Ever wondered how philanthropy and charity first began? The answer may surprise you! The Greek roots for the word “philanthropy” refer to the “love of humankind”.

Rob’s guest today is author Paul Vallely who has written a new book that serves as an encyclopedic review of the origins and history of philanthropy and charity over the centuries. Paul argues that today, too many people and organizations have lost the true purpose of charity and he offers a way back to the roots of good philanthropy.

Paul shares what led him to research the history of philanthropy, what surprised him most about how money moves through philanthropic organizations and who really benefits from donations. He also talks about how organizations can help recapture the missing element in philanthropy, particularly as it relates to the relationship between the rich and the poor. In short, Paul argues for having a more human and holistic vision of philanthropy that marries the head and the heart. Finally, Paul digs into why more nonprofit leaders need to focus on building partnerships by listening to and respecting the people they are trying to help and how the pandemic has actually strengthened philanthropy as a third pillar in society alongside government and the market.

*This episode previously aired #Remix #FromTheArchives

This podcast is sponsored by @Donorbox

Learn more about Paul’s book here:

Paul Vallely: Website | Twitter |

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com

To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/

This is repost of a previously published episode. In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Aidan Reilly, co-founder of The Farmlink Project, a nonprofit that began as a college passion project and grew into a national food recovery movement. What started in 2020 as two friends trying to make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic quickly evolved into a logistics powerhouse that has since delivered over 350 million pounds of food—soon to be half a billion.

Aidan shares the compelling origin story of Farmlink and how a group of students bridged the gap between farms with surplus food and food banks in desperate need. With impressive agility, grassroots organizing, and a deep sense of purpose, Farmlink has scaled nationwide and is now exploring international efforts. Aidan also discusses how Farmlink is addressing food waste, hunger, and climate change simultaneously—and how their innovative model may one day make their own work unnecessary.

Key Topics Include:

• The founding of Farmlink during the pandemic by college students looking to make an impact
• How Farmlink grew from a local food rescue effort to a national nonprofit operating in 27+ states
• The logistics of moving nearly half a billion pounds of food and partnering with over 1,200 food banks and 400 farms
• The systemic causes of food waste in the U.S. and how Farmlink is creating long-term infrastructure solutions
• How Farmlink measures and communicates its climate and hunger relief impact to donors
• The role of AI, predictive analytics, and capacity mapping in scaling nonprofit operations
• Why public-private partnerships and policy advocacy are essential to solving food insecurity at scale

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Farmlink Project
• Abundance: The Farmlink Documentary (YouTube)

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

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Summary

The conversation with Aidan Reilly from the Farm Link Project explores the organization’s journey from a student-led initiative to a national movement addressing food waste and hunger. Aidan shares insights on the importance of partnerships, innovative solutions, and the impact of their work on communities and the environment. The discussion highlights the challenges faced in scaling their efforts and the vision for a sustainable food system that eliminates waste and hunger.

Quotes
“We shouldn’t, let’s try to help.”
“We rescued 50 million apples.”
“We work with all food banks.”

Chapters
00:00 The Birth of Farm Link Project
02:54 Scaling Up: Partnerships and Systems
05:48 Connecting Farms and Food Banks
08:40 Addressing Food Waste and Consumer Preferences
11:35 Measuring Impact: Hunger Relief and Climate Outcomes
19:54 Harnessing AI for Nonprofit Scalability
22:34 Eliminating Waste and Hunger: A Guiding Philosophy
26:18 Building Infrastructure for Zero Waste
29:10 Overcoming Operational Challenges in Scaling
33:58 Strategizing for Future Growth and Impact

This is repost of a previously published episode. 2020 skyrocketed the move to online giving for all donors who give to nonprofits. Organizations who already had a clear and robust process for donors to give online really benefited—those who didn’t, really struggled. They struggled to keep their giving on par with previous years. Now, the question for all nonprofits of how to “future-proof” fundraising is constantly on our collective minds. So how does your organization go about doing that? Rob’s guest shares some fascinating data points gleaned from a recent report on the “state of philanthropy” within the nonprofit sector and why an easy and efficient online giving experience for your donors is absolutely essential for your organization’s future success and sustainability.

Rob’s guest today is Elizabeth Pun, Manager of Content at Classy. Classy is a B-Corp that focuses on closing the gap between nonprofit and for-profit businesses and Elizabeth is the primary editor of Classy’s recent report entitled: The State of Modern Philanthropy 2021.

Elizabeth explains how empowering your event attendees to fundraise can organically increase your donations and provide more engagement. She breaks down why recurring giving, subscription services, and donation matching are excellent strategies to drive more funds and donations to your organization. Finally, Elizabeth shares valuable insight about creating a more robust online giving experience, and a powerful reminder that if you want to maximize donations to help safeguard and scale your organization, you must be able and willing to meet donors where they are. (This episode previously aired)

#FromTheArchives

Links to Resources:

Classy: Website

Read the report here.

Collaborative Virtual Sessions Conference

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com

To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/