On this episode, host Kim Nyoni welcomes Carla Willis, Managing Principal at Washburn & McGoldrick, for a thought-provoking conversation on navigating the twists and turns of a career in philanthropy. The conversation revolves around the critical skill of preparing for the unexpected in one's career. Kim and Carla delve into the reality that, even with meticulous planning, a career in advancement can be unpredictable at times – things like layoffs, furloughs, promotions, geographic moves are just part of life. And fundraisers have to be light on their feet while navigating the ups and downs of their careers. This episode provides listeners with valuable insights into resilience, adaptability, and accepting change as it comes. Through personal anecdotes and professional advice, Carla illustrates how to remain flexible and responsive to external challenges, emphasizing the need to embrace change rather than resist it. This conversation with Carla is an inspirational guide for professionals at any stage of their career, highlighting the significance of readiness and the power of positive pivoting in the face of big change.

“As a leader, you get to shape the culture. And that’s a huge responsibility.” Edgar Gonzalez’s family moved to the United States from Argentina when he was nine years old. Edgar recognized the immensity of his parents’ sacrifice, and it filled him with purpose and drive. He set out to study hard, work hard, and find a way to leave this world better than when he found it – while “wearing soft-soled shoes, because [he] stands on the shoulders of those who gave so much.” On this episode of the Mentorship Matters podcast, host Kim Nyoni explores Edgar’s career journey from to student telefund caller, to phonathon program manager, to major gift officer – all the way to Edgar’s current position as Vice President of Advancement at Seattle University. Edgar’s position as a leader is not one that he takes lightly. During this conversation, he reflects on how his identity as an immigrant and a white-presenting Latino man influences his approach to leadership. He explains how he strives to use his “unearned skin privilege to open doors for underrepresented individuals and lift others up.” He acknowledges that while metrics, goals, and bottom-line numbers are important, advancement work really is all about demonstrating genuine care for people – employees, coworkers, donors, students, and the broader community. One of his driving mottos is that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” and he discusses his commitment to building a culture at Seattle University that values people as whole humans. Along his career path, one of Edgar’s valued mentors, Dondi Cupp, explained to Edgar that “You can’t just like people in the advancement business. You have to love people.” Edgar reflects on how a career in fundraising has grown his love for people. Edgar wraps the episode by sharing a few pieces of sage advice for his younger self (and listeners who aspire to be advancement leaders some day): Put in the work to nurture relationships. Pace yourself. Mentorship matters. Tune in!

On this episode of Mentorship Matters, host Kim Nyoni chats with Jim Langley about a money question. The topic on the table is... How much money do we have to spend to raise a lot of money? Kim and Jim dive into a debate about where the fundraising industry is over- and under-investing. They talk about whether some traditional big spend ticket items are really donor-centric. And they discuss some investments that are well worth their fiscal weight. Tune in!

On this episode, Kim hosts Lishelle Blakemore, Associate Vice Chancellor of Development at the University of California, Berkeley. Lishelle is a second-generation fundraiser with a passion for building a work environment that values inclusion and belonging as much as fiscal success. Kim and Lishelle discuss UC Berkeley Advancement's recruitment and retention strategy that focuses on growing the careers of diverse fundraising professionals. Lishelle explains Berkeley's specific focus and KPIs for staff culture, well-being, and internal growth opportunities. Lishelle also shares about her own personal journey to UC Berkeley, explaining why she has stayed there for over 30 years – a tenure that is increasingly rare in the industry. Tune in!

