What if generosity is the most underutilized force for global change?

In this episode of the Sustainable Giving podcast, host Dave Raley is joined by Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer of GivingTuesday, to unpack how generosity is evolving, and what that means for the future of philanthropy. From invented holidays to the power of recurring giving, Woodrow brings a data-rich and human-centered perspective that challenges the status quo.

You’ll hear how GivingTuesday grew from a simple idea into a global movement, and how the GivingTuesday Data Commons, now over 2,400 collaborators strong, is uncovering billions in untapped generosity.

Key Topics We Cover:

1. What Generosity Really Means Today: Reframing generosity as more than money, but rather showing up, creating belonging, and participating in community change.

2. The Evolution of GivingTuesday: From a humble “what if” question to a global movement across 105+ countries, GivingTuesday became so much more than just a day.

3. Recurring Giving as a Game-Changer: Why GivingTuesday is one of the biggest days for new recurring donors, and how those donors are more loyal, more generous, and more engaged.

4. The Power of Invented Holidays: How cultural traction is built around invented moments like GivingTuesday, and how your organization might do the same.

5. The GivingTuesday Data Commons & Collective Innovation: How over 2,400 collaborators are pooling data to unlock $52 billion in missed philanthropic opportunity each year.

Also in this episode, we discuss:

- The surprising truth about who really gets left out of the giving conversation

- Why many orgs still default to “one-time” giving, and what it’s costing them

- How your nonprofit’s “natural resources” can unlock recurring revenue

- Why European nonprofits are light-years ahead in recurring giving

What if sustainable giving isn’t just a fundraising strategy, but a mindset shift?

More Resources:

- Discover more: sustainablegiving.org/podcast

- Get the data from GivingTuesday: https://data.givingtuesday.org

- Growing Giving research: https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/growing

-giving/

- Check out the Fundraising Effectiveness Project: https://fepreports.org/

- Learn more about the GivingPulse: http://givingpulse.givingtuesday.org/

- Get to know Woodrow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodrowrosenbaum/

- Grab Dave’s book: https://sustainablegiving.org/

Special thanks to our team at Sustainable Giving: Abigail, Tom, Kirsten, Grace, and Christeen.