Episodes
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To end the sixth season of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, we are opening the archive to share three particularly relevant episodes. The third episode features Patrick Deneen.
Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the David A. Potenziani Memorial College at the University of Notre Dame. Patrick specializes in the history of political thought, American political thought, religion and politics, and literature and politics.
Jeremy and Patrick dig into why liberalism struggles to sustain itself, today's threat of a new kind of totalitarianism, and the future of American civil society. Patrick points out that the modern interpretation of liberalism paradoxically leads to societal constraints and the erosion of civil society.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, we are opening the archive to share three particularly relevant episodes. The second episode features Timothy P. Carney.
Timothy P. Carney is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on economic competition, cronyism, civil society, localism, and religion in America. He is also the a senior columnist at the Washington Examiner.
Jeremy sits down with Jeremy asks about Timothy’s latest book, “Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse,” how social capital patterns predict voting patterns—including fun insights on the midwestern Dutch voter—and why Timothy says the unchurching of culture is at the root of America's economic and social problems.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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Episodes manquant?
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, we are opening the archive to share three particularly relevant episodes. The first episode features social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who shares his thoughts on the moral intuitions and untruths that separate us but perhaps don't need to.
Jonathan Haidt is a You might know him from his New York Times bestseller, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. He is also a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Jonathan has helped found various organizations to strengthen his corners of civil society through Let Grow, Heterodox Academy, and OpenMind.Jeremy chats with Jonathan dive into several provocative questions, including—What is civil society’s exoskeleton? Why are white liberals more depressed? Is social media disastrous for civil society? How did the mental health epidemic among teenagers birth wokeness? What is devasting Gen-Z? How is the death of unsupervised play corrosive in the habits of a democracy? All of this and more in today’s episode with Jonathan Haidt.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week on Givers, Does, & Thinkers, Jeremy talks with Amy Sherman about how people of faith can go beyond politics to seek good for their communities.
Amy Sherman is the director of the Sagamore Institute's Center on Faith in Communities. She obtained her PhD in international economic development from the University of Virginia and is the author of Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society.
During this episode, Amy challenges believers to reconsider the role of churches in society, focusing on how they can extend their influence beyond their walls to foster true community flourishing, inspired by Jeremiah 29:7. She explores the six key arenas of civilizational life—social mores and ethics, human knowledge and learning, creativity and aesthetics, political and civic life, economic life, and human and natural health. This conversation is full of practical advice for believers and community leaders dedicated to making a tangible difference in their neighborhoods.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy sits down with Matthew Crawford about the rise of the Humanitarian Party and what it means for civil society and self-governance.
Matthew Crawford is the author of Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road, The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, and the New York Times best seller Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. He has also written several highly penetrating essays and articles, including "The Workings of the Party-State," published last year in American Affairs.Is sovereignty slipping away from traditional government structures? Matthew shares how power has shifted to a coalition of corporations, foundations, media, universities, and NGOs. Jeremy and Matthew dissect the implications of this shift, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, where expert authority often bypassed democratic channels, steering public opinion and political power like never before. They also discuss the victimhood mentality and how figures like Trump have redefined victimhood, and the unsettling role of technology, such as driverless cars, is perpetuating these dynamics.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy sits down with Dr. Russell James to unveil why donors give.
Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor of the CH Foundation Chair of Personal Financial Planning and Charitable Giving Program Director at Texas Tech University’s School of Financial Planning. Before joining Texas Tech University, Dr. James was the Director of Planned Giving for Central Christian College in Moberly, Missouri, and later served as president of the college. His research has been quoted numerous times by various news outlets, including The Economist, The New York Times, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and his financial neuroimaging research was profiled in The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine. He has authored several books, including The Storytelling Fundraiser, The Socratic Fundraiser, Inside the Mind of the Bequest Donor, and Visual Planned Giving.
During this episode, Jeremy and Dr. James explore donor identity and what leads to donor retention and meaningful donor engagement. Dr. James highlights the importance of a donor’s backstory—appreciating the “why” behind a gift. He shares his extensive research around legacy giving and how to steer away from its sometimes negative associations. They also discuss Socratic fundraising, the psychology of transformational donations, how scientific research ought to inform fundraising, and what the Bible might have to tell us about fundraising.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with innovator and educator Jeff Sandefer about entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and education.
