Passing the Torch: A Conversation with Art Taylor and Bennett Weiner

How can AI actually increase donor trust rather than erode it? In this conversation, Bennett Weiner (President & CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance) speaks with Jeremy Kirshbaum (Founder, Handshake) and Ezra Vázquez-D’Amico (Director of Digital Partnerships & Strategy, BBB Wise Giving Alliance) about AskGive—Give.org’s AI Powered Donor Advisor that helps people make wise, trust-centered giving decisions using Give.org’s vetted resources.  To draw out broader lessons on AI for the charitable sector, we cover why AskGive was built, how brand-safe AI is different from a generic chatbot, and what’s next (structured charity data for cause-based discovery) while keeping donors—not algorithms in the decision seat. Key takeaways - Trust by design: AskGive only draws from Give.org’s vetted content (charity reports, standards, advice), aligning AI answers with BBB Charity Standards and avoiding unverified sources. - Brand-safe AI is not the same as a generic chatbot: Tone, accuracy, and “no ranking charities” guardrails were co-designed with staff (from subject experts to frontline donor support) to reflect Give.org’s culture. - Help donors act, don’t decide for them: The tool surfaces facts, standards results, and advice—then puts the final choice back in the donor’s hands. - Cause-based discovery for new donors: Younger/values-driven givers can start with “I want to support animal welfare” and move into credible options without already knowing a charity’s name. - The Path From 70% to 100%: Spinning up a chatbot is easy; getting to on-brand, brand-safe, reliable, repeatable guidance takes custom work, evaluation checklists, and ongoing monitoring. - What’s next for AskGive: Structured data queries (e.g., “Show me five BBB Accredited environmental charities in my state”) to give donors more relevant, self-directed ways to explore. Why this matters for nonprofit professionals and people who care about social good  - Practical AI path: Start small with mission-critical content, define tone/guardrails, and set evaluation criteria early. - Trust signals win: Transparent sourcing and standards-aligned answers reduce friction for donors and strengthen credibility. - Human-centered by default: Keep people in the loop—let AI inform, not decide. Try AskGive: https://give.org/askgive

About Our Guest Ken Phillips has decades of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience. He runs NGO Futures LLC, which provides training and consulting services to non-governmental organizations. In 2024, the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored him with their Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year. He previously served as President & CEO, Plan International USA, and as head of fundraising for Save the Children US. His latest book, "Trust, Impact, and Fundraising for Nonprofits" (2023), addresses the critical trust crisis facing the charitable sector. The Global Trust Crisis This episode tackles one of the most pressing challenges facing charities worldwide: declining public trust. Ken discusses how this issue has become a global concern and is not confined to just the United States. Key Insights and Quotes On the root of the trust problem: "Trust in everything is falling. It's not just nonprofits. It's in corporations... There are three ways people spend money. They spend it on their taxes... They spend money on clothing, on services, vacations... In donations, which is the third way people can spend money, they only get feedback if they get it from who they give the money to."   On the importance of communication with donors beyond fundraising: "If you don't communicate... if you don't give good, clear, persuasive information on what [the charity] did and …how [it is] efficient and effective. People don't know that... it's the follow-up that gets the renewal. And if it's just give us more [money], there's going to be dropout." On fundraising as relationship-building: "I often compare fundraising to... the act of wooing, the act of seeking someone to love you back. And if you make that comparison, you're going to realize asking for more again and again and again is not going to work. You've got to talk about what you are, why you're respected, why you could be trusted." Innovative Solutions Discussed Ken introduces several groundbreaking concepts: Chief Trust Officers for major nonprofits - similar to CFOs but focused on ethics and accountability Multi-layered evaluation systems combining self-assessment, peer review, and external monitoring Educational and advocacy programs that transform donors into committed advocates The critical importance of sanctions - "without sanctions, ethics are meaningless" Looking Ahead: The Human Element in an AI World In a fascinating discussion about the future, Ken emphasizes that artificial intelligence will never replace the human connection essential to successful fundraising: "Artificial connections and artificial fundraising ...will increase the importance of that personal connection by the fundraiser with the donor." Why This Episode Matters Ken's insights from decades of experience provide a valuable perspective on creating accountability systems that actually work. His conversation offers practical wisdom for nonprofit leaders, donors, and anyone concerned about strengthening public trust in charitable organizations. Listen Now Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion about the future of nonprofit accountability and the urgent need to rebuild public trust in charitable organizations.  

We're excited to share our latest episode, "Passing the Torch: A Conversation with Art Taylor and Bennett Weiner," which marks a special transition in leadership at the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. In this unique episode, roles are reversed as our new president and CEO Bennett Weiner interviews the organization's former leader and podcast founder, Art Taylor.

