PODCAST · business
Around with Randall
by Hallett Philanthropy
Listen to the weekly podcast “Around with Randall” as he discusses, in just a few minutes, a topic surrounding non-profit philanthropy. Included each week are tactical suggestions listeners can use immediately to make their non-profit, and their job activities, more effective. Email Randall with a topic for a show: [email protected] Email Randall with a thought regarding specific a show: [email protected]
Episodes
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Episode 302: The Why and How to Say NO to a Philanthropic Gift
When should a nonprofit say no to a gift? Financial pressure, donor relationships, reputational risk, and long-term obligations can complicate what first appears to be an easy yes. Thoughtful gift acceptance is not an obstacle to philanthropy; it is a safeguard for the organization, donor, and...
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Episode 301: Integrating Program Staff Into Donor Relationships Without Diluting the Philanthropic Process
Major donor conversations are strongest when fundraisers stop treating program experts as an afterthought and start building the relationship together. Shared planning, a unified case for support, clear roles, rehearsal, training, and accountability can turn technical expertise into donor trust.…
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Episode 300: Communication and Outreach By Generational Need
Donor communication is not a one-size-fits-all. Each generation brings distinct expectations about trust, impact, access, and ease. Let’s explore how nonprofits can use generational tendencies as a starting point and still pay attention to individual preferences and relationships. The real...
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Special 20: The Great Philanthropists - Dolly Parton: Making a Difference Directly
Philanthropy is typically measured by the size of a foundation or the scale of a public gift, but some of its deepest impact happens quietly. Through education, disaster relief, scholarships, and personal opportunity, Dolly Parton’s example reveals how generosity can change the course of…
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Episode 299: Looking to Create Accountability for the Team: Here is how to do it
Accountability is often mistaken for control, but its real power comes from alignment, clarity, and mutual commitment. This episode explores why realistic goals, regular conversations, and early intervention help teams move from mere activity to meaningful accomplishment. It also reframes...
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Episode 298: Qualification: The Difference Between Interest and Philanthropic Interest
Qualification isn't just about finding out what a donor is interested in, it's about discovering what they want to change, improve, or accomplish through philanthropy. In this episode, Randall breaks down the difference between general interest and genuine philanthropic intent and offers six...
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Episode 297: Creating a Quantifiable Risk Assessment for that Significant Solicitation
How much should you actually ask a donor for? Don’t be the fundraiser that lets capacity scores, intuition, or organizational need determine the answer. Take a more disciplined approach: quantify the risk by looking at donor readiness, purpose alignment, amount confidence, relationship strength,...
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Episode 296: Getting Naming Opportunities Correct
Naming opportunities can be one of the most valuable and most easily mishandled tools in philanthropy. But, before putting a donor's name on a building, you need a process that protects the donor relationship and the organization's future. This episode explores six practical ways to build that...
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Episode 295: The Need for Internal Collaboration with Donor Strategy
Gift officers can easily become isolated in the very work that requires the most strategic thinking. Moves management meetings often become reporting sessions instead of collaborative problem-solving opportunities. However, leaning into vulnerability, smaller portfolios, and a simple “bounce-off”...
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Episode 294: Fighting the Familiarity Paradigm to Lead Change
Great leaders are often hired to create change but organizations want transformation without the discomfort that comes with it. In this episode, Randall explores the “familiarity trap” and why boards, teams, and leaders unintentionally pull change agents back toward the status quo. Learn six...
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Episode 293: Do we realize that women are the key to the next 25-50 years of philanthropy?
The next great shift in philanthropy may not be about younger donors. It may be about who makes the decisions. Women increasingly influence financial decisions and are positioned to inherit (and ultimately direct) enormous amounts of wealth. Fundraisers need to rethink how they build…
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Episode 292: Are We Giving Donors All the Options, Vehicles, to Give?
The difference between a good gift and a transformative one is not a donor’s generosity, it is the way we help them see what is possible. This episode explores how a fundraiser helped a donor move beyond a narrow view of giving and consider a broader funding strategy rooted in values, timing,...
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Episode 291: Taking Over A GO’s Portfolio: Easier Than You Might Think
What happens when a trusted gift officer leaves and someone new inherits the portfolio? Too often, new fundraisers worry they're replacing a beloved relationship when, in reality, they're continuing a donor's commitment to a mission they already believe in. Why are donors more connected to...
