Century of Fundraising Wisdom: Doug Stewart Featured on The Business of Giving

Stop Treating Fundraising Like Frosting on the Cake: A Century of Philanthropy Lessons with Doug Stewart

As Marts&Lundy prepares to celebrate 100 years of advancing philanthropy, our CEO Doug Stewart sat down with Denver Frederick, host of The Business of Giving podcast, to share insights drawn from decades of experience guiding mission-driven organizations through both stability and seismic change.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Doug challenges a mindset still too common across the nonprofit sector: viewing fundraising as an “add-on” rather than a strategic imperative. “Fundraising isn’t the frosting on the cake—it’s the cake itself,” Doug says. And that mindset shift is only the beginning.

Highlights from the episode include:

• Why Doug is urging organizations to move forward with major campaigns—even amid uncertainty
• How the most resilient institutions are sustaining momentum through multi-year campaigns
• The untapped potential of the donor pyramid’s middle tier
• A contrarian take on AI’s role in donor engagement
• The overlooked fundraising metric that could unlock transformational giving

Whether you lead a global university or a grassroots community organization, Doug’s perspective offers both a reality check and a roadmap. It’s a timely conversation about where philanthropy has been—and where it must go next.

About The Business of Giving

The Business of Giving is the only show of its kind that focuses on solutions to today’s complex social problems. Over 300 Chief Executive Officers from nonprofit and philanthropic organizations from across the country have appeared on the program. To hear more episodes, visit https://denver-frederick.com.