Podcast
RAISE Podcast
Hosted by EverTrue · EN
Who's doing the most exciting things in fundraising? Who's thinking about things from a completely different angle? The RAISE podcast aims to find out. Brought to you by EverTrue, each episode goes in depth with the people changing advancement. Tune in and get inspired.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
204: Christina Pina, Miss Porter's School
Nov 1100:41:36Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the RAISE Podcast, Brent hosts Christine Pena, Chief Advancement Officer at Miss Porter’s School.Christine shares how a childhood fascination with The Facts of Life led her from a small dinner table in West Falmouth on Cape Cod to a snowy visit at St. Paul’s School, where she instantly knew, “This is where I want to be.” As a heavily aided, first-generation student from a working-class, third-generation Cape Cod family and an African American girl crossing “the bridge to the rest of the world,” she reflects on feeling like a fish out of water, challenging assumptions about wealth and privilege, and learning never to judge a book by its cover.From there, she traces her path to Wesleyan University, a brief but lucrative detour into management consulting in New York City, and the mental checklist that pushed her toward more meaningful work: respecting the people she worked for, doing work that mattered, and, as she jokes, not having to wear pantyhose every day. That audit led her into admissions at Dartmouth, graduate study at Harvard’s ed school focused on higher education governance and history, and eventually into major gifts work at The Madeira School and Wesleyan.Today, at Miss Porter’s, Christine thinks deeply about the global nature of girls’ education, the cost of private education, and why institutions must joyfully, factually, and collaboratively tell the stories that prove the power of investing in human potential.
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203: Patrick Hewett, Endicott College.
Jul 25, 202500:58:07Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the RAISE Podcast, Brent welcomes Patrick Hewett, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Endicott College—and one of the first advancement professionals to give EverTrue feedback, way back in 2011.Patrick traces his path from Portsmouth Abbey School to Saint Anselm College, from a short-lived stint in insurance to his first advancement job developing a young alumni program for his alma mater. He shares how his time at Middlesex School and Boston University shaped his approach to building donor relationships and how he's helping Endicott lean into cause-based fundraising, value creation, and a donor experience rooted in real impact.Patrick and Brent reflect on the early days of EverTrue, the evolution of donor expectations, and why advancement offices must play a more active role in identifying institutional value and bridging it to today’s most urgent challenges—from workforce development to mental health. Patrick also introduces new thinking around accessing philanthropic capital through community foundations and impact investing.Tune in for a deep conversation on data, purpose, product-market fit, and why it’s more important than ever to "tell everyone."
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202: Peter Wilch, Loyola Marymount University
Jun 4, 202500:46:20Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the RAISE Podcast, Brent welcomes Peter Wilch, Senior Vice President for University Advancement at Loyola Marymount University.Peter shares his journey from growing up as the youngest of nine in Mount Vernon, Iowa, to finding purpose in higher education fundraising. As a first-generation college graduate, Peter reflects on the transformative experience he had at Cornell College and how it ignited his commitment to pay it forward through philanthropy.He walks us through his early career—from financial services to an unexpected introduction to development—and highlights the transferable skills that helped him thrive as a gift officer. Peter shares lessons from formative roles at Grinnell and the University of Iowa, and explains how those experiences shaped his leadership at Cornell, the University of San Francisco, and now LMU.Peter also discusses how AI can empower fundraisers to focus on what matters most: building lasting relationships. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship, healthy competition, and the shared wins that define great advancement work—like the $25 million Levy Foundation challenge gift that galvanized the LMU team and set a new bar for impact.Tune in to hear about Peter’s approach to growing teams, cultivating lifelong donor relationships, and leading with humility, curiosity, and purpose.
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