In this episode of Mentorship Matters, Kim interviews Sallie-Grace Tate, the Executive Director of Women in Philanthropy at UC Davis. The discussion centers around the importance of growing women's philanthropy in higher education. Sallie-Grace shares insights into the history of women's philanthropy, emphasizing its long-standing presence in the United States and the evolving trends in modern women's giving. Women play in higher education – making up more than fifty percent of undergraduate populations – yet they are largely overlooked as donors and volunteers. Sallie-Grace challenges traditional assumptions and highlights the influence of women in decision-making processes, especially philanthropy. According to Sallie-Grace, the six key principles that form the foundation of successful women's philanthropy programs are: 1. Insight: Begin with understanding your institution's culture, resonating with women donors, and analyzing data to inform strategies.
 2. Women's Input is Key: Actively seek insights from women donors and volunteers, recognizing that their perspectives are crucial in accelerating fundraising.
 3. Realize Women Give More Than Money: Acknowledge that women contribute in various ways beyond financial donations, broadening the definition of philanthropy.
 4. Leadership Involvement: Ensure top leadership advocates for and supports the initiative, as their involvement is critical for sustainability and resource allocation.
 5. Start the Path Forward: Take the initial step, knowing that the path will be revealed, and embrace the evolutionary nature of the work, acknowledging that progress may be messy but not risky.
 6. Work is Evolutionary: View the initiative as an evolutionary process, adapting and growing over time with diverse partners and funding to achieve articulated goals and impacts. The episode concludes with discussions on the structure of the program at UC Davis, including events, initiatives, and the impact achieved, demonstrating the positive outcomes of this holistic approach to women's philanthropy in higher education.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play a critical role as champions for access to education and social mobility for African Americans and other underrepresented populations. During this conversation, host Kim Nyoni and guest Brent Swinton, VP of Advancement at Bowie State University, discuss how advancement teams at HBCUs lead the way for growth, excellence, and success on campus – and how integrating innovative technology and strategy can help lean teams perform as powerhouses.

On this episode of Mentorship Matters, we discuss the crucial role of affinity-based scholarship programs in higher education institutions, emphasizing their importance for recruiting underrepresented student populations who may not qualify for merit-based scholarships. For this convo, Kim is joined by LaDaniel Gatling, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations at Guilford College, to explore how to set up affinity-based scholarships, their benefits for both the institution and prospective students, and the challenges and considerations involved. They also touch on the impact of recent legal rulings and the potential future trends in scholarship programs, particularly in relation to minority-serving institutions and enrollment management.

Penn State has been a leader in championing diversity and inclusion within the field of advancement. From intentional investing in DEIB programming for their staff to proactively recruiting diverse talent, Penn State's commitment to hiring diverse professionals is actively supported by leadership at all levels. This level of focus and intentionality is a crucial factor to weaving inclusivity into both the everyday activities and the long-term strategy on the Penn State team. On this episode, Kim chats with David Lieb, Interim Vice President of Development & Alumni Relations, to discuss the essentials of building an inclusive community and Penn State's efforts to create pathways for diverse advancement professionals.

At EverTrue, our data tells us that it takes an average of 6.5 touch points to earn a meeting with a donor. In the marketing world, a potential customer must see a message from a brand at least 7 times before they'll be provoked to take an action. When it comes to your own personal brand, networking expert John Toolan argues that the rule of 7 applies, too: You should aim to have multiple interactions with someone if you want to get on their radar! Tune into this episode for more networking tips from John Toolan, executive coach and CEO of All Points Ahead, Inc.

Name Image and Likeness (NIL) was a result of a court ruling in the Alston v. NCAA lawsuit that challenged the NCAA's ability to limit college athletes from profiting from their name, image and likeness. NIL has revolutionized the college athletics landscape, allowing individual athletes to earn income outside of their educational benefits that are provided by their institution. And – these changes can present challenges for student-athletes as they navigate this new landscape. Opendorse is a leading athlete marketplace and NIL technology company that serves the full lifecycle of supporting athletes. As a company founded by former student athletes, Opendorse takes mentorship of athletes through the NIL marketplace to a personal level, and was recently named to the Sports Business Journal list of NIL Power Players and recognized by TIME as one of the 100 most influential companies of 2023. On this episode, Kim chats with Michael Zoerb, VP of Channel Partnerships about mentoring student athletes navigate the NIL world.

In her current role, Bathsheba Philpott leads National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF), whose mission confronts, addresses and solves for pervasive inequity in health care. NMF has worked to build health equity for decades by providing scholarships to Black, Indigenous, Latine, and People of Color medical students. In recent years, it has extended its support to scholars seeking to serve in other critical roles in the health care workforce. To further its mission, NMF has provided over $45 million in financial assistance to more than 32,000 talented students of color who have been historically and intentionally marginalized and underrepresented in medicine. Bathsheba reflects on her career journey, the impact of intentional mentorship, and how important it is for her personal mission and core values to align with the mission and purpose of her work.

