"We're designing teams, not buying tools."

Joe Manok took Clark University's 32-role advancement org chart and rebuilt it from scratch into four pillars, with 7 AI agents now working alongside the human team.

We speak about what broke in the old structure, how he got buy-in for a change this big, and what he decided AI still shouldn't touch.

New episodes drop on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month!

Live now on Spotify, YouTube & Apple Podcasts!

"We're building the plane while we're flying it."

That's how Amber Countis describes running advancement at Texas A&M University-Victoria, where she's building the institution's first-ever 501(c)(3) foundation from scratch, with a team of just 5.5 people, all while navigating a full system transition.

We speak about what she calls "philanthropic matchmaking", the September 2025 shift from the University of Houston System to the Texas A&M System, and what it actually takes to fundraise while building infrastructure at the same time.

New episodes drop on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month!

Live now on Spotify, YouTube & Apple Podcasts ~

"Primary giving is where the next 30 years of donors come from." That's Jay Davenport's own framing, and as VP for Development and Alumni Relations at Penn State, he's building an entire strategy around it.

We speak about his 1,000-day plan, an operating model borrowed from Silicon Valley that's already breaking down silos across Penn State's teams, and where AI is actually moving the needle in fundraising today.

New episodes drop on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month!

Live now on Spotify, YouTube & Apple Podcasts ~

"Fundraising is an ROI business."

That's Nicholas Linde's operating philosophy as VP for Advancement at the University of Nebraska Foundation, where his team manages over 61,000 annual donors!

We speak about the "middle donor" problem, the gap between annual giving and major gifts where most growth gets stuck, and how Nick's team actually bridges it.

We also get into why data-driven discovery beats generic outreach, and what he calls donor "free agency."

New episodes drop on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month!

Catch us on Spotify and YouTube. And we're coming soon on Apple Podcasts and our website as well ~

Why don't more schools have an "Alumni Success" role?

Kelly S. Holdcraft has held that exact title at William & Mary for 13 years, and in this episode, we speak with her about what it actually means in practice.

We also speak about the donor-count decline happening even as total dollars grow. What's actually going on there? And where does AI fit into the future of advancement: opportunity, threat, or both?

New episodes every other Wednesday!

Catch us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & almabase.com.

This is The Future of Fundraising!

• Hosted by Kalyan Varma, Almabase's founder & CEO, this show brings real, no-script conversations with VPs of Advancement and CAOs from some of the sharpest institutions out there.

• No sales pitch. No recycled advice. Just honest takes on AI, donor participation, and what the advancement office of tomorrow looks like.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe now! So you don't miss episode 1 :)