What Donors Want

Latest Episodes:

The Modern Philanthropist: What Today’s Donors Really Want (feat. Isabelle Hayhoe, Barclays Private Bank) Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

Philanthropy is changing — and donors are changing with it. In this episode of What Donors Want, we speak with Isabelle Hayhoe, Senior Philanthropy Adviser at Barclays Private Bank, about new research exploring how high-net-worth individuals in the UK are approaching giving today. Drawing on insights from their report The Modern Philanthropist, the conversation reveals a clear shift: today’s donors are becoming more intentional, more informed, and more engaged in the causes they support. Philanthropy is moving beyond transactions toward deeper partnerships between donors and the organisations they fund. We explore: - What today’s major donors are really looking for from charities - Why strategic advice and relationships matter more than ever - How donors are contributing more than money, and what this means for fundraisers and nonprofit leaders If philanthropy used to be about writing cheques, today it’s increasingly about participation, collaboration, and long-term change.

Someone's Gotta Give, A Novel by Alisha Fernandez Miranda (Where Philanthropy Meets Fiction) Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

I.G.'s Chair, Alisha Fernandez Miranda, just published her second book and first novel, Someone's Gotta Give. How to describe it? Think Devil Wears Prada meets the world of high-value philanthropy. This relatable and heartwarming dramedy follows Lucia, a new mom and expat in London who lands a glamorous job as a philanthropic advisor to the ultra-wealthy. Caught between career ambitions, family needs, and personal growth, Lucia's story explores whether you can make a difference in the world while keeping it all together. This novel is Alisha's love letter and constructive challenge to the philanthropy and social impact sector - a fun, entertaining romp that tackles the real trade-offs we're willing to make to follow our purpose. In this special What Donors Want episode, she sits down with I.G.'s Founder, Carlos Miranda, to chat all things Someone's Gotta Give, and the power of exploring philanthropy through the lens of fiction. Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/4l9Z1tu

Behavioural Science and What Donors (Actually) Want With Piyush Tantia of Ideas42 Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Alisha and Emily interview Piyush Tantia, Chief Innovation Officer at Ideas42. Piyush shares insights on donor psychology, philanthropy trends, and the challenges of building effective giving platforms. They dive into: 🟡 The psychology behind charitable giving and why it's an interesting behaviour from an economic perspective. 🟡 How the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced giving patterns. 🟡 The different needs of high-net-worth donors and the importance of peer information in decision-making. 🟡 Challenges in creating digital platforms for philanthropy and the need for experimentation. 🟡 The importance of addressing unintuitive barriers to giving, such as bureaucratic details and financial complexities. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code WhatDonorsWant at checkout.

Resourcing Narrative Ecosystems With Mandy Van Deven & Jody Myrum May 16, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel and Emily explore the concept of narrative ecosystems with Mandy Van Deven and Jody Myrum. Together, they dive into: 🟡 What is a narrative ecosystem, and why is this important? 🟡 How can philanthropy effectively support narratives of liberation, and fund the infrastructure for narrative power? 🟡 What is the case for supporting narrative ecosystems and what are the stakes? Mandy & Jody shared so many brilliant insights, and also have shared these resources for you if you want to learn more: 🟡 How to Fund Narrative Ecosystems (https://nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-fund-narrative-ecosystems/) 🟡 Cultivating the Conditions: Philanthropy's Role in Fortifying the Infrastructure for Narrative Power (https://reader.giarts.org/read/cultivating-the-conditions) 🟡 Both/And Solutions (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bothandsolutions/) 🟡 Elemental (https://bit.ly/elemental5-24) 🟡 Our Collective Practice (https://www.ourcollectivepractice.org/) 🟡 Blank Noise Project (https://www.blanknoise.org/) 🟡 How Omidyar Network is working to shift beliefs about capitalism and our economy (https://medium.com/omidyar-network/how-omidyar-network-is-working-to-shift-beliefs-about-capitalism-and-our-economy-75edda791f9d) 🟡 To change the world, transform narrative oceans (https://popcollab.medium.com/to-change-the-world-transform-narrative-oceans-609c942d4d7a) **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout.

Leadership in the Social-Profit Sector With Farah Mohamed Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

Rachel and Alisha speak with the incomparable Farah Mohamed - a leader with over 25 years of experience in the government, social-profit, and for-profit sectors. Currently, Farah is the CEO of The King's Trust Canada, a charity that creates pathways to employment for barriered youth across Canada, but you may also know her from her roles as CEO of the Malala Fund, founder & CEO of G(irls)20, or the decade she spent in the Canadian government, among many other preeminent leadership positions. Together they dive into Farah’s career, why she uses the term ‘social-profit’, what it takes to be a CEO, generational differences at work, and much more. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout.

