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The Philanthropists

Quanda Allen & Meredith Hanley

The Philanthropists is a weekly video podcast that shares deeply personal stories of extraordinary, human-centered philanthropy.

The show uplifts both notable philanthropists and everyday givers—mentors, artists, founders, teachers, and neighbors—whose acts of generosity create real, measurable change in people's lives.

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  • 7 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 44 min
  • English

Episodes 7

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  • Thursday · 51 min

    Are We Making Philanthropy Too Complicated? | One More Thing with Quanda and Meredith

    Does effective philanthropy really require more applications, more reports, more committees, and more bureaucracy? In this 1 More Thing episode, Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley use Craig Newmark’s unusually simple approach to giving to ask a bigger question: Are donors making philanthropy more complicated than it needs to be? They explore trust-based philanthropy, donor due diligence, nonprofit reporting burdens, philanthropic intermediaries, governance, accountability, succession planning, and the difference between simplifying the process and simplifying the thinking. Craig’s approach suggests that donors can conduct serious diligence without forcing nonprofits to repeatedly prove themselves through unnecessary paperwork—and that trusting strong leaders can be compatible with rigorous accountability. Quanda and Meredith also discuss why philanthropy should leave room for joy, personality, and the causes people simply love. For donors, foundations, nonprofit leaders, wealth advisors, family offices, and anyone interested in making charitable giving more effective, this episode challenges some deeply embedded assumptions about what “serious philanthropy” is supposed to look like. thephilanthropistspodcast.org

    • Transcript
  • September 8 · 47 min

    Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark: Why He’s Giving Away His Fortune

    Craigslist founder Craig Newmark built one of the internet’s most recognizable companies. Now he is directing much of his wealth toward philanthropy. In this conversation with Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley, Craig talks about his approach to charitable giving, cybersecurity, scam prevention, trustworthy journalism, veterans and military families, women and girls in technology—and even pigeon rescue. But beneath the range of causes is a remarkably consistent philosophy: find capable people, do your homework, give them meaningful resources, and try not to make their work harder. Craig also talks candidly about charitable gifts that did not work as expected, why prestigious organizations are not automatically effective ones, and why donors should be willing to change course when evidence tells them something is not working. The conversation explores wealth, the Giving Pledge, philanthropic responsibility, trust-based giving, simplicity, due diligence, and the question every donor eventually confronts: How much is enough? Subscribe for conversations about philanthropy, charitable giving, wealth, social impact, cybersecurity, journalism, and purposeful generosity. https://craignewmarkphilanthropies.org/ thephilanthropistspodcast.org

    • Transcript
  • September 1 · 30 min

    The Check Is the Easy Part | One More Thing with Quanda and Meredith

    Writing a charitable check takes minutes. Becoming deeply engaged with a cause can take years. In this 1 More Thing conversation, Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley unpack their interview with Charles DeSantis and ask what really happens between a donor’s good intentions and meaningful impact. They explore Charles’s Believe. Verify. Engage. framework, why relationships matter in philanthropy, how board service can deepen a donor’s understanding of an organization, and why bringing other people to the table can sometimes be as valuable as the money you contribute. Quanda and Meredith also examine the “transaction trap”—what happens when giving is reduced to an ask followed by a check—and why donors can end up feeling disconnected from causes they genuinely care about. The central question: What if the check is actually the easiest part of giving well? For anyone interested in strategic philanthropy, board service, nonprofit leadership, charitable giving, family philanthropy, or simply becoming more intentional about generosity, this conversation offers a practical place to begin. thephilanthropistspodcast.org

    • Transcript
  • August 25 · 41 min

    Charles DeSantis: Why Showing Up Matters More Than Writing the Check

    Is philanthropy really about the money—or about what happens after you decide to care? Charles DeSantis, a legendary community builder, joins The Philanthropists to share a philosophy of generosity built around relationships, service, community leadership, and one deceptively simple idea: show up. Charles introduces his practical framework—Believe. Verify. Engage.—and explains why effective philanthropy requires more than making a donation. In this conversation with Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley, Charles explores how family, community, board service, personal relationships, and formative experiences shaped the way he gives. They discuss why your network can be a form of philanthropic capital, why introductions and relationships matter, and how board service can completely change the way someone understands a nonprofit organization. This episode is ultimately about the difference between transactional giving and relational philanthropy—and why the strongest giving often develops over years of learning, service, trust, and engagement. Subscribe for conversations about philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, board service, generosity, community building, and giving with purpose. thephilanthropistspodcast.org

    • Transcript
  • August 18 · 37 min

    What Grief Reveals About Giving | One More Thing with Quanda and Meredith

    Can grief change not only what we care about—but how we choose to give? In this 1 More Thing episode of The Philanthropists, Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley reflect on their conversation with Norm Ornstein and Judy Harris and explore what their story reveals about grief, proximity, advocacy, mental health, and philanthropy. They examine why lived experience can create a kind of understanding that cannot be gained from a distance, why philanthropy sometimes means building infrastructure rather than simply writing a check, and why staying engaged with difficult systems can itself become an act of generosity. The conversation also explores storytelling as a tool for social change, the role of advocacy in philanthropy, and the surprising place of joy and hope alongside grief. 1 More Thing is where Quanda and Meredith take one or more ideas from a guest conversation and go deeper—connecting the personal story to broader questions about generosity, impact, responsibility, and how we give. Listen to the full Norm Ornstein and Judy Harris conversation in Episode 1. thephilanthropistspodcast.org

    • Transcript
  • August 12 · 1 hr 14 min

    Norm Ornstein & Judy Harris: Turning Grief Into Purpose

    What happens when unimaginable personal loss becomes a reason to keep fighting for other families? Political scholar Norm Ornstein and Judy Harris join The Philanthropists for a deeply personal conversation about their son Matthew, serious mental illness, America’s fragmented mental-health system, grief, advocacy, and the decision to turn pain into purpose. Through the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation, Norm and Judy have supported mental-health advocacy and crisis-response work, documentary storytelling, and educational opportunities designed to give young people confidence, voice, and agency. Their story takes us beyond traditional ideas of philanthropy. This is also a conversation about parental love, persistence, broken systems, mental-health policy, stigma, storytelling, and what it means to stay engaged with a problem long after it has become painfully personal. Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley ask what proximity teaches us about giving—and whether some of the most meaningful philanthropy begins not with a strategy, but with seeing something you can no longer unsee. Subscribe for more conversations about philanthropy, generosity, social impact, mental health, advocacy, and purposeful giving. thephilanthropistspodcast.org

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  • August 11 · 27 min

    What No One Tells You About Giving — and Why It Matters Now

    What does it really mean to be a philanthropist—and does philanthropy have to begin with wealth? In the launch episode of The Philanthropists: Personal Journeys of Giving with Purpose, co-hosts Quanda Allen and Meredith Hanley introduce a different kind of conversation about philanthropy, generosity, purpose, impact, and legacy. The show goes beyond charitable donations and dollar amounts to explore the human experiences behind giving: the people who shaped us, the causes we cannot ignore, the choices we make with our money, time, talent, relationships, and influence—and what happens when generosity becomes part of how we live. Quanda and Meredith also explain why these conversations matter at a moment when philanthropy is facing increasing scrutiny and why hearing directly from donors, volunteers, civic leaders, nonprofit innovators, and changemakers can help build a fuller understanding of what giving makes possible. At the heart of the series is one simple belief: Everyone Has Something to Give. Subscribe to The Philanthropists for weekly conversations about purposeful giving, social impact, generosity, philanthropy, and legacy. Visit: thephilanthropistspodcast.org

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Showing 1–7 of 7 episodes