Penny Cowden Podcasts

Sybil Ackerman-Munson is the President at Do Your Good LLC. They offer online courses, podcasts, and resources to help donors make a difference with their donations. With over two decades of experience, she knows how to establish best funding practices and help donors make a tangible difference in the world. Sybil has helped give away over $45 mill…

Steven D. Lavine is the longest-serving president of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The institute was born out of Walt Disney's vision for an art school over 50 years ago. CalArts had become embroiled in crisis until Steven became president, leading it to financial prosperity and international acclaim. When Steven took over the sch…

Tim Kachuriak is the Founder and Chief Innovation and Optimization Officer for NextAfter. NextAfter is a fundraising research lab and consultancy. They work with cause-driven businesses and nonprofit organizations to help them better understand their customers and inspire their donors to give generously. Tim is renowned as a nonprofit thought leade…

Wendy Wilsker is the Managing Partner at Boyden, a global leader in executive search and talent advisory services with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries. Wendy has nearly 30 years of experience as a frontline fundraiser, not-for-profit manager, and executive recruiter. Through her, Boyden is expanding its Boston office to have a significant…

Katherine O'Donnell is the Co-founder & CEO of OP Creative Communications (OPCC), a communications agency that helps non-profit organizations and high-net-worth individuals optimize their social impact. OPCC also partners with data scientists to assess organizations and create individualized data dashboards that ensure transparency. When Katherine …

Jay Ruderman is the President at the Ruderman Family Foundation. He has focused his life's work on seeking social justice by advocating for people with disabilities worldwide. As President, Jay takes an ambitious approach to leading the foundation. Since then, it has become a national and international leader in inclusion and disability rights advo…

Jeremy Cramer is the CEO of Exponential Philanthropy, a fundraising consulting and philanthropic advisory firm. He spent his career supporting and leading not-for-profit organizations to focus on systematic change in healthcare and education. Jeremy started his career by working in the development office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He then…

Kerry Watterson is the Chief Executive Officer of Fundraising Well. This firm is on a mission to help not-for-profit organizations and philanthropists develop specific strategies to maximize their collective impact on their targeted causes. He teaches fundraising models and resource development with the University of California Irvine. He also serv…

Jay Finney is the Vice President and Senior Consultant, Fundraising Management at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, LLC. For over 20 years, Jay has worked with a wide variety of not-for-profit organizations, helping them attract, engage, and retain more donors. He has partnered with colleges, prep schools, hospitals, PBS stations, food banks, museums, zoos, mil…

Marilyn Parker, CFRE, is the Chief Operating Officer at Benefis Health System Foundation, while Jami Wald is the Senior Development Director. Since 1998 the Benefis Health System Foundation has served as the only not-for-profit charitable organization working with donors to drive revolutionary support for Benefis Health System. It exists to ensure …

Alex Davison is the Executive Director of the Arthritis Foundation for Louisiana. Alex has a master's degree in public administration from the University of New Orleans, where he serves on the Alumni Board of Directors. He was raised in South Lake Tahoe, California, and graduated from Cal State San Marcos before moving to New Orleans. He lives with…

Shelley Davis is the President and Executive Director of the Forest Preserve Foundation. Shelley has over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector and has moved from frontline crisis intervention counselor to policy advocate and foundation grantmaker. The Forest Preserve Foundation’s aim is to invest in Chicago's climate and next generat…

Steven Aguiar is an experienced Full-Stack Digital Marketer. He is the Founder of Good Goes Further, where he helps not-for-profit organizations create and execute a plan for digital growth. Steven is also the Founder of BlueWing, a marketing agency that has helped dozens of clients grow and activate a digital audience. After graduating from Brown …

Gina Bria is the Founder and Executive Director of the Hydration Foundation. She’s an anthropologist and was named Real World Scholar with the World Evolved Lecture Series. She has opened a new conversation on what hydration is beyond just liquid consumption. Some of her greatest work has been documenting the process of hydration in desert communit…

Cynthia Gregory is an author, life strategist, executive coach, and Certified Co-Active Coach. She’s the Communication Director for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the International Coaching Federation, a Member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter, and the California Writers Club. Cynthia is a not-for-profit le…

Russ Hodge is the CEO of The Hodge Group, one of the fastest-growing fundraising consulting firms in the nation. Russ has over 35 years of fundraising experience, using a hands-on management style and innovative fundraising techniques that have helped The Hodge Group raise more than half a billion dollars. Russ is often sought out as a key speaker …

David Williams is the Chief Development Officer for the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University. For over 15 years, David has been responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive advancement program for ten academic units that comprise the College of Liberal Arts. In this episode… Something fundraising of…

