The PM Podcast

Episode Summary: Talk To Almost Anyone – A Conversation with Tim Wilson

Host: Jay Frost
Guest: Tim Wilson, Founder & Host of "People and Fundraising"
Date: December 20, 2025

Overview

This episode features a candid, expansive conversation with Tim Wilson, a prominent prospect development leader and host of the "People and Fundraising" podcast. Jay Frost delves into Tim's personal and professional path—starting from his imaginative childhood in New England, formative family relationships, career journey through higher ed and healthcare fundraising, and his passion for connecting with the people behind philanthropy. Interwoven are stories of meaningful mentors, pivotal career changes, the importance of memory and family, and a deep dive into what drives authentic human connection—both professionally and personally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life, Imagination, and Star Wars

• Formative Years: Tim grew up in Massachusetts, with a vivid imagination shaped during childhood, often fueled by Star Wars and casual games like pretending to be a teacher or baseball player
 [01:51–04:16]
• Family Influence: His father, a stable and imaginative presence, worked at Bridgewater State University, instilling the value of contentment and imagination.

  “He would drive around and comment on, 'oh, well, if I lived in this house, I'd have this much more of a commute...' Just sort of imagining different flavors of life.” – Tim Wilson [05:07]

2. Heritage, Memory, and Collecting Family History

• Cataloging the Past: Tim keeps binders full of family mementoes, like letters, report cards, and notes, prompted partly because his parents lost much of their own family history through frequent moves.

  “I have a very strong suspicion that these binders are a way to reset family chronology.” – Tim Wilson [14:32]

• Significance: For Tim, both the physical objects and the memories they represent matter:

  “Having Star Wars action figures out...reminds me of, you know, the emotion of child wonder and fun.” [15:10]

3. Personal Growth, Fulfillment, and Career Transitions

• Midlife Reflection: Tim describes a moment of crisis at Harvard Business School, feeling unfulfilled and "dying on the vine," leading to a pivotal career move to Utah:

  “My midlife crisis...would have been we were going to sell our home, I was going to quit my job, we’re going to move to Utah with no plan and dream it all up again, just like U2 did...‘We’ve got to go away and dream it all up again.’” [22:11, referencing Bono]

• Family’s Support: Tim’s wife’s steadfast belief in him played a vital role through these transitions, evidenced in her handwritten notes and encouragement:

  “I believe in you, I believe in us...I know how hard you have worked to make this happen.” [20:32]

4. The Power of Connection: Teachers & Mentors

• Teacher Influence: One of Tim's most influential early experiences was his kindergarten teacher, George Mitchell, who shaped not only Tim but many others through deep, individual connection. Tim honored his legacy by interviewing his classmates and presenting a commemorative book to Mitchell's family:

  “He literally got down on each student’s level...he didn’t believe in teaching by a manual.” [26:32]
  “It was a way to honor him and also to show his family that, you know, he’s still widely admired.” [30:05–33:33]

• Professional Mentors:

  • Val Roberts (“took a chance on me...encouragement, confidence, their sometimes righteous shaking of my shoulders” [47:21])
  • Tim Enman (“He gave me a spark in my career that carries to this day...someone else seeing something I had of value to contribute” [50:18–52:27])

5. Career Path & Prospect Development

• Findings Fulfillment in Research:

  • Started in prospect research at Harvard Business School after helping a frontline fundraiser, recognizing the appeal of storytelling and narrative (“How do I craft a narrative about who this prospect is…” [42:12])
  • Learned that even at top institutions, embracing change and understanding individuals’ stories is critical—not all “HBSer’s” followed expected paths [43:31]

• Leadership in New Environments:

  • Led and built prospect development operations at Intermountain Healthcare and later at Weber State University (“I got to build the prospect development shop from really the ground up” [58:37])
  • Valued the opportunity to stretch professionally and for his family to have a safer, more stable environment

6. Personal Values and Philosophy

• Relationships & Curiosity: Regret about not connecting more deeply with colleagues in his early years led to a personal transformation—now he seeks to connect and learn from everyone he meets.