Should UK Foundations Have A Minimum Grant Payout? Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Emily Collins-Ellis speak with three philanthropy experts on the debate around whether mandatory minimum payout rates should be introduced for charitable foundations in the UK. Drawing on Pro Bono Economics’ recent report on the potential of the UK’s ‘Hidden Dragon’ Foundations that are ‘sitting on assets’, we discuss the opportunity to increase funding for social causes whilst also balancing donor freedom and the long-term sustainability of foundations. Our brilliant guests were: Charles Keidan, Executive Editor of Alliance Magazine; Nicole Sykes, Director of Policy at Pro Bono Economics; and Rhodri Davies, Founder and Director of Why Philanthropy Matters. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout.

Imagination Infrastructure - What We All Need To Bring About The Future We Want Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Emily Collins-Ellis speak with Cassie Robinson about the need to invest in ‘imagination infrastructure’ to support communities in developing practices around collective imagination to envision new futures beyond the status quo. Cassie holds roles with Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arising Quo, and Pro Bono Economics. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout. https://www.cassierobinson.work/

The Power of Trust-Based Funding & The African Visionary Fellowship Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Beatrice Onyango speak with three of Segal Family Foundation’s African Visionary Fellows - all about the power of unrestricted funding, and what it can unlock across the Continent and beyond: 🟡 Delphine Uwamahoro, Our Sisters Opportunity (OSO) 🟡 Abaas Mpindi, Media Challenge Initiative 🟡 Jackie Leonard Bomboma, Young Strong Mothers Foundation (YSMF) **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout.

The Legacy of MacKenzie Scott With FRIDA, SAGE & Panorama Global Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Imagine this - you get a call out of the blue from a consultant offering an unrestricted grant of $10 million that you can use however you like, spend on any time frame, and you never have to send a *single* update to the donor. You only have a couple of days to confirm whether or not you want to accept, and it turns out the donor is none other than MacKenzie Scott. In this episode, Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Emily Collins-Ellis speak with two MacKenzie Scott grantees to talk about their experience of receiving a phone call just like this: FRIDA The Young Feminist Fund (Clara Desalvo, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager), and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders also known as SAGE (Michael Adams, CEO). They’re also joined by Gabrielle Fitzgerald, Founder & CEO of Panorama Global, who shares some fascinating research on the subject. They discuss: 🟡 What it was like to receive a call out of the blue offering $7 million and $10 million in unrestricted funding (!) 🟡 The ethical implications of accepting money from MacKenzie Scott, and FRIDA’s brilliant ‘Money Is Political’ response (https://bit.ly/3uqIXiz). 🟡 The benefits - and challenges - of accepting the donation. 🟡 The research Panorama Global has done around MacKenzie Scott’s giving and how it isn’t (yet) leading to others following suit at scale (https://bit.ly/3SLrdsb). 🟡 Advice they have for others looking to get on the radar of MacKenzie Scott. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout. ▪️ FRIDA The Young Feminist Fund: https://youngfeministfund.org/ ▪️ Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE): https://www.sageusa.org/ ▪️ Panorama Global: https://www.panoramaglobal.org/

Feminist Resource Mobilisation With Roz Lee Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Emily Collins-Ellis speak with the incomparable Roz Lee - a leader who has dedicated her life to advancing racial, gender, economic and LGBTQ justice through community organising, advocacy, political education and philanthropy. Roz has held leadership roles at the Equality Fund, Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Arcus Foundation. She is also the first-ever Professor of Practice at the Centre for Feminist, Queer and Transgender Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. While this episode is technically about fundraising - trust us when we say you will walk away a different person, and you’ll probably want to hire Roz as your life coach. Rachel, Emily, Roz - and I.G.’s community of #FixTheFlow Fellows - chat through: 🟡 What Roz has learned from working as both a grant maker and a fundraiser. 🟡 How Roz conceptualises the role of ‘fundraiser’ within the wider activist ecosystem. 🟡 How fundraisers can approach their role with a feminist mindset (both in terms of day to day ways of working, as well as in relationship with funders). 🟡 The incredible abundance mindset Roz brings into her work (and life!) and how this is the best anecdote to burnout. **** This episode is sponsored by Segal Family Foundation, and our Media Partner is Alliance Magazine. Head to www.alliancemagazine.org and get 50% off your Alliance subscription with the code ‘WhatDonorsWant’ at checkout.

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