Jeff Sandefer founded Sandefer Offshore and Sandefer Capital Partners, both of which performed exceedingly well, the former generating $500 million in profits over a five-year period, before going on to found the Acton School of Business and Acton Academy. Jeff has been a longtime board member of National Review , the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Philanthropy Roundtable, and the Harvard Business School. He belongs to the Mont Pelerin Society and is one of the youngest people ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
What makes a great entrepreneur? Some say it is fearless risk-taking, but Jeff argues it is more a tolerance for ambiguity. Jeff offers insights on higher education reform, case-method teaching, and the importance of real-world experience. He also explains why he and his wife created Acton Academy and its unique learner-driven model of education, where children pursue their passions and personal genius. To close, Jeff shares his approach to philanthropy and the wisdom offered to him by Bernie Marcus.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy chats with Christie Herrera about the threats facing the American charitable sector and what we might do to protect it.
Christie Herrera is President and CEO of the Philanthropy Roundtable. At the Roundtable, Christie works with her team to foster excellence in philanthropy, protect philanthropic freedom, and help donors advance liberty, opportunity, and personal responsibility. Christie specializes in turning ideas into action by working nationwide with elected officials, nonprofit policy organizations, and coalition partners. She has testified before Congress and legislative committees in 27 states, and her policy work has been profiled in various news outlets, including The New York Times.
What are the best strategies for impactful philanthropy? With higher education in the hot seat over the past six months, Christie highlights the challenges donors face to ensure donor intent and what to do about it. She also tackles the critical issue of donor privacy, noting the regulatory pressures facing nonprofits and the potential social punishment and scrutiny of donors by those who disagree.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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Today on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Permanent Equity CEO Brent Beshore about what's wrong with private equity, what good organizations have in common, and why small private companies matter.
Brent Beshore founded Permanent Equity in 2007 and is the author of The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers. He is originally from Joplin, Missouri, but now lives in Columbia, Missouri, with his wife, Dr. Erica Beshore, and three daughters.
What is private equity, and how does it work? Jeremy and Brent delve into the basics before exploring what sets a business apart. Brent unveils Permanent Equity's distinctive investment approach, placing a strong emphasis on employee well-being, stability, and long-term ownership. They then draw parallels between small to mid-size businesses and nonprofits, humorously remarking that most are "loosely functioning disasters." Lastly, Brent underscores the shared traits of successful businesses (and nonprofits): humility and openness to feedback.
Interested in joining the Center for Civil Society's "K to Campus: How the Education Reform Movement Can Reshape Higher Ed" conference on October 23-24 in sunny Malibu, CA? Sign up today to receive special early-bird pricing!
We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT's producer, an email anytime!
Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you never miss an episode!
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Welcome back to a new season of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers!
To kick off the sixth season, Jeremy sits down with Jeremy Tedesco to discuss how we might better protect viewpoint diversity, free speech, and religious freedom in the workplace.
Jeremy Tedesco is senior counsel and senior vice president of corporate engagement for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Jeremy has litigated First Amendment cases at the highest levels and has been part of legal teams arguing major suits involving religious freedom before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also the founder of ADF’s Center for Conscience Initiatives, where he led efforts to protect individuals from government-coerced speech. Jeremy’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today, among other places, and he can be seen or heard on Fox News, CNN, PBS, NPR, and other leading networks.
Jeremy Tedesco sheds light on the perils of concentrated power, particularly within private companies. He reveals how the private sector is using its influence to undermine our cherished freedoms. From de-banking to viewpoint discrimination, Jeremy outlines the strategies to combat these issues, including the groundbreaking Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index pioneered by ADF. Discover its real-time effects on major corporations like JPMorgan Chase and what this could mean for the future of corporate America.
Interested in joining the Center for Civil Society’s “K to Campus: How the Education Reform Movement Can Reshape Higher Ed” conference on October 23-24 in sunny Malibu, CA? Sign up today to receive special early-bird pricing!
