Giving Done Right

Giving Done Right

From the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), Giving Done Right is the show with everything you need to know to make an impact with your charitable giving. Whether you’re donating a few hundred dollars a year, a few thousand, or a few million, you might find yourself wondering: Where should I give? How do I know which nonprofits are effective? How do I know if I’m really making a difference with my donation? Join hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette as they welcome leaders and experts from throughout the nonprofit sector to answer philanthropy’s burning questions and bust some myths that have long plagued donors and nonprofits alike. In a time when effective giving is especially crucial, Giving Done Right cuts through the noise and focuses on what you need to know to put your money to work.

Episodes

Faith, Generosity, and Justice: Dilnaz Waraich on Muslim American Giving

October 9, 2025 • 40 mins
What does it mean to tell the Muslim American story of generosity? Why is it important to talk about "religious justice" in philanthropy alongside other forms of justice? These are questions that President of the WF Fund and philanthropic advocate Dilnaz Waraich explores with hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette as she shares her journey from kitchen table conversations about giving back to leading narrative change work that hig...
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An Anti-Authoritarian Playbook for Donors With Joe Goldman

October 2, 2025 • 55 mins
President of the Democracy Fund Joe Goldman offers both urgency and clarity for donors concerned about the U.S.’ democratic backslide into authoritarianism in this conversation. As the second Trump administration consolidates power, he offers a practical three-part framework for strategic, democracy-focused giving: strengthening guardrails, powering breakthrough strategies, and working toward reconstruction.  In a conversation tha...
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A Defining Moment for Democracy: Angelica Salas on the Immigration Crisis

September 25, 2025 • 56 mins
As ICE raids and warrantless arrests by masked federal agents take place around the U.S., Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), joins hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette to discuss the unprecedented scale of current immigration enforcement and its implications for everyone. Angelica sheds light on what is happening on the streets and in processing and detention centers, including...
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Effecting Change at the Local Level: Wisdom from Community Foundation CEOs

September 18, 2025 • 68 mins
Donors looking to make a difference in their local communities can turn to community foundations — local philanthropic institutions driven by giving “of, by, and for the people” and rooted in the goal of creating thriving communities. In this episode, Phil and Grace are joined in conversation by three community foundation leaders: Dick Ober, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, LaTida Smith, president of th...
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Happy Mwende Kinyili on Building a Global, Grassroots Feminist Movement

September 11, 2025 • 60 mins
What happens when $2.83 billion disappears from women's rights funding globally? Conversely, what is possible when donors break out of traditional silos to work collaboratively with the goal of abundance and liberation for all? Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette talk with Happy Mwende Kinyili, co-executive director of global feminist fund Mama Cash to explore this unprecedented crisis — and discover surprising reasons for hope. Hap...
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Federal Cuts, Local Food Banks, and what Donors Can Do With Julie Butner

September 4, 2025 • 51 mins
As federal funding cuts shift more responsibility for food insecurity to local communities, Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette talk with Julie Butner, president and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, one of the largest food banks in the United States serving 13 counties around Fort Worth, Texas. Julie reveals that food bank clients are often working families who simply can't afford basic necessities and explains how modern food ban...
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Mark Suzman on Funding Urgent Needs

September 4, 2025 • 59 mins
The dismantling of USAID has created the most profound crisis in international development in decades, threatening to reverse years of progress in public health globally. In the season five premier of Giving Done Right, Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette talk with Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, about what this means and how donors can respond. Suzman also shares candid insights about the Gates Foundation's work, includin...
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Introducing: Season 5 of Giving Done Right

August 21, 2025 • 2 mins
As shifts to federal policy and funding profoundly impact domestic nonprofits and civil society as well as international aid, it has never been more vital that donors act decisively, urgently, and wisely.    This season, on the Giving Done Right podcast, hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette dive deep with philanthropic and nonprofit leaders and experts to shed light on the rapidly shifting landscape of need and the crucial but ...
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Giving Back to Your Hometown with Bean Path’s Nashlie Sephus

January 23, 2025 • 43 mins
Nashlie Sephus, Ph.D. brought her passion for technology and experience as an entrepreneur back to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to bridge the technology gap and plant the seeds for a thriving community. Nashlie joins Phil and Grace in the season four finale to share how the nonprofit she founded, Bean Path, went from informal drop-in hours at the local library to a vital community organization with event spaces, expert-taug...
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Taking on Philanthropy’s Toughest Critiques with Beth Breeze

January 16, 2025 • 54 mins
Philanthropy has been the subject of intensifying criticism, so how should donors think about their role in creating a better world? Beth Breeze, Ph.D., director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, has spent more than a decade examining and responding to critiques of philanthropy, most recently authoring the 2021 book, “In Defence of Philanthropy.” In conversation with Phil and Grace, she makes the case that t...
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Giving Cash to Those in Need with Paul Niehaus of GiveDirectly