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Episode 290: When Absolutely Necessary – The Why and How of Changing the Nonprofit Mission
There is a tension many nonprofit leaders feel but rarely name: when a mission statement remains sacred, even after the organization’s work has evolved. Mission change should be rare, careful, and rooted in identity rather than opportunity. It’s not about finding new language. The most important...
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Episode 289: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Relationship to Philanthropy
What do the Seven Deadly Sins have to do with fundraising? More than you might think. Pride, greed, envy, wrath, sloth, and the others quietly find their way into nonprofit leadership, donor relationships, and fundraising strategy. This limits an organization's ability to fulfill its mission.…
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Episode 288: The Donor Wants to Give: Why Aren't We Asking?
Most fundraising challenges don't stem from a lack of generous donors. They stem from never extending the right invitation. Organizations stay trapped in endless cultivation meetings, updates, and tours because they haven't uncovered what truly motivates a donor to give. The best solicitations…
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Episode 287: Happy Birthday America: Celebrating Freedom Around the World and with Philanthropy
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, it's worth reflecting on something even bigger than our nation's history: the enduring value of freedom. In this special episode we explore how freedom has shaped civilizations, why it requires constant stewardship, and how philanthropy is one of its...
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Episode 286: The Use of Data and Removing Bias - Known and Unknown
Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are transforming fundraising, but better technology does not automatically create better decisions. Let’s look at how bias, incomplete records, flawed assumptions, and overreliance on data models can lead organizations to overlook promising donors...
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Episode 285: Mapping Donor Networks: Influencer Dynamics
Many fundraising conversations focus on the donor sitting across the table, but rarely are major philanthropic decisions made by one person alone. Spouses, children, attorneys, financial advisors, and trusted friends often shape the timing, confidence, and ultimate outcome of a gift. This episode...
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Episode 284: The Donor Waltz Three Conversation Sequencing that Builds Momentum
Fundraising is relationship building, but too many donor conversations feel disconnected, repetitive, and transactional. Enter the “Donor Waltz”. A three-step sequence of conversations designed to move donors from discovery to alignment, to meaningful commitment. Donors experience philanthropy...
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Special 19: The Great Philanthropists - Andrew Carnegie: The Starting Point of Modern Philanthropy
Andrew Carnegie did not believe philanthropy was simply about relieving immediate need. He believed it was about creating opportunities that could create generational change. In this special episode, we look at how Carnegie’s philosophy shaped modern giving through libraries, education, research,...
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Episode 283: Qualification Calls – Meetings: Getting to the Point and Not Wasting Time or Resources
Fundraisers often spend enormous amounts of time pursuing prospects who will never make a gift. Not because they lack capacity, but because nobody properly qualified their intent. In this episode, we look at one of the biggest hidden problems in fundraising: confusing wealth with philanthropic...
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Episode 282: A Physical Stewardship Matrix: Creating, Having, and Using One
Most nonprofits talk about stewardship, but few can actually show you a structured plan for how it happens. In this episode, we explore the idea of a donor stewardship matrix. A simple but powerful framework that brings clarity, accountability, and consistency to donor relationships. Stewardship…
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Episode 281: Podcast 300 - Fighting a Failure of Imagination
A tragedy in the Apollo program revealed a powerful truth: the greatest failures aren’t always technical; they’re failures of imagination. In this milestone 300th episode, Randall challenges nonprofit leaders to rethink how they see risk, innovation, and the future itself. Drawing lessons from…
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Episode 280: Truly Fighting the Term Overhead in our Nonprofit Work
Nonprofits don’t have an overhead problem, they have a narrative problem. When organizations obsess over keeping costs low, they often starve the very investments that drive growth, impact, and long-term sustainability. The truth is simple: low cost does not equal high impact. The organizations...
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Episode 279: Succession Planning at All Levels: How to Not Get Caught in Bad Transition
Succession planning isn’t just a CEO issue. It’s a frontline necessity in a nonprofit sector where turnover is constant and stability is fragile. When organizations fail to plan, they risk revenue disruption, donor attrition, and cultural erosion that can take years to rebuild. The strongest...