The advancement industry has been trying to nail down the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that accurately measure fundraising productivity for a long time now, and they generally include a mix of: Visits. Proposals. Solicitations. Closed gifts. But, do any of these really account for the nuanced long-game of deep relationship building that is a precursor to transformative philanthropy? As the industry grows in its ability to measure portfolio health and fundraiser activity, how can we ensure to honor and acknowledge the "relationship-building long game"? Kim hosts seasoned advancement leader Bill Boldt, who has managed hundreds of fundraisers during his career, to dig into the tangibles and intangibles of fundraiser KPIs.

Higher ed has a talent problem. The average tenure for a gift officer is less than 18 months. 51% of all fundraisers plan to leave their jobs in the next two years. (Source: Chronicle of Philanthropy) And the average direct and indirect cost of losing a fundraiser is about $127,000. The “disappearing gift officer” has a huge impact on higher ed advancement. So, how can we improve the talent retention rate in higher ed? One answer is: get better at building talent pipeline. And the way we can do this is by: 1) Intentionally building on-ramp positions for new talent. (i.e. Positions that don't require direct fundraising experience and that welcome talent from outside the industry.) 2) Establishing a "crash course" in fundraising for these new fundraisers. (Our friends at Emory established the one-year Donor Experience Academy to train new gift officers, and it's amazing.) 3) Empowering new employees with the specific skills (tech suite, institutional knowledge, key relationships) that are needed for them to take the next step in your org. 4) Making sure that "next step" is clear, ready, and waiting for them. Essentially, it's about embracing a train-hire-grow model, and intentionality and specificity are keys to building this successful talent onramp. On this episode, Kim interview Dennis Bonilla, Dean at Wiley Edge Global Academy. The Wiley Edge team follows a train-hire-grow model centered on preparing college grads with high-demand tech skillsets that modern companies need – and then placing those graduates in those companies. They embody an intentional and specific talent readiness model, and advancement can learn a lot from it. Tune in!

"It's all about thinking right. About yourself, about others, about opportunities, about failures." What you think becomes what you are – so we have to start with our thoughts. On this episode, Kim hosts Dr. Amber Selking for an inspiring conversation about developing a winning mindsete. We talk through the thoughts, words, actions, and habits that all string together and build towards guaranteed success.

When considering a next-step in any career, there are lots of factors on the table. Job titles, salary, location, team resources, work load, organization culture. Of all these factors, Kim is confident in advising that the mission, vision, and values of an organization are most important. We spend the majority of time, and much of our mental and emotional energy, where we work. So, it matters hugely what you're working towards. On this episode, Kim shares his thoughts on the importance of aligning with the mission of an organization, and the effects true alignment can have on our longterm happiness, fulfillment, and well-being.

Nearly 3 million students attended college completely online in 2022. That's about 15% of all college students. (Source: Best Colleges) So, there's a new constituency of alumni: graduates who have never set foot on campus. How are you connecting with them? Which engagement opportunities are you presenting to them? How are you tapping into their experience, affinity, and desire to be a part of the alumni family? Online degree recipients are part of the family, too. On this episode of Mentorship Matters, host Kim Nyoni chats with Matthew Winston, Chief Alumni Engagement Officer at Binghamton University, about how our industry can do a better job of including the graduates who have never set foot on campus.

On this episode, Kim chats with Steven Barnes, Senior Associate Vice President at Duke Health and Alumni Affairs. They talk about how purposeful mentorship can organically evolve into genuine sponsor, and they explore the differentiators between a great mentor and a great sponsor.

"You are who you mentor." What can the advancement world learn from the hospitality industry about mentoring diverse talent and building a culture of success? On this episode, host Kim Nyoni chats with a veteran of the hospitality industry, David Crory, for an insightful conversation about what it looks like to be a servant leader in the world of hospitality.

On this episode of Mentorship Matters, host Kim Nyoni breaks it down with Shane Carlin, President & CEO at Asian Student Achievement. They talk about the importance of intentional conversations, inclusive mentorship, and bold sponsorship in assisting Asian and Asian-Americans through the advancement talent pipeline and into leadership positions.