The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania and the Ubuntu Education Fund have developed a podcast series featuring interviews with eight influential philanthropists and leaders in the social sector. Philanthropy Unfiltered tackles questions such as “How can I turn my passion into impact?” “What holds the nonprofit sector back from reaching its full potential?” and “What does it really take to achieve positive social change?”

Available on iTunes as a free download, Philanthropy Unfiltered highlights conversations on innovative practices in the field. The featured experts are drawn from a variety of backgrounds, including social entrepreneurship, advocacy and journalism.

“These are the voices of individuals who are pushing the field to be more effective,” said Katherina Rosqueta, CHIP’s founding executive director. “These podcasts are our way of sharing their lessons learned with others who are interested in creating positive social change.”  

Each segment is introduced by Rosqueta and hosted by Jacob Lief, the co-founder and CEO of the Ubuntu Education Fund.

“I think we give to causes because we believe that the world can truly be a better place for our children and future generations,” said Lief. “We need to help people focus on the manner in which they give and challenge their own assumptions about philanthropy.”

In a conversation with activist, filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney, Lief asks about her award-winning film, ”Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which explores the role of women in the 2013 Liberian peace movement.

She said that, to her surprise, her film created a greater impact than her money.

“I saw rooms full of people change. I saw people who were in power in governments say, ‘Now I get why it’s important to have women involved in peace talks.’ All that money I had put out there for all those years to make social change; I had made more change with a film than with any check.”

Another guest, Rob Kaplan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and co-chair of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, talked about the connection between his for-profit and nonprofit activities.

“My nonprofit activities helped me in my business career maybe even more than my business career helped me in the nonprofit activities” he said. “Find something to get involved in in your community, more than just giving money. You will learn. You will develop. You will bring those skills back and confidence back to whatever your business is.”

The series also features Marissa Sackler, philanthropist and founder of Beespace; Matthew Bishop, globalization editor of The Economist; Jacob Harold, president and CEO of Guidestar; Steve Nardizzi, CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project; Dina Powell, head of impact investing at Goldman Sachs and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation; and Dan Pallotta, founder and chief humanity officer of Advertising for Humanity.

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy is a collaboration between Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice and alumni of Penn’s Wharton School