Eric Ressler is the Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic Inc., a social impact creative agency. Cosmic empowers social impact organizations to catalyze real-world change by helping them nail their impact story, brand awareness, and inspire action. Eric got his start in design from a young age. He left a design program in San Diego early to pursu…

Gabe Cooper is the Founder and CEO of the all-in-one nonprofit growth platform, Virtuous. Virtuous is a responsive fundraising platform designed to help nonprofit organizations build lasting relationships with all their donors. After serving in a leadership role at a large nonprofit in the early 2000s, Gabe went on to help build a series of success…

Philip Purcell is a Consultant and Adjunct Faculty at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where he teaches nonprofit organization law and planned giving. He is also Adjunct Faculty at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he teaches law and philanthropy, and nonprofit law. Philip is the Editor of Planned Giving …

Michele M. Rebeor is the Owner and Philanthropy Consultant at Michele M Rebeor Consulting (MMRC). MMRC specializes in helping not-for-profit organizations of all sizes enhance their current resources to build more deliberate practices that garner increases in contributions, donor loyalty, and sustainable giving. As a seasoned philanthropic and comm…

Paul Kaminski is the Executive Director of the Long Beach City College Foundation. Paul has been working in philanthropy for about 18 years, defining himself as a mission-driven fundraiser. Before joining the Foundation, Paul was the Director of Advancement for St. John Bosco High School and Providence High School. In his past, he’s served as the V…

Kris Putnam-Walkerly is a trusted adviser to the world's leading philanthropists. For more than 20 years, wealthy families, ultra-high net worth donors, foundations, Fortune 500 companies, and celebrity activists have sought and benefited from her advice to transform their giving and catapult their impact. As President of the Putnam Consulting Grou…

Rita Fuerst Adams is the President of Charitable and Philanthropic Management Counsel. With her work, Rita transforms organizations into better funded, more effective entities while building internal and external teams to diversify and increase funding. Primarily working with entrepreneurial and collaborative organizations that focus on the common …

Jennifer Radics-Johnson is the Executive Director of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF), an organization focused on enhancing the quality of life for burn survivors and promoting burn prevention education. Jennifer has sharpened her management and leadership expertise within the not-for-profit industry for 14 years and has been with AARBF s…

Karen Eber Davis is a nonprofit consultant, advisor, and President of Karen Eber Davis Consulting, through which she helps organizations and businesses discover propulsion tools to grow their profits and performance. As a leading authority on nonprofit revenue, Karen helps clients create dynamic partnerships and make an extraordinary impact. Karen …

Elle Lamboy is the Vice President of Advancement and Communications for the Gettysburg Foundation, specializing in philanthropic fundraising, membership strategy, and marketing. In her role for the Foundation, she led her team in raising substantial funds to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site. Brian…

Nina Fascione is the former Vice President of Philanthropy at Defenders of Wildlife. She oversees efforts to raise organizational fundraising through foundations, corporations, and individuals for strategic conservation work. Before working with Defenders of Wildlife, Nina was Executive Director of Bat Conservation International from 2010 to 2012, …

Kim Meredith is the Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, overseeing all aspects of the Foundation and working closely with the Foundation Board of Directors. Before joining the Foundation, she spent 11 years as the inaugural Executive Director of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PA…

Jennie Boden is the Vice President of Strategic Relationships and Senior Consultant with Quantum Governance, L3C. At Quantum Governance, she's worked with clients as varied as Camphill Village, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Children of Faith Missions as well as the Credit Union Executives Society, the Friends of the Nationa…

Marni Becker-Avin is the Executive Director of the Wuf Shanti Children's Wellness Foundation, a nonprofit that teaches children the importance of mindfulness and social emotional learning. Her son, 15-year-old Adam Avin, is the Creator, personality, and commandment behind the organization. Marni and Adam both teach mindfulness and social-emotional …

Deniz Tasdemiroglu Conger is a Certified Fundraising Executive and the Chief Development Officer for the organization, Alliance for a Healthier Generation. As a Certified Fundraising Executive, Deniz has raised more than $150 million leading capital and comprehensive campaigns for nonprofit organizations in Michigan, Oregon, and national organizati…

Dr. Jessica Louie is the CEO and Founder of Spark Joy in Healthcare, a community to uplift and inspire healthcare professionals. She is also the CEO and Founder of Clarify Simplify Align, where she helps burned-out pharmacists and health care professionals transition their lives from surviving to thriving. Dr. Louie is a certified coach in the KonM…