  “Relocating for a job cracked open who I was as a person and as a co-worker.” [64:44]
  “[My podcast] is also proving to myself that I can talk to almost anyone, and for a lot of my life, I couldn’t say that.” [80:30]

7. The "People and Fundraising" Podcast—Mission and Impact

• Origin: Sparked by a desire to understand the professional and personal journeys of peers in nonprofit work, and by a regret of not knowing earlier colleagues better [67:35–67:44]
• Approach: Conversation-driven, question list provided in advance but embracing tangents (“Well, no surprises on paper. We often do have tangents which are great.” [79:40])
• Aim: Spotlight diverse roles, particularly in nontraditional and small nonprofits; strive to feature underrepresented voices (e.g., goal to interview 40 people of color in a row) and bring in international guests [76:14–79:17]
• Notable Moment: Marcy Romney’s story of children in Malawi leaning through open windows to hear lessons—profoundly moved Tim, highlighting global disparities and the impact of passion in nonprofit work [73:27–75:53]

8. Identity: Past and Present, and the Star Wars Analogy

• Youthful Inspiration: As a child, identified with Han Solo’s sense of adventure
• Now: Relates to Luke Skywalker—navigating expectations, generational pressures, and personal choices as both child and parent:

  “As a young kid, I was drawn to the adventurism of Han Solo...Now I can identify with Luke Skywalker...facing pressure from his aunt and uncle to stay on the farm, but wanting to go off and see the world.” [81:25–84:04]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On learning from others:

  “For me, what I would get—why do I do it? I just enjoy spending 30 minutes, 45 minutes learning about someone and genuinely seeing where the conversation goes.” – Tim Wilson [79:40]

• On the gift of memory and emotion:

  “The thing I remember, it’s tied to an emotion. And I think certainly as I get older...I want to remember the last moment of a piggyback ride or, you know, a baseball toss in the backyard.” – Tim Wilson [11:40]

• On honoring mentors:

  “If there’s been a mentor or someone who has opened a door for you, a handwritten note—it makes a tremendous difference to that recipient.” – Tim Wilson [52:27]

• On the core of prospect research:

  “How do I take the information I can find and craft a narrative about who this prospect is and what funding needs we have that may be attractive to this person based on what we know about—And I loved that…” – Tim Wilson [42:12]

• On change and reinvention:

  “Either they are actively looking to make a change or change comes to them. And that is definitely a commonality of most of these conversations.” – Tim Wilson [71:09]

• On seeing oneself and being seen:

  “A lot of the commonalities of the people I was going to mention...they saw something in me that I did not see. And because of their encouragement, their confidence…they’ve certainly propelled me to where I am today.” – Tim Wilson [47:21]

Major Timestamps

• Childhood, Star Wars & Family: [01:35–10:45]
• Cataloging Memory, Family Records, and Imagination: [12:42–15:50]
• Career Reflection & Transition to Utah: [19:00–24:25]
• Remembering a Teaching Mentor & Classmate Interviews: [24:47–33:54]
• Prospect Research; Finding Fulfillment in Storytelling: [39:25–46:03]
• Mentorship and the Power of Being 'Seen': [47:21–52:27]
• Moving to Utah: Family and Professional Considerations: [55:00–58:37]
• Building New Development Programs (Weber State & Intermountain): [58:37–64:11]
• The ‘People and Fundraising’ Podcast—Origins & Aspirations: [67:35–80:30]
• Star Wars Characters—Personal Analogy: [81:20–84:04]

Closing Reflection

The heart of this episode is Tim’s belief in the redemptive, connective power of genuine conversation and paying homage to those who shape us. He urges listeners to foster curiosity, treasure memory, honor mentors—and to realize that talking to “almost anyone” can open doors not just in career, but in our own self-understanding.

For more from Tim Wilson, listen to "People and Fundraising" on all major podcast platforms.