January 9, 2025 • 42 mins
As we begin a new year, we’re sharing a classic from the Giving Done Right archive in which Phil and Grace talk with Paul Niehaus, co-founder and chairman of GiveDirectly. Paul discusses the power of direct cash transfers – how they work, why trusting those in need with cash can be extremely effective, and when certain issue areas might warrant a different philanthropic approach. They also discuss the effective altruism movement an...
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Julián Castro on Supporting a Diverse Latino Community after Trump’s Win

December 19, 2024 • 50 mins
From his days as mayor of San Antonio, Texas to serving as a Cabinet Secretary under former President Barack Obama to leading the nation's largest Latino-serving foundation, Julián Castro has always sought to create positive change in people's lives. As CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, Julián joins Phil and Grace to discuss his vision for a thriving Latino community in the U.S., sharing how philanthropy can enhance civic eng...
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Get Curious and Stay the Course: Advice for Donors from Philanthropists Jeff and Tricia Raikes

December 12, 2024 • 42 mins
Jeff and Tricia Raikes, co-founders of the Raikes Foundation, join Phil and Grace to share their path to philanthropy, their focus on creating supportive systems and fostering belonging for youth, and their belief in proximity and partnership with both nonprofits and beneficiaries of their funding. They discuss what they learned as they transitioned to full-time philanthropy and how donors can avoid common pitfalls. Phil and Jeff a...
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What Does a Trump Victory Mean for Nonprofits and Donors Focused on Democracy? With Stephen Heintz

December 5, 2024 • 55 mins
Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, joins Phil and Grace to discuss the results of the 2024 presidential election, whether there is merit to the argument of journalist Ezra Klein and others that certain nonprofit organizations are having an outsized impact on the Democratic party, the role of nonprofits in a functioning democracy, and what it will take to rebuild trust across ideological divides. Ste...
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Giving Locally with Mike Bontrager and Stephanie Almanza

December 3, 2024 • 51 mins
Father-daughter duo Mike Bontrager and Stephanie Almanza join Phil and Grace to share their approach to building both for-profit and nonprofit ventures in their local community that are rooted in trust, partnership, and shared goals. Mike offers insight into how he found success in the financial industry by putting trust ahead of profit and how that principle has informed his philanthropic and entrepreneurial ventures in his hometo...
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Tackling the Root Causes of Homelessness with Susan Thomas

November 21, 2024 • 49 mins
What can donors do to address the seemingly intractable problem of homelessness? Susan Thomas, president of the Melville Charitable Trust, joins Phil and Grace to discuss the systems and barriers in place in the U.S. that result in well over a half million unhoused Americans. Susan draws on her own personal and familial story as well as decades of experience, arguing that homelessness and structural racism are intrinsically linked,...
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Avoid the Myths and Give Smarter with Elisha Smith Arrillaga and Kevin Bolduc

November 14, 2024 • 56 mins
Phil and Grace invite their CEP colleagues Elisha Smith Arrillaga and Kevin Bolduc to the recording studio for a candid and lively conversation that covers nonprofit-donor relationships, big gifts, trust in philanthropy, and the challenges facing nonprofits right now. The four bring their considerable collective experience and CEP’s data-based insights to bear on crucial questions like how donors can best support the causes they be...
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Who Gets to Age with Dignity? Featuring Ramsey Alwin and Chad Federwitz

October 31, 2024 • 42 mins
Nearly everyone will age or be in a caregiving role for aging relatives at some point in their life, yet relatively few major donors or foundations make aging an explicit priority. In this episode, Phil and Grace discuss the importance of enabling everyone to age with dignity with Ramsey Alwin, president and CEO of the National Council on Aging, and Chad Federwitz, manager of Pitkin County Senior Services in Aspen, Colorado. Ramsey...
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Investing in Nonprofit Leaders with Yolanda Coentro

October 24, 2024 • 46 mins
What role do leaders play in the success of nonprofits and how can donors better support effective nonprofit leaders? Phil and Grace chat with Yolanda Coentro, president and CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice about her own journey to leadership and the unique set of challenges that nonprofit leaders face. They also discuss funding dynamics that prioritize programs over people, burnout, and the role of identity as a leader....
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Fighting Poverty with Direct Cash Transfers, Featuring Jesús Gerena

October 17, 2024 • 46 mins
What happens when you give cash to those in need? In this episode, Phil and Grace discuss direct cash transfers in conversation with Jesús Gerena, president and CEO of UpTogether. Jesús shares insight into how individuals who receive cash transfers invest in themselves, their families, and their communities. Jesús, Grace, and Phil consider attitudes of paternalism and mistrust of the poor among donors. They also discuss related con...
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