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with John Cuddeback about the art of crafting a joyful, rich, and worthy life.
John Cuddeback is a professor of philosophy at Christendom College, where he has taught since 1997. He writes often for academic and nonacademic publications and is the author of True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness. John founded LifeCraft, a community project that applies natural wisdom to the modern world with particular attention to issues relating to household, friendship, work, and stewardship.
Jeremy and John begin with the importance of meaningful relationships in the pursuit of a joy-filled life. John offers insights into the type of home environment humans crave and why the answer is less intuitive to younger parents. What are the daily rhythms and principles that lead families to a life of virtue? What are the makings of genuine friendship? How does a man become a leader in his home? What does it mean to be a good steward? John addresses all of this and more during this season's final episode.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Marcus A. Ruzek about how to help and how to hurt our nation's veterans.
Marcus Ruzek is the Senior Program Director at the Marcus Foundation. Marcus is a combat veteran who served as an Army Special Forces Officer (Green Beret). He served in the Army for 13 years and received three Bronze Star medals. His work at the foundation focuses on military veterans and free enterprise programs.
Jeremy starts this conversation by hearing more about Marcus' background in the military and transition to the Marcus Foundation, created by Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot. Marcus highlights the foundation's approach toward veteran-focused entrepreneurial philanthropy. He also shares the challenges facing veteran services: entitlement culture, healthcare bureaucracy, mental health, and traumatic brain injuries.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, and Thinkers, Jeremy sits down with Aaron Withe to discuss the peculiar challenges government unions pose for a healthy civil society.
Aaron Withe is the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom Foundation. He began his career at the Freedom Foundation in 2015 and was appointed CEO in 2021. Aaron is the author of Freedom is the Foundation: How We Are Defeating Progressive Tyranny by Taking on the Government Unions.
What are private sector unions, and how are they different from government unions? What is the impact of the 2018 Janus v AFSCME decision? Jeremy and Aaron discuss the influence of unions and what is required to ensure transparency for taxpayers and union members. Aaron shares his experience in resisting the power of government unions and the cost of doing so.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Alexandra O. Hudson about how cultivating the misunderstood virtue of civility can help us overcome our individual anxieties and social pathologies.
Alexandra Hudson lives in Indianapolis, where she is an Adjunct Professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She was a Novak Journalism Fellow and the creator and developer of a TV series called Storytelling and the Human Condition. She has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico, and other publications. Most recently, Alexandra is the author of a new book titled The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.
What’s the difference between civility and politeness? How do we cultivate healing in our society? Jeremy and Alexandra discuss what defines civility and the timeless set of principles that can heal our society. They further expand on the need for civility and its impact on protest, societal change, social media, education, and philanthropy. And most importantly, how Larry David fits into it all.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Oren Cass about the rising cost of thriving, our broken labor movement, alternative visions of the free market, and how to build stronger families and communities.
Oren Cass is the executive director of American Compass, an increasingly influential nonprofit policy organization based in Washington, DC. Oren is the author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America, which was published in 2018, and is a contributing opinion writer for the Financial Times. He writes regularly for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. And this fall, Oren was profiled in New York Magazine as “the nerd trying to turn the GOP populist.”
Jeremy and Oren dive right in by discussing economic dogmas of the past—think Reagan’s response to the 1970s—and how various policies require evolution given the new challenges facing America today. What is America’s economic diagnosis? Is capitalism out? What is the common good? Oren shares his insights on Trump, growing polarization, the middle class, inflation, economic inequality, AI, and what can be done about it all.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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During this week's episode of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Joshua Mitchell about how and why today's neo-puritans think our liberation depends on destroying those mediating institutions that constitute civil society.
Joshua Mitchell is a professor of political theory at Georgetown University. He was on the start-team for Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in Doha Qatar, and has taught courses there periodically for the past 15 years. He was also the Acting Chancellor of The American University of Iraq–Sulaimani. His research interest lies in the relationship between political thought and theology in the West. Dr. Mitchell has written several books including Not by Reason Alone, The Fragility of Freedom, Plato's Fable, Tocqueville in Arabia: Dilemmas in the Democratic Age; and his most recent book, American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time.
