Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

This week: the clock change that costs an estimated $670 million a year and spikes heart attacks, car crashes, and workplace injuries. Then the 9.2/10 PHP vulnerability that set off security alerts from governments worldwide. If you run WordPress, confirm your patch is permanent and not a December-expiring band-aid. Node.js, GitLab, Java, and Cisco also need updates.

Also: pacspam.org, the crowdsourced tracker for unsolicited political texts, passed 1,000 reports in two weeks. Who sends them, which loopholes make it legal, and who profits.

Finally, a small North Carolina restaurant beat Grubhub in a class action over unauthorized listings. The same rules (FTC Business Impersonation Rule, California AB 488, trademark false association) apply to shadow donation pages listing your nonprofit without consent. Restaurants fought this fight already. Nonprofits are next.

Transforming Fundraising: Insights from Tiltify's Michael Wasserman

Explore the evolving landscape of charity and digital fundraising.

In a recent conversation on the Whole Whale podcast, George sat down with Michael Wasserman, CEO of Tiltify, to discuss the future of fundraising and the innovative approaches Tiltify has taken to empower nonprofits and creators alike.

The Birth of Tiltify
Michael shared the origins of Tiltify, a platform he co-founded in 2014, aimed at connecting younger donors and fundraisers through live streaming. Originally focused on platforms like Twitch, Tiltify has evolved alongside the creator economy, adapting to the needs of millennials and Gen Z. "We’re trying to help create the next generation of fundraisers," Michael noted, emphasizing the importance of staying ahead of fundraising trends.

Bridging Communities and Charities
Tiltify functions as a hybrid platform, allowing both nonprofits and creators to engage in fundraising. As Michael explained, charities can sign up, connect their payment systems, and start fundraising, while creators can leverage their platforms to raise money for causes they care about. "We’ve built that trust where fundraisers will choose another charity on Tiltify if theirs isn’t listed," he remarked, highlighting the community’s reliance on the platform for transparency and credibility.

The Fundraising Landscape
As the discussion progressed, George and Michael tackled the challenges facing today’s small-dollar donations. Michael pointed out that the decline in donations isn’t due to a lack of interest, but rather a reflection of technology and charity decisions. "When we see record drops in small dollar donations, that’s a product of technology function and charity decisions," he explained. Many younger donors prefer less friction in the donation process, often opting out if too much personal information is required.

> "Do you want the money or do you want their life story?" — Michael Wasserman
Understanding Donor Behavior
Michael also shared insights from the American Giving Report, revealing a significant shift in the fundraising landscape. He posited that the real issue lies with fundraisers, not donors. "You don’t have a donor problem, you have a fundraiser problem," he stated. With participation in peer-to-peer fundraising declining, it’s crucial for nonprofits to reevaluate their strategies and focus on empowering fundraisers.

Moving Forward
As the conversation wrapped up, both George and Michael underscored the importance of adapting to the new realities of fundraising. Nonprofits must streamline their processes to engage fundraisers and meet the expectations of younger donors. As we move into a new era of giving, the lessons shared during this episode are imperative for anyone involved in charitable work.

Who’s fundraising in your nonprofit’s name? This week on Nonprofit News Feed, we examine “shadow donation pages,” third-party fundraising pages created without a nonprofit’s permission. The discussion takes a close look at Roundup.org and raises concerns about fees and the potential loss of direct donor relationships. We also explore how search engines and AI could steer supporters toward these pages, plus what Charity Navigator’s great leadership in shifting to opt-in donation buttons could mean for nonprofit consent.

This week on Nonprofit News Feed, the hosts examine the rise of “shadow donation” platforms—sites that create nonprofit fundraising pages without organizations’ consent. They discuss the takedown of Giving Fountain, ongoing concerns about undelivered crypto donations, and why nonprofits need more control over where AI tools and online platforms route donors.

The hosts also preview Whole Whale’s open-source initiative, https://verifiedgiving.ai/, designed to help nonprofits direct AI agents and donors to their preferred, verified donation platforms.

Looking ahead to Giving Tuesday 2026, they predict $4.17 billion in donations—a modest 4% increase over the prior year amid economic uncertainty and declining search interest. Their practical reminder: test your donation flow now, before year-end fundraising begins.

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.

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 trust it burns. Plus a look at PACSpam.org, a new tool that lets you paste in a spam text, trace the UTM parameters and ActBlue links back to the vendor and PAC behind it, and log it to a public database.

Plus: Giving USA 2025 numbers are in. Total US charitable giving hit a record $617B (a 3% inflation-adjusted bump), bequests jumped 17% signaling the great wealth transfer, and a handful of mega-donors accounted for nearly $18B of $19.2B in mega-gifts.

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 employees—not just billionaires—could make substantial charitable contributions. Nonprofits are advised to prepare by developing relationships with potential donors early and ensuring they can efficiently handle stock gifts and DAF grants.

Key insights include the expectation of a massive year for DAFs, similar to the IPO boom of 2021. However, nonprofits should note that liquidity does not equate to immediate increased budgets. The episode emphasizes the importance of strategic communications and understanding the philanthropic mindset of tech sector employees, particularly concerning AI's societal impacts.

Global Giving's Controversial Renaming Decision

This episode of the Nonprofit NewsFeed delves into Global Giving's decision to rename Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei" on its platform, a move reportedly influenced by the Chinese government as the platform expands in China. This change has provoked dissatisfaction among Taiwanese NGOs, leading some to withdraw from the platform.

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-in and the temptation for governments to nudge system prompts.

Commencement speakers booed for praising AI. 81% of Gen Z think AI will shrink job opportunities, but NY Fed data shows recent grad underemployment (41.5%) is well below its 2012 peak. The takeaway for nonprofits: this is not the quarter to brag about AI efficiencies in your newsletter.

Musk loses to Altman. The jury sided with OpenAI. Worth watching: the OpenAI nonprofit arm is about to be extraordinarily well-funded, and Malta may be a preview of its philanthropy.

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 institutional memory.

In a forward-looking segment, the discussion shifts to a major anti-poverty nonprofit in San Francisco investing $40.3 million in AI resilience. This move, supported by the Sobrato Foundation, highlights the growing intersection of tech philanthropy and nonprofit initiatives. The importance of strategic, ongoing AI training is stressed to keep pace with rapid technological advancements.

The episode also touches on the introduction of advertising within ChatGPT, offering new opportunities for nonprofits to engage with users during their decision-making journeys. This development could enhance nonprofit outreach efforts by integrating messaging into user interactions.

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 racial gerrymander. In short, Democrat-held districts representing large Black populations, designed to enfranchise historically marginalized communities (such as those in Memphis), face the threat of elimination in states with conservative legislatures.

With states rapidly redistricting, nonprofits involved in civil rights and voter mobilization face the challenge of adapting to new political boundaries and shifting voter demographics.

Key Insights:

• The Supreme Court's decision could lead to the dilution of political power for historically marginalized communities by breaking up established districts.
• This rapid redistricting process disrupts the groundwork laid by nonprofits for upcoming elections, necessitating quick strategic pivots.
• Nonprofits must reassess their geographic impact and reforge relationships with new district representatives to continue their advocacy effectively.

Other Stories:

• The episode also touches on the ongoing legal battle involving Elon Musk and OpenAI, highlighting concerns about nonprofit and for-profit intersections.
• Whole Whale's Nonprofit Wellness Index, offering a snapshot of the sector's health, shows improvement from last year, suggesting a recovery from previous downturns.

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 AI tools might inadvertently promote unverified campaigns.

Southern Poverty Law Center Indictment
The Southern Poverty Law Center faces federal fraud charges for allegedly misusing funds to pay informants from hate groups. This development is viewed as part of broader political attacks on progressive nonprofits, potentially undermining their 501(c)(3) status.

Merger of Mental Health Nonprofits
The JED Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention announced a merger to form the largest nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention. This strategic move is seen as a positive development, enhancing their impact on mental health issues.

Impact of USAID Dissolution
A New York Times article highlights struggles faced by former USAID staff after the agency's dissolution. The ripple effects of job losses extend to local NGOs and workers on the ground. While the broader nonprofit sector shows signs of recovery, specialized roles remain scarce, requiring professionals to adapt.

