Misty Avila is a longtime nonprofit leader and current funder working to build infrastructure for multiracial democracy in California’s Central Valley. In this episode, she reflects on how her upbringing in a restaurant shaped her understanding of power, what it means to bridge communities that rarely meet, and why she’s always been wary of the word “authenticity.”

She talks about funders not being the audience, how she filters out scarcity thinking, and why she prefers text messages to formal emails. She’s honest about what gets her attention: people with vision, connection, and roots in the work. And she’s clear about what backfires—especially when funders treat process like protection instead of owning their decisions.

It’s a conversation about access, networks, and what happens when we stop treating money like the most valuable thing in the room.

Produced by Chris Lawrence and Urbanist Media

For more tools, workshops, and resources on building authentic fundraising relationships, visit: aspirationtech.org/htrm