Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

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...

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 ...

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 U...

Political spam texts are flooding phones at scale—and the data shows it's overwhelmingly a Democratic problem, running 3-4X Republican spending on SMS fundraising since 2008. This week breaks down the loopholes that make it legal (peer-to-peer "technology," snowshoeing across thousands of numbers, political speech exemptions) and the burn-and-churn vendor model that profits 7-15% off every dollar raised, no matter how much tr...

This week's Nonprofit News Feed highlights the potential impact of upcoming IPOs in the AI sector on donor-advised funds (DAFs). Major players like SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are expected to go public, potentially generating $12 to $32 billion in new DAF contributions. This influx could significantly enhance grant-making capacities across the nonprofit sector.

The democratization of philanthropy is a key theme, as newly liquid e...

This week the hosts break down three stories circling the same question: who actually consents to AI's rollout into civic life?

Malta adopts ChatGPT. OpenAI's "OpenAI for Countries" program will give every Maltese citizen free ChatGPT Plus for a year, plus an AI literacy course. Nick warns of Free Basics-style second-order risks; George sees a paid tier as a better deal than the ad-driven alternative. Both flag the year-long lock-i...

This episode of Nonprofit News Feed explores two pressing issues affecting the nonprofit sector. Firstly, the loss of federal data sets poses significant challenges for nonprofits that rely on this information for decision-making and funding. Over the past 16 months, crucial data from agencies like USAID, NOAA, and the CDC have been deleted or altered, emphasizing the need for nonprofits to back up essential data to preserve instit...

Supreme Court Ruling Shakes Up the Voting Rights Landscape and Nonprofits Brace for Change

In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed by Whole Whale, the hosts delve into the implications of a recent Supreme Court decision that significantly guts the Voting Rights Act. In Louisiana v. Callais, the 6–3 conservative majority found that a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana constituted an unconstitutional r...

This week's Nonprofit Newsfeed explores key issues in the nonprofit sector: fraud allegations, significant mergers, and employment challenges.

Fraud in Disaster Relief Nonprofits An Oregon nonprofit is under scrutiny for misusing disaster relief funds on casinos and strip clubs, underscoring vulnerabilities in the disaster relief fundraising ecosystem. The conversation highlights the need for better vetting processes, especially as...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, Whole Whale delves into the complexities surrounding AI's role in the nonprofit sector and advertising. George and Nick share insights into job displacement fears and the uneven impact of AI across the workforce, particularly affecting technology professionals.

Main Topics:

• AI and Job Displacement: Discussion on how AI tools are widely adopted but raise concerns about job securit...

This week's episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed the hosts delve into significant legal developments affecting major tech companies and their broader implications for nonprofits. They discuss two landmark lawsuits involving Meta and YouTube, focusing on their platforms' addictive features and false safety claims. These cases, settled in California and New Mexico, respectively, highlight a shift towards holding tech giants accountable thro...

Exploring Google's AI Innovations and the Philanthropy Pledge Dilemma

This week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed the hosts delve into two significant developments impacting the nonprofit sector. First, they discuss Google's latest AI offerings for nonprofits, highlighting the integration of the Gemini model across Google Workspace tools. This development promises to enhance productivity by seamlessly connecting applications lik...

In this week's episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed, the hosts delve into significant challenges impacting the nonprofit sector, focusing on two major stories: the Flipcause donation platform's bankruptcy and the legal troubles faced by Greenpeace.

Flipcause Bankruptcy and Nonprofit Losses

The episode opens with an update on Flipcause, a donation platform that went bankrupt, leaving nonprofits in financial turmoil. The platform, unable to...

In the latest episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, the hosts delve into the intricacies of giving and volunteering across the United States, as well as the pressing environmental challenges facing nonprofits today. The conversation highlights the recently conducted "Total Civic Generosity Report" by Whole Whale, which sheds light on geographic disparities in generosity and the significant contributions of small-dollar donors.