Funders on Fundraising

Misty Avila is a longtime nonprofit leader and current funder working to build infrastructure for multiracial democracy in California’s Central Valley. In this episode, she reflects on how her upbringing in a restaurant shaped her understanding of power, what it means to bridge communities that rarely meet, and why she’s always been wary of the word “authenticity.” She talks about funders not being the audience, how she filters out scarcity thinking, and why she prefers text messages to formal emails. She’s honest about what gets her attention: people with vision, connection, and roots in the work. And she’s clear about what backfires—especially when funders treat process like protection instead of owning their decisions. It’s a conversation about access, networks, and what happens when we stop treating money like the most valuable thing in the room. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

Elizabeth Eagen is a former Senior Program Officer at the Open Society Foundations, where she spent over a decade funding global digital rights and emerging technology work. In this episode, she reflects on the philosophy behind her 50/30/20 funding model, why grantmaking is always shaped by internal dynamics, and what it means to move through the work with clarity, consistency, and long-term commitment. She talks candidly about what she looked for in a pitch: analysis, specific asks, and a conversation that recognizes both sides as professionals. She’s blunt about what backfires, honest about the decisions that get made behind closed doors, and generous in naming what she wishes more grantees understood. It’s a conversation about structure, risk, and how to stay candid without burning trust. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

Kent McGuire’s understanding of power began at home in Lansing, Michigan, where his father led a United Auto Workers local and his aunt led the Michigan Education Association. Organizing, he says, was simply “how people shaped the world they lived in.” As former Education Program Director at the Hewlett Foundation, Kent talks about what it means to hold institutional power responsibly: the limits of money, the leverage of reputation and access, and the discipline of humility. He describes strategy as both necessary and constraining, noting that short philanthropic time horizons make it hard to share power even when funders intend to. He also explains what makes an encounter meaningful: come prepared to understand who he is and what he cares about. Know his context, his constraints, and how your work connects to them. Alignment, he says, starts with comprehension. It’s a conversation about trust, leadership, and what it looks like to stay human—and gracious. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

Michelle Shevin’s understanding of power took shape in an unlikely place—a graduate program run by the U.S. military—where she first learned to see how institutions build and justify control. As a former Senior Program Manager at the Ford Foundation, she talks about wicked problems that can’t be solved, only lived with; the arrogance of solutionism; and the trap funders fall into when they confuse speed and scale with progress. She reflects on how technology both concentrates and exposes power, why relationships—not efficiency—are the real measure of impact, and how humility functions as a discipline, not a personality trait. It’s a grounded conversation about power, responsibility, and what thoughtful practice inside big institutions can still make possible. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

Sasha Rabkin, Chief of Program Strategy & Innovation for the Advanced Education Research & Development Fund (AERDF), speaks plainly about what it takes to build trust. He shares what makes early-stage funding possible, why–when he was a fundraiser–he resisted sending a deck, and how power and credibility get negotiated in the early stages of a relationship. This is a conversation about timing, posture, and what it really means to invest in people—not just projects. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm

A preview of Season 1: Funders speaking candidly about what builds trust, how decisions are made, and the subtle signals that shape every funding relationship. Learn about the quiet negotiations, the behind-the-scenes posture, the moments where clarity matters—and the ones where it’s missing. How fundraising actually works. Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media Cover art by Ben Johnson Theme music by Evan Greer For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm