Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

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, 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.