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Episode 278: Fractional Work: How to Make It Work
Fractional employees are quickly becoming a practical solution for nonprofits facing talent shortages and budget constraints, but they’re not a simple fix. This episode explores how fractional roles can unlock high-level expertise without full-time costs, while also exposing the hidden risks to...
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Episode 277: Where Advocacy Ends - Good and Lobbying Begins - Bad
Nonprofits often hesitate to engage in public policy, fearing they might cross into prohibited territory. But the real risk may be staying silent. Missing opportunities to shape the very systems that define their impact. This episode reframes advocacy as a strategic, mission-aligned…
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Episode 276: Shooters Keep Shooting: How to Overcome that Fundraising Drought
Every fundraiser eventually hits a drought. Calls go unanswered, meetings stall, and momentum disappears. In those moments, the instinct is to hesitate, to overthink, or to pull back entirely. But the most successful fundraisers operate like great shooters: they keep showing up, trusting that...
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Episode 275: Emotional Quotient-Intelligence in Philanthropy – the Office, Donors, and Teamwork
Emotional intelligence isn’t a “soft skill” in nonprofit work. It’s the foundation of everything that works. In a field built entirely on relationships, the ability to read the room, manage your own reactions, and understand others often determines success more than strategy or data. The…
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Episode 274: The Importance of Culture: How to Ensure the Right One to Drive Results
Talent alone doesn’t determine success – culture does. The same individual can struggle in one environment and thrive in another, not because their ability changed, but because the system around them did. Over time, what’s tolerated becomes the norm, and those patterns quietly shape performance,...
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Episode 272: The Fundraisers Bill of Rights - What we Should be Looking for to Achieve Success
Most fundraisers know the Donor Bill of Rights – but what about the Fundraiser’s Bill of Rights? It’s about the organization behind them. Leadership engagement, board functionality, strategic clarity, data systems, realistic expectations, and culture all shape whether philanthropy can thrive. The...
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Episode 271: Communication Fatigue in a Hyperconnected World - Better mass communication tactics
In a world of overflowing inboxes and nonstop notifications, nonprofits risk becoming part of the noise. Tackle donor fatigue head-on. Most organizations don’t have a generosity problem. They have an attention and trust problem. With six practical tactics, Randall outlines how to audit...
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Episode 270: Using Faith Based Fundraising Lessons in Secular Organizations
Faith-based giving and secular nonprofits aren’t opposites. They share a powerful common thread: values. Today, we explore how nonprofits can learn from faith-driven philanthropy without becoming religious organizations. The key is aligning with a donor’s core motivations (identity, legacy, duty,...
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Episode 269: Peer to Peer Fundraising: Expectations and Getting It Right
Peer-to-peer fundraising isn’t a magic fix for struggling nonprofits. It’s a strategy that requires discipline, clarity, and real support. In this episode, Randall breaks down what peer-to-peer fundraising is, where organizations overestimate its impact, and why it often underperforms. From...
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Episode 268: Interim Leadership: What to do From the Staff and Leader Perspective
Interim leadership is no longer the exception in nonprofits, it’s becoming the norm. As executive tenures shrink and pressure mounts, organizations increasingly rely on interim CEOs, CDOs, and senior leaders to stabilize, reset, or prepare for what’s next. But interims don’t just affect the...
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Episode 267: How to Work with a Family After Loss - It is all About Them and Gratitude
When donors experience loss, the instinct to “do something” can quietly turn into pressure—yet the most meaningful work in these moments has nothing to do with closing a gift. Gratitude after loss is not transactional; it is deeply emotional, relational, and rooted in honoring experience, memory,...
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Episode 266: Being the CPO, The Chief Political Officer: Moving Fundraising Forward Internally
The title “Chief Philanthropy Officer” doesn’t fully capture the real job, because much of the role is political, relational, and deeply strategic. CPO's navigate power dynamics, align competing priorities, translate donor realities, and build trust across the organization. Success isn’t about...
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Episode 265: Dealing with Adversity for an Organization, And my Favorite Saying
Adversity isn’t a pause for nonprofits - it’s a pivot point. As we head into 2026, organizations facing leadership turnover, donor fatigue, staffing gaps, and revenue volatility must decide whether to act, watch, or wonder what happened. This episode reframes adversity as a moment for honest...