This Week on The Heart of Giving Podcast David Rhode, author of "Passion Isn't Enough," shares practical insights from his journey founding Pitchin' for Baseball and Softball to consulting with nonprofit leaders. Three key moments:   "Running a nonprofit organization is running a business. And so in order for your business to succeed long term, you need a business model. You need to be able to track resources, people and money, and you need to be able to make a meaningful difference."   "There are three things which are present in the nonprofit sector that aren't in the for-profit sector. The first is people - they tell the story in the nonprofit sector. We're not spending money on marketing communications, so people carry the story forward."   "We as leaders need to be optimistic. We need to set a culture and a tone for the organization. If we're always complaining or worrying, then the organization's going to be down. I think resilience is one of the fundamental things that people need to be successful in life, let alone in the nonprofit sector."   Last week in Part 2 of our conversation with Dan Porterfield, Robert Diggs, and Markera Jones, we explored how Franklin & Marshall College's approach to talent development transformed lives. Markera shared her journey from feeling unwelcome in advanced classes to achieving perfect grades at F&M and eventually becoming a clinical psychologist focused on underserved communities. Don't miss this powerful testimony to how educational institutions can identify and nurture potential across all backgrounds.   New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org.   #HeartOfGiving #NonprofitLeadership

Mindset Matters Part 2: Dan Porterfield - Growth in Action: Markera Jones and the Transformative Power of Educational Opportunity   This Week on The Heart of Giving Podcast - in Part 2: We continue our conversation with Dan Porterfield and Robert Diggs, then hear directly from Markera Jones, whose remarkable journey from a segregated school environment to academic excellence at Franklin & Marshall College demonstrates how institutional commitment to talent can change lives.   Four powerful insights:   "Each educational environment needs to tend to what kind of student with what kind of values might end up there. Our research found that there was a triangle of values students would be attracted to - they wouldn't be a number but a person, they valued being in community, and they wanted academic seriousness." - Dan Porterfield   "I went on a visit with my Upward Bound counselor... When we went on the visit, I remember just feeling a sense of welcome on the campus. It seemed like spaces that were well funded and well resourced for me to really learn things in a way that I didn't get in high school." - Markera Jones   "F&M's financial aid package was the best one that I got. That grant, which came from donors who want to fund talent, really helped me to see these people believe in me, they value me, they want to invest in me in that kind of way." - Markera   "At F&M, I got to have my first research experience where not only did I work in a psychology lab, it felt very special because this is the stuff that I was seeing on TV. It felt like I was doing this really important work in research, giving back to creating knowledge." - Markera on how F&M prepared her for her career path   Check out part 1 published last week, where we began our conversation with Dan Porterfield and Robert Diggs about the transformative power of growth mindset in higher education. Dan shared how Franklin & Marshall redefined talent identification beyond traditional metrics to focus on curiosity, resilience, and saying yes to opportunity.    Robert Diggs revealed how the "third spaces" outside the classroom shaped his development as a student and leader. They discussed how this approach to education not only benefits individual students but creates a vibrant ecosystem where everyone can thrive.   New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org.   #HeartOfGiving #HigherEducation #GrowthMindset #Philanthropy

This Week on The Heart of Giving - Part 1: Aspen Institute President and Former Franklin & Marshall College President Dan Porterfield joins Art Taylor to discuss his book "Mindset Matters," exploring how colleges can nurture talent and growth mindsets in students from all backgrounds. Joined by F&M alum Robert Diggs, they dive into the transformative power of higher education. Three illuminating moments: "I view the best form of education as the one that helps the one and the many, that unlocks talent and sees talent in every corner and community. And that by investing in young people, whether financial aid or just as important in their learning and their formation, we make a better world." - Dan Porterfield "We were willing to shake it up a bit and try out some even more particular qualities of talent - curiosity, resilience, saying yes to opportunity, and having a vision of the value of education. These qualities are equally represented across America." - Dan on redefining talent identification "Not that the actual education part wasn't important, but it was the learning that happened around the education piece... It was really the third space or fifth space, being asked to step into co-leading the development of the college house ethos. All of that tracks back to how F&M goes about enriching the mind of young people." - Robert Diggs Don't miss next week's conclusion where we meet Markera Jones, whose journey from Coatesville, Pennsylvania to clinical psychologist exemplifies the power of opportunity and growth mindset in action. Last week, Ben Erwin of Charity Buzz shared how his organization has created a marketplace for unique experiences that benefits nonprofits of all sizes. By connecting celebrities, business leaders, and exclusive opportunities with affluent donors, they've generated over half a billion dollars for charitable causes. If you missed it, it's a fascinating look at innovative fundraising approaches that expand "the giving pie."

    This Week on The Heart of Giving Podcast, Ben Erwin, CEO of Charity Buzz, reveals how his organization has transformed fundraising by creating a marketplace for unique experiences that benefits nonprofits of all sizes. Three compelling moments:   "Our mission at Charity Buzz is to deliver the most unique and exciting inventory opportunities on the Internet for good... a curated marketplace for people to live out their wildest dreams while also getting a chance to support terrific charitable organizations."   "We found out in a really exciting way that the chance to spend time with a CEO, with a fund manager, with a titan of industry actually has the potential to raise more money than a celebrity experience. The beauty is most charities have relationships with business leaders."   "Giving as a percentage of GDP has not changed in the last 50 to 60 years in this country... Yet the number of charities during that time has increased by 40x. So I don't know how we expect charities to maintain their programs, scale their impact if the relative size of the pie has not changed."   Last week, Christa Stelzmuller of Charity Water shared how innovative technology is transforming both global water access and donor engagement. From VR experiences that simulate water walks to hologram boxes that connect donors with communities, her team is using cutting-edge tech to build empathy and support for the 700 million people worldwide who lack basic access to clean water. Don't miss this fascinating look at how technology can create emotional connections across continents.   New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org.   #HeartOfGiving #CharityBuzz #Fundraising #SocialImpact  

  🎙️ This Week on The Heart of Giving: Christa Stelzmuller, Chief Technology Officer at Charity Water, reveals how innovative technology is transforming both global water access and donor engagement. Three illuminating moments: "10% of the world today lives without access, basic access to clean water. And that translates to over 700 million people... Basic access means water that is less than 30 minutes away that is clean and available for communities." "When you bring clean water to a community, you're impacting the health of that community. You're impacting the economic opportunity... You're impacting education... When women and girls are having to walk for water hours and hours a day, they miss out on school and they miss out on economic opportunity." "We use technology via in-person experiences... We have hologram boxes that introduce you to folks that we have met in various communities. And we also have a VR experience... Using VR has been super powerful to allow people to connect in a way that we wish we could put everyone on a plane." Last week, Kate Schecter of World Neighbors shared her organization's 73-year commitment to sustainable self-help across 14 countries. Her stories of community-led savings groups in East Timor and women breaking caste barriers in India illustrated how genuine development means empowering people to solve their own challenges. Don't miss this fascinating look at a proven model where dignity and local leadership drive lasting change. New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org. #HeartOfGiving #CleanWater #TechForGood #GlobalDevelopment      

This Week on The Heart of Giving Podcast, Kate Schecter shares World Neighbors' remarkable 73-year journey helping rural communities across 14 countries achieve lasting self-sufficiency. Three standout moments:   "Our founder understood in 1951 how important it is not to give things to people, but to help them to help themselves. He understood the importance of the dignity of every human being, even the poorest of the poor."   "We help the communities to form small groups... and they each pitch in a little bit of money either every week or every month and they save their money together and then they loan to each other at very low interest. They're skipping around the whole banking system."   "I've been up in the mountains in East Timor, where it's all rocks, and you can't imagine how these people survive... and they say to me, 'Yeah, this year we saved $36,000.' And I'm like, 'My gosh, $36,000!'"   Last week, Mark Falzone of Scenic America discussed how his organization works to preserve America's visual character - from reducing billboard clutter to promoting context-sensitive development. His insights on making communities more beautiful and livable reveal how thoughtful design impacts our wellbeing and quality of life. If you missed it, tune in to hear about their bipartisan approach to creating spaces where everyone can "live, work and play in a beautiful place."   New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org.   #HeartOfGiving #GlobalDevelopment #Sustainability #SelfHelp

This Week on The Heart of Giving Podcast: Mark Falzone, President and CEO of Scenic America, discusses how his organization is working to preserve and enhance the visual character of our nation. Three illuminating moments:   "Our mission is to preserve and enhance the visual character and scenic beauty of our country... We're advocating that every American should have the opportunity to live, work and play in a beautiful place."   "When everybody has this opportunity, we can get this done. And we do tend to have a very bipartisan organization because honestly, at the end of the day, who wouldn't be in favor of a beautiful America to live, work and play?" - On finding common ground across political divides.   "We want to make sure that every solution we come up with is context sensitive... It makes sense to have billboards in Times Square, just like it makes sense to have none of those things in a national park." - On their nuanced approach to development.   Last week's conversation featured Teresa Tyson of The Health Wagon, who shared how her organization brings vital healthcare to Central Appalachia through mobile medical units. From starting with a single Volkswagen Beetle to now offering comprehensive medical, dental, and pharmacy services, The Health Wagon demonstrates how innovative solutions can transform healthcare access in rural America. Don't miss this inspiring story of dedication to serving those most in need.   New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Support the show at give.org.   #HeartOfGiving #ScenicAmerica #CommunityDevelopment #Nonprofits