The Generosity Pod with Robynn Farkas

Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

Today's discussion is about how we as the nonprofit sector can rise to this moment. As the stock market is in a landslide, the time has come for us to invest in what really matters: holding our communities together and advocating for the most vulnerable. Robynn Farkas is an author, entrepreneur and career fundraising. She currently serves as Chief Development Officer at Alternatives For Girls in Detroit, Michigan. She has been the Principal at Art of Generosity consultants since 2010, and provides pro bono consulting services to small and start up nonprofits on five continents. You can reach Robynn at [email protected]: The opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any client organizations or employers, or the organizations mentioned in this episode. Thanks for listening! Stay generous!Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

Urgent! HR 9495 allowing MAGA to target nonprofit organizations up for a vote today! If you are familiar with the roll out of autocracy in countries where autocrats hold power, nonprofits are heavily restricted. Just this August, according to a New York Times report, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega shut down 1500 NGOs for resisting his policies. Similarly in countries like Poland, Hungary and Venezuela, Non Government Organizations that serve marginalized communities like LGBTQ people and refugees have been quashed. One under reported, yet critically important feature of the process routinely used to quash democratic norms is the silencing and shutting down of NGO’s that challenge the autocratic regime. In Poland, under the previous administration, authoritarian nationalists systematically sought to tear down democratic norms, enacting policies that allowed local governments “freedom” to discriminate against marginalized groups. In Poland under the “law and justice party,” local jurisdictions could, among other things, become “LGBTQ-free Zones,” where anyone thought to be gay, trans or queer could be discriminated against and even arrested, because they were considered “enemies of the state.” So this is a time for urgent action! According to the Nonprofit Quarterly: The US House of Representatives’ Rules Committee on Monday passed a bill, HR 9495, that, if enacted, would give the US secretary of the treasury the power to strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status if unilaterally deemed by the Department of the Treasury to be a “terrorist-supporting” organization—a hazy definition that would allow the Trump administration to selectively and arbitrarily target nonprofits viewed as political enemies. Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

What is it like to realize suddenly you have to leave your home country due to violence, war or famine? When Wadsen Desir and I met in 2013, he was a professional interpreter who accompanied me in reporting on a group of volunteers who were working at a clinic and school in the Haitian countryside. A few months ago, I got a message from him saying he had managed to flee violent threats on his life, had to leave his family and community and hoped to find work. He wound up in Springfield, Ohio. Here's the real life story of a person, not that different from me or you, who wants to contribute to our country meaningfully, find work, and as soon as possible, reunite with his family. Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

Donor-advised funds are now more popular than private foundations and rank among the most powerful forces in philanthropy, new data shows. DAF's like Fidelity Charitable and Vanguard Charitable hold trillions of dollars of money that is deductible under the same tax code that exempts charitable organizations. On this episode, Robynn discusses why it is important that Congress take action to ensure that donations to DAFs are made truly charitable. Next week, Join us for an interview with mind-body coach and community organizer, Ambrose WB of Milwaukee.For more information on nonprofit fundraising and management support through Robynn's company, Art of Generosity, LLC, go to https://artofgenerosity.net. Thanks for listening!Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

What is it like to have to flee your home? Imagine your neighbor is shot and killed by gangs, and they have decided you are their next target. How would you take care of your family while trying to stay safe, find a new home and hopefully find a job? If you had to leave your country suddenly, what would you expect to find waiting for you when you arrived someplace new?For millions of people, the United States represents their best hope for reestablishing themselves after a traumatic upheaval at home. People immigrate to this country largely in search of greater possibilities for economic stability and a peaceful place to raise their families. As you might, they often gravitate toward cities and towns where other people from their home country have found work, where they might get a job, find a place to worship in their own language, and save a little money to send home. Wadsen Desir's story is the story of thousands of Haitians who have fled the extreme violence after the coup that left the country without a government and largely under the dominance of violent gangs. He went to Springfield in January, and in this episode, he shares his story with me, and with you. Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous! 

The Generosity Pod: Episode One—Introducing the Podcast Welcome to "The Generosity Pod," the podcast that explores the importance of generosity in an increasingly cynical world.  I'm your host, Robynn Farkas.  Do you ever get the urge to just give it all away? Walk down any street in any American city and you will find someone in need, holding a sign, asking for help. Your mailbox, email, text messages are probably pinging you with pleas for donations every day.  But what does it mean to be truly generous? And what really motivates us to give when we are asked. I have been a fundraiser for great nonprofit organizations for three decades, and I will tell you, the answers to those questions are complex and subjective. Because money is something we all interact with, think about and understand differently, the act of giving it away is also different for everyone.  I am starting this podcast to share the inspiring stories of altruism, philanthropy and real charity that have been my life’s passion as a fundraiser. I am a big fan of generous people, but I also understand the dark side of charity. In future episodes, I to examine how charitable can be a solution to seemingly intractable problems, but also how philanthropy creates power structures of inequality and competition between organizations.  We will look at trends in charitable giving impacting both big-money philanthropies and the grass roots fundraisers that triumph against the odds, and in the process shaping the global political and human rights landscape.   I am fascinated by recent research on how giving can create more happiness in everyday life and the unexpected ways our physical and psychological well-being can be enhance when we embrace generosity as a way of life.  In this series, I will introduce you to some of the fascinating people I have met in 30 years of working in the NGO sector worldwide. We will tell you inspiring stories about how conflicts are being resolved by small and large organizations across the globe, featuring individuals and organizations that exemplify the spirit of giving. We'll hear from experts and thought leaders who will shed light on the latest research and trends in the nonprofit sector, and we'll discuss innovative approaches to philanthropy—who gives, who gets, and why that matters to everyone.   Whether you're a philanthropist, a seasoned fundraiser, a passionate volunteer, or simply someone who believes in the power of giving, The Generosity Pod is here to inspire, inform, and ignite your passion for using your money to create happiness. Yes! We will also examine scientific evidence that money can buy happiness, if you are willing to give it away.  Join me each week as we touch on the importance of creating a culture of generosity, and discover the transformative power of giving. Thank you for listening! Stay tuned!Support the showIf you have a topic you would like to see covered about philanthropy, influence, and nonprofit fundraising, send me a note at [email protected] generous!