Dr. Diana Rangaves is a Google Scholar Award-Winning Ghostwriter and Founder of Clinical Consultant Services and her ghostwriting business, Diana Rangaves Ghostwriting Services. She holds a Doctorate from the University of California, San Francisco, and has over 30 years of leadership experience and over 15 years as an academic professor. With her …

Neil Smithson is the CEO and Founder of Brightway Data, a company focused on empowering non-profit organizations through intelligent predictive philanthropy screening. This method identifies overlooked populations of donors with a high propensity to donate based on behavioral indicators that aren’t usually picked up by other wealth screening techno…

Justin Ware is the Senior Vice President of Digital at Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF). He was previously the Founder of Groundwork Digital, which was later acquired by BWF. An Emmy winning videographer and fundraiser, Justin started in TV News and attended the University of Minnesota for his higher education. From there, he entered the not-for-profit …

Philip Purcellis the Senior Counsel for Philanthropy on behalf of The Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. As part of the Adjunct Faculty,Philipteaches the Law of Nonprofit Organizations and Planned Giving. He's an Editor of Planned Giving Today and …

Jason Zajac is the Principal of Celsinus Partners. He has worked in the philanthropic field for 27 years and has helped clients raise over $750 million. Through Celsinus Partners, Jason provides highly-customized fundraising plans for regional and national organizations. He develops strategies to help them authentically reach out to donors and buil…

Lorrie Hartley is the Executive Director and Board Director of The TKD Foundation. She is a mission-driven and results-proven CEO with over 17 years of experience as an executive decision influencer in the not-for-profit sector. The hallmark of Lorrie's career has been working with mission-focused organizations to help humankind through servant lea…

Tifany Boyles is the Director of Global Philanthropy at Street Business School, where she leads philanthropic partnerships, thought leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Their goal is to scale their entrepreneur training and self-efficacy programs through a social franchise model to ignite the potential in 1 million women globally. She previously…

Devin Hibbard is the CEO of Street Business School, an entrepreneurial training program that helps women living in poverty go from an average of $1.35 to $4.19 per day by starting their small businesses. Through a social franchise scaling model, Street Business School is active in 21 countries worldwide and will reach a million women by 2027. In th…

Randy Gorod is the President and CEO of Pisgah Consulting, a consultancy that works with small and medium not-for-profits to maximize impact by better understanding and implementing a comprehensive development planning process. Randy has been in development for over 25 years and has worked for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Emory Univers…

Karen Wawrzaszek is the Principal at Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney. She is an executive that consults with families and institutions on investment and financial planning programs. Over the past 20 years, she's led a variety of impact investment initiatives and consulted with families of wealth that are on a journey to align their values with…

Dori Kreiger is the Executive Director at CTIA Wireless Foundation, a foundation that advances social impact fueled by innovative wireless technology in American communities. Dori brings vast experience as a philanthropic strategist specializing in the intersection of not-for-profit and business. For more than 20 years, she's developed innovative p…

Ron Mirenda is the Founding Principal of Mirenda & Associates, with a focus on helping nonprofits foster successful and long-term relationships with donors. Ron has over 40 years of executive leadership, fundraising, and strategic planning experience. He has either managed or played significant roles in campaigns whose combined goals approached $85…

Dean Browell is the Principal, Co-Founder, and Executive Vice President of Feedback, a company specializing in developing contextual voice-of-the-consumer research through digital channels for mid-size and large global brands. Dean has a passion for how generations interact online and his expertise is evident across many industries. He is a Board M…

Pete Waldron is the President of The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania, a non-profit that focuses on building and managing endowment funds. He has over 35 years of experience leading corporate citizenship, marketing, communications, and philanthropy efforts. Pete started his career in the newspaper industry before pivoting to public servi…

Jay Weisman is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and the Founder of Legacy Philanthropy Group. The Legacy Philanthropy Group provides innovative hands-on philanthropic programs and workshops designed to build bridges between nonprofits that offer the programs, expertise, and infrastructure to make an impact in our communities, individuals, and or…

Steve Higgins is the President and CEO of Carter, an international company providing counsel in the areas of philanthropy, governance, and organizational planning. Before co-founding Carter with Bob Carter in 2011, Steve spent nearly six years with Ketchum as a Senior Vice President responsible for client development efforts. He has more than 20 ye…

David Mehr is the Assistant Vice President at CCS Fundraising, an organization that got its initial start in 1947 as a Community Counseling Service. It has a long history of providing philanthropic counsel and service to a spectrum of organizations and healthcare, the arts, and academia, medical schools, hospitals, public broadcasting, and conserva…