Jeremy and Joshua start by discussing identity politics’ impact on civil society and its morphism into a religious movement. Joshua shares a bit on the idea of “scapegoating” and the rise of anti-liberal movements in America—it’s not quite what you think. This is an action-packed conversation with Joshua's insights on Trump, political competence, social justice, and rebuilding mediating institutions.
Closing Notes:
The Center for Civil Society is pleased to announce its 2024 Givers, Doers, & Thinkers conference, which will take place on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Join us in Malibu on October 23rd & 24th, 2024. Our Early Bird registration is now open, and attendees can receive 50% off the standard ticket price for a limited time by using code EARLYBIRD when registering. For information about conference sponsorships, including table sponsorships for your organization, please contact Center Director Jonathan Hannah at [email protected].We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with journalist Ericka Andersen about why so many women have stopped attending church and what can be done about it.
Ericka Andersen is a freelance journalist and author of a new book titled Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women. Ericka writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Christianity Today, World, and other outlets. She also has her own podcast called “Worth Your Time.”
Jeremy and Ericka discuss why women are leaving religion at faster rates than men. Ericka shares insights on the connections between spiritual health and loneliness, faith communities and their impact on rebuilding the church, and how a simple invitation can reengage those who have fallen away.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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What are the characteristics of genuine charity? During this week's episode of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy Beer and James Whitford explore this question together.
James Whitford is the Founder and CEO of True Charity. James founded the True Charity Initiative to advance the cause of privately funded effective charity at the most local level nationally. His work has appeared in the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Culture and Opportunity, Patrick Henry College’s Newsmaker Series, World, The Christian Post, and The Hill.
Jeremy and James start their conversation with background on the Watered Gardens ministry and how trial and error helped shape its mission to address the root causes of poverty. They cover entitlement mentality, restoring dignity, practical interventions, and more. This week's episode is a perfect transition into your Thanksgiving weekend and the giving season.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy sits down with leading philanthropy scholar Les Lenkowsky about the giving landscape in America and how it may or may not be changing.
Leslie Lenkowsky is a leading scholar on philanthropy and has been a faculty member of Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Policy since 2004, and, for five years, was the director of Graduate Programs at IU's Center on Philanthropy in Indianapolis. From 2001-2004, he was appointed by the Bush Administration as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Among his other positions, he served as president of the Hudson Institute ('90-'97), president of the Institute for Educational Affairs, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University, and director of the Philanthropy Roundtable. His writing has appeared in such publications as Commentary, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal, The Public Interest, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the Indianapolis Business Journal.
During this conversation, Les shares where he thinks giving is headed in America and the trends worthy of note. Is the decline of church-goers the source of the decline in household giving? Jeremy and Les discuss the politicization of philanthropy, donor privacy, the origins of the ACE Act, and whether tax rates influence charity. To close, we hear an often-forgotten story of Julius Rosenwald, one of the most impactful civil rights philanthropists of the early twentieth century.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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We’re back with the fifth season of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers! To launch the next ten episodes, Jeremy sits down with Carrie Tynan, CEO of the Adolph Coors Foundation in Colorado.
As CEO, Carrie oversees all the foundation’s operations--both charitable and non-charitable--and implements the trustees’ vision for America. She loves visiting nonprofits and learning how they are improving the lives of the people in their communities, as well as finding new, innovative ways to have a larger impact. Before her current role, Carrie worked for the Adolph Coors Foundation as a program officer, director of programs, and executive director. Her background provides a lens into the framework of a highly effective grantmaking foundation.
Jeremy and Carrie discuss donor intent and local giving, combining human service and public policy grantmaking, and measuring the impact of initiatives. They also dive into the practical side of grantmaking and the importance of in-person site visits, communication with nonprofits, grant applications, and best practices for supporting grantees. To close the conversation, Jeremy and Carrie discuss the pros and cons of starting a foundation versus a donor-advised fund.
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!
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