{"podcast":{"title":"Fun In Fundraising","slug":"fun-in-fundraising-6056439","podcast_index_feed_id":6056439,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/funinfundraising/feed.xml","website_url":"https://funinfundraising.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/15911404/Fun_In_Fundraising_Logo_f97mxg.jpg","author":"Rob Giardinelli","episode_count":179,"summary":"Fun in Fundraising is a podcast that gives you behind-the-scenes access to the people behind top fundraising galas. Ranked Number 6 in FeedSprouts’ list of Top Fundraising Podcasts, each episode features host Rob Giardinelli talking with the leaders behind the top gala and signature fundraiser event chairs, honorees, producers, and non-profit executives. These events featured on Fun In Fundraising raise significant sums of money by producing fun, memorable experiences with guests and attendees returning year after year. Each conversation highlights how top leaders facilitate raising large sums of money to positively impact their communities in a fun, organic way. Rob Giardinelli is a sales executive turned ”professional guest on duty” through his work at esteemed publications The Society Diaries and Society Texas. During the past 15 years, Giardinelli has attended/chronicled over 2,000 galas, kick-off events, and parties that have raised over $250 million for some of the world’s top nonprofits. To learn more about or work with Rob, visit EventMindset.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T02:19:56.160263+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fun-in-fundraising-6056439"},"episode":{"title":"St. David's Foundation Toast Of The Town With Araminta Sellers And Felicia Hester","slug":"st-david-s-foundation-toast-of-the-town-with-araminta-sellers-and-felicia-hester","published_at":"2026-03-31T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fun-in-fundraising-6056439/st-david-s-foundation-toast-of-the-town-with-araminta-sellers-and-felicia-hester","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fun-in-fundraising-6056439","url":"https://funinfundraising.podbean.com/e/st-davids-foundation-toast-of-the-town-with-araminta-sellers-and-felicia-hester/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ne4zda4skizcbj6q/Araminta_Sellers_and_Felicia_Hester_-_St_David_s_Toast_of_the_Townbo185.m4a","summary":"How does an organization create a successful signature fundraising event through a series of intimate, yet impactful events? Today, I talk with Araminta Sellers and Felicia Hester, co-chairs of the St. David's Foundation's upcoming signature fundraising event, Toast of the Town. For over 40 years, Toast of the Town has been a must-attend event in the Austin Spring fundraising calendar. Each year, the organization hosts a series of approximately 20 intimate events over the course of approximately 30 days. The audience size for each event ranges from 8 to 50 guests. The event series offers a wide range of events that appeal to the various tastes of its donor base and audience. During the party series, you will see intimate dinners with acclaimed authors, meals at exclusive (and tough to get a reservation for) Austin restaurants, and chances to rub elbows with acclaimed athletes. Proceeds raised from the event series go towards the Neal Kocurek Scholarship Fund, which awards Central Texas Students with $7,500 scholarships for up to 8 years for students seeking a career in the medical field. Araminta and Felicia provide valuable insights on a range of topics, including the benefits of hosting intimate, bespoke events, effectively scaling a hosted party model, making asks to celebrities and high-profile individuals so they say yes, and so much more. This is one episode you will definitely not want to miss.","meta_description":"How does an organization create a successful signature fundraising event through a series of intimate, yet impactful events? Today, I talk with Araminta S…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2258,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fun-in-fundraising-6056439/episodes/st-david-s-foundation-toast-of-the-town-with-araminta-sellers-and-felicia-hester/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fun-in-fundraising-6056439/st-david-s-foundation-toast-of-the-town-with-araminta-sellers-and-felicia-hester.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}