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Episode 264: Counting Planned Gifts for MGO's: Incentives that Drive the Correct Behaviors
Planned giving won’t grow if we keep rewarding gift officers as if it doesn’t exist. When incentives focus only on cash and pledges, we unintentionally steer MGO’s away from the very conversations that unlock transformational wealth. This episode tackles the internal challenge head-on: how...
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Episode 263: Why NOW is the Time for Planned Giving Conversations with Donors
Uncertainty has become the backdrop of modern philanthropy. Volatile markets, shifting interest rates, political noise, and a massive transfer of wealth all colliding at once. In moments like these, donors aren’t pulling away from generosity; they’re searching for it. Clarity, flexibility, and...
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Episode 262: Nonprofit Predictions - Looking into 2026
It’s time once again for Randall’s highly anticipated yearly predictions. As many know, the nonprofit landscape in 2026 won’t be defined by doing more, it will be defined by doing different. As donor bases continue to shrink, a smaller group of donors will drive a larger share of giving, forcing...
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Episode 261: Looking Back and Evaluating HP's 2025 Predictions Made in Dec of 2024
Looking back on 2025, the real story isn’t which predictions landed, it’s what they exposed about modern philanthropy. Strong markets and record giving mean a deeper shift: fewer donors, rising inequality, and growing dependence on a shrinking pool of major and mega givers. Donor-advised funds...
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Episode 260: When to Start a Support Foundation: Rationale and Implications
Should a nonprofit create its own foundation? The answer is surprisingly simple and at the same time, relentlessly hard: will it raise more money? Foundations only make sense when organizational complexity, donor access, privacy, or governance limitations are actively holding philanthropy back....
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Episode 259: Endowment Restrictions by Donors or by the Board - How to Create the Proper Options for Both
Endowments are the engine that keeps nonprofits strong—not just today, but decades from now. Yet, the fine print matters: overly restrictive funds can choke impact, while flexible quasi-endowments help organizations adapt as needs and missions evolve. The key is striking a balance between donor...
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Episode 258: Cultivating Multigenerational Family Donors
The greatest opportunity in philanthropy today isn’t just the transfer of wealth, it’s the transfer of values across generations. With trillions set to move from silent, high-capacity families into foundations and DAFs, nonprofits must build relationships that go far beyond the matriarch and...
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Episode 257: Thanksgiving Gratitude Benefits
Gratitude isn’t just a warm feeling, it’s a physiological, psychological, and relational reaction that reshapes how we live and lead. Research proves that it lowers stress, improves heart health, helps with sleep, and strengthens resilience. Yet, we rarely slow down long enough to notice its...
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Episode 256: Using the Salon (Exclusive Small Gatherings) to Elevate a Cause, Deepen Relationships
Donor salons are small, intimate gatherings designed to deepen relationships without asking for money. If you focus on conversation, curiosity, and shared values, you spark authentic engagement that leads to stronger long-term giving. These experiences feel exclusive, personal, and meaningful…
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Episode 255: One Time (micro) vs. Longitudinal (macro) Storytelling: Creating Connection Over time
One-time stories inspire emotion; longitudinal stories build transformation. The most successful fundraisers don’t just tell what happened, they connect the dots over time, showing progress, growth, and real impact. When donors see themselves within the story—woven into its chapters—they move…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Listen to the weekly podcast “Around with Randall” as he discusses, in just a few minutes, a topic surrounding non-profit philanthropy. Included each week are tactical suggestions listeners can use immediately to make their non-profit, and their job activities, more effective.
Email Randall with a topic for a show: [email protected]
Email Randall with a thought regarding specific a show: [email protected]
HOSTED BY
Hallett Philanthropy
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Around with Randall have?
Around with Randall currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Around with Randall about?
Listen to the weekly podcast “Around with Randall” as he discusses, in just a few minutes, a topic surrounding non-profit philanthropy. Included each week are tactical suggestions listeners can use immediately to make their non-profit, and their job activities, more effective. Email Randall with a...
How often does Around with Randall release new episodes?
Around with Randall publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Around with Randall?
You can listen to Around with Randall on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Around with Randall?
Around with Randall is created and hosted by Hallett Philanthropy.
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