Best Ed Sluga Podcasts (2025)

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Season One Finale 52:10

Play Pause

5d ago52:10

52:10

In the final episode of Let’s Get Real’s first season, Ed, Ken, and Lisa summarize some wins and losses from 2025 in the fundraising sector. Everything from political instability to shifting economic trends have had an effect on this hugely important industry. In addition to looking back, the hosts also look forward to offer their thoughts on what …

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Getting Real about Management, Spirituality, and Losing Sleep 56:12

12d ago56:12

56:12

Have you ever considered that fundraising could be a spiritual experience? On this week’s episode of Let’s Get Real: Perspectives on Canadian Fundraising, Ed, Ken, and Lisa dive into that very topic. Elsewhere in the episode, Ed discusses irregular management styles in the fundraising industry and the negative consequences this type of leadership c…

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Getting Real about Gift Agreements, Recruitment, and Returning to the Office 57:48

19d ago57:48

57:48

This week on Let’s Get Real: Perspectives on Canadian Fundraising, Ed, Ken, and Lisa discuss gift agreements and how to deal with common complications they cause (here’s a hint: always get legal advice!) Later in the episode, the hosts debate whether returning to the office is the right move for fundraising professionals, and point out crucial issu…

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Getting Real about Common Sense, National Philanthropy Day, and the Noble Fundraiser 1:06:07

20d ago1:06:07

1:06:07

With National Philanthropy Day approaching on November 15, Ed, Ken, and Lisa use this episode of Let's Get Real to discuss whether the day has a significant impact on the charitable sector. Also in this week’s episode, the hosts emphasize the importance of using proper language when discussing fundraising and consider ways to help maintain consiste…

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Getting Real about Mediocrity, Metrics, and Donor Motivations 54:39

21d ago54:39

54:39

In this episode of Let's Get Real: Perspectives on Canadian Fundraising, Ed and Lisa are joined by Marla Smith, CFRE, the Director of Foundation & Communication at Pathstone Foundation. Marla brings her perspective to discuss the rise of mediocrity and why people seem so willing to accept it. Additionally, Ed, Lisa, and Marla discuss fundraising me…

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No 96: Introducing The PGcommons 34:05

28d ago34:05

34:05

In this week’s podcast, Ed Sluga is joined by Julia Magnuson-Ford and Erika Ewacha to share some exciting news! As many planned giving professionals know, the industry is changing rapidly and facing new challenges as a result. The digital age has made it harder for fundraisers to connect with each other, and smaller charities are finding it difficu…

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Getting Real about AI, Mentorship, and Influencers 1:01:31

1M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

This week on "Let's Get Real: Perspectives on Canadian Fundraising," join Ed, Ken, and Lisa as they discuss the rise of AI in the fundraising sector and the many drawbacks and shortcomings of replacing human labour with this technology. Later in the episode, Ken and Ed discuss significant mentors they've had in their careers, and the group addresse…

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Welcome to "Let's Get Real" 40:58

2M ago40:58

40:58

Welcome to Let's Get Real: Perspectