach that’s quietly transformed cities across America for two decades. From his journey as a “latchkey kid” in New York City to leading a national organization that’s invested over $40 million in community solutions, Ali reveals how patience and discipline created lasting change. That ambitious vision is attracting mayors, nonprofit leaders, and funders nationwide who are hungry for solutions that actually work—and it’s reshaping how philanthropy approaches urban poverty one city at a time. It’s Ali Knight of the GreenLight Fund on The Business of Giving.

Welcome to The Business of Giving. Today, we’re examining America’s animal welfare crisis with someone who’s been fighting it for over a decade. Cathy Bissell founded the BISSELL Pet Foundation in 2011, evolving from local shelter fundraising into a national force. Their programs have found homes for 17,000 pets in a single event and performed over 120,000 spay and neuter procedures this year alone. But behind these numbers is a deeper crisis—rising costs and housing restrictions leaving shelters overcrowded and families heartbroken. Today, Cathy will share how systematic thinking can solve seemingly impossible problems—and why she believes the time to help animals is right now.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What happens when you inherit billions to give away, but the weight of that responsibility threatens to define you more than your own dreams? And how do you honor a grandfather who was simultaneously the “father of fracking” and one of America’s most passionate environmentalists? Welcome to The Business of Giving. I’m your host, Denver Frederick. Today we examine next-generation philanthropy with Katherine Lorenz, Executive Director of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation and co-founder of the Giving Pledge Next Gen initiative. Katherine’s family preserved decades of intimate conversations with her grandparents—a treasure trove of philanthropic wisdom. But her path wasn’t predetermined. Working with indigenous farming communities in the mountains of Oaxaca, she experienced a revelation that would reshape everything. This is a conversation about wrestling with paradox, building authentic peer networks, and discovering that sometimes the most powerful philanthropy comes from embracing life’s contradictions.

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.