AI Implementation Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders (Live Panel in Brooklyn, NY) Recorded live April 16, 2026 at Fundraise Up’s Brooklyn offices, this panel moderated by Megan Anhault (Whole Whale) brings together Amy Greenwood(Urban Assembly), Rodrigo Camarena (Scale Justice / JustDC Lab), George (Whole Whale / CauseWriter AI), and Joshua Peskay(Meet The Moment) to discuss what’s working—and quietly failing—in nonprofit AI adoption. They cover rapid AI capability growth, practical change management steps (licenses, sharing use cases, surveys), and real applications like automating format conversions, summarizing research, building tools quickly, and deploying a worker-rights legal information chatbot via web/WhatsApp/voice. The conversation also highlights risks: outdated chatbot content, trust and “work slop,” data privacy from free tools, the need for AI policies and accountability, ethical tradeoffs in high-stakes domains, and how AI is reshaping hiring and durable skills.

00:00 Live Panel Kickoff 01:14 Moderator Welcome and Goals 03:01 Meet the Panelists 04:14 Hype Cycle Reality Check 07:57 Building Modular AI Products 10:00 What’s Working in Practice 12:57 AI for Access to Justice 16:32 Rapid App Building with AI 20:50 Nonprofit AI Missteps 26:35 Hidden Risks and BYO AI 30:22 Bias and AI as Advisor 33:23 Leading Internal Adoption 37:12 Fighting Work Slop 40:50 Culture and Source of Truth 43:24 Calling Out AI Work 44:54 Accountability And QA 46:33 Ethics Concerns Poll 47:28 Ethical AI In Practice 50:11 Moloch And Trolley Dilemmas 53:50 Access Versus Accuracy 56:10 How The Audience Uses AI 56:48 Surprising Personal Use Cases 01:01:31 Improving Legal Tool Reliability 01:04:46 Helping Leaders Trust AI 01:08:26 Hiring In The AI Era 01:14:47 What To Try This Week 01:21:15 Closing And Thanks

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 security, even among tech-savvy audiences.
• Advertising Double Standards: An investigation into Meta's revenue from "high-risk" ads, revealing a double standard that affects nonprofits trying to reach sensitive audiences.
• Nonprofit and Technology Challenges: A look at the hurdles nonprofits face when advertising on platforms like Meta, especially when targeting vulnerable populations.

Critical Insights and Quotes:

• Meta's internal documents show $16.5 billion in revenue from ads classified as high-risk, leading to discussions on the ethical implications for nonprofits.
• George highlights, "If you have under 2000 students and an endowment under $100 million, you face significant challenges in today’s academic environment."

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 through civil litigation, despite the relatively small damages awarded.

Key Insights:

• Tech Accountability: A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for creating addictive platform features harmful to young users' mental health, awarding $6 million in damages. In New Mexico, Meta faced a $375 million penalty for violating state consumer protection laws by making false safety claims.
• Impact on Nonprofits: These legal precedents underscore the changing reputational and regulatory landscape surrounding tech platforms. Nonprofits operating on these platforms must remain aware of these shifts and consider diversifying their engagement strategies to avoid potential risks.
• Legal Advocacy: The episode emphasizes the role of legal advocacy as a tool for holding tech companies accountable, drawing parallels to the tobacco industry's historical legal challenges. This approach may inspire similar future lawsuits targeting social media's impact on youth.

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 like Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets. Although Gemini may not yet rival other chatbots, its integration into existing Google tools provides a unified, secure platform for nonprofits to explore AI capabilities without additional cybersecurity risks.

The second major topic is the recent critique of the Giving Pledge, which was featured on the New York Times' business front page. The pledge, initiated by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in 2010, aimed to encourage billionaires to commit a significant portion of their wealth to philanthropy. However, new signups have dwindled, and there's skepticism about the actual follow-through on these pledges. The episode explores how cultural shifts and critiques from figures like Peter Thiel might influence billionaire philanthropy, questioning the effectiveness and sincerity of such pledges.