Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

https://www.plannedgivingaccelerated.com/my-book  The episode features planned-giving consultant Tony Martignetti discussing his book, Planned Giving Accelerated. His central message is that legacy fundraising isn’t reserved for universities, hospitals, or large nonprofits—small and midsized organizations can launch a practical program in one week. The three-step approach: Identify your strongest prospects. Prioritize loyal, long-term donors with whom someone at the nonprofit has a genuine relationship. Consistency matters more than wealth: someone who has donated $5 annually for 20 years may be a better prospect than an occasional major donor. Start exclusively with gifts in wills. Bequests are familiar, simple, and cost donors nothing during their lifetimes. More complicated vehicles can wait until the program matures. Cultivate and ask. Begin personal conversations with the best prospects. Martignetti recommends asking directly but naturally: “Would you consider including us in your will?” Key insights: Planned giving is a conversation about life, not death. The focus should be the longevity of the organization’s work and its future impact in the community. Loyalty predicts potential better than gift size. Nonprofits shouldn’t restrict planned-giving outreach to wealthy or major donors. Start with donors around age 55–60 or older. Younger donors can participate later, but older, established supporters are more likely to retain the organization in their estate plans. Don’t lead with tax benefits. Most modest donors will receive little or no estate-tax advantage; they give because they care about the mission. Technical questions should be referred to the donor’s attorney or financial adviser. Bequests are usually unrestricted. Martignetti encourages nonprofits to place as much as practical into an endowment while balancing immediate operating needs. Specific restrictions and naming opportunities are exceptions. Discuss programs, buildings, or required gift amounts only when donors want a more tangible legacy. Monthly donors can become strong prospects, although the initial launch should remain tightly focused on the most established relationships. Donor-advised funds require succession planning. Donors should designate successor advisers or charitable beneficiaries so the remaining money doesn’t simply default to the sponsoring organization. Meetings can be informal. Martignetti likes meals because their natural pacing creates room for conversation, but fundraisers should meet wherever both parties feel comfortable. The episode also discusses Martignetti’s deliberately humorous, anti-academic style and a seemingly unrelated chapter documenting the 2025 “GoFundMe chaos week.” In that episode, GoFundMe created roughly 1.2 million unapproved nonprofit donation pages. Nonprofit professionals organized on LinkedIn, pressured the company to respond, and helped bring wider regulatory attention to “shadow donation pages.” Overall, the takeaway is simple: planned giving does not require a complex campaign, special website, tax expertise, or wealthy donor base. It begins when a nonprofit identifies a loyal supporter and opens an honest conversation about sustaining its mission beyond the donor’s lifetime.

This episode examines fee transparency on GoFundMe donation pages for nonprofits. The discussion explores the difference between platform tips and transaction fees, whether donors can easily see how much of their gift reaches a charity, and what clearer disclosure could look like.    Read our full exploration into GoFundMe's fee transparency here.

This episode explores how AI is making phishing scams more convincing—and why nonprofits need stronger staff training, verification procedures, and financial safeguards. Learn how scammers impersonate executives, exploit grant and invoice requests, and use fake document links to bypass security systems. The conversation also spotlights Dolly Parton’s philanthropic legacy, from the Imagination Library’s millions of books for children to support for disaster relief, education, health care, and local music programs.

First up: PayPal Giving Fund and why its reported $60B acquisition interest from Stripe should have the nonprofit world paying closer attention. A quick teardown of who actually controls the money moving through it. Then: the politics of AI are getting contentious, and nonprofits are stuck in the crossfire. We dig into the cooling public mood, the two extremes pulling the debate apart, and the case for a transparent AI use policy that draws bright red lines, shows where AI drives impact, and admits where it does harm. Next: Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund put $200M behind saving 100 species from extinction, and why celebrity-and-billionaire-built operations earn a raised eyebrow. Closing out: the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Whole Child school in New Jersey shuts its doors after CZI pulls funding, and what it says about throwing money at problems instead of partnering with the people who already do the work.

This week's Nonprofit News Feed turns the spotlight on the PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF), a pivotal player in the donation processing ecosystem. Operating like a donor-advised fund (DAF), PPGF processed a staggering $952 million in donations in 2024, marking a 50% increase from the previous year. This growth is largely attributed to PPGF becoming the sole donation processor for Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram in the US and UK. However, concerns arise over the fund's operations, particularly its handling of donor data and the creation of "shadow pages." These pages can reroute donations without nonprofits' consent, and PPGF's lack of transparency in passing donor information to nonprofits is a significant issue. Additionally, the PayPal Giving Fund's close ties to PayPal, a for-profit entity, raise questions about governance and financial transparency, especially regarding the interest accrued on funds held for up to 90 days. The discussion underscores the need for nonprofits to be vigilant about how their donations are processed and the importance of advocating for more transparent and efficient systems that truly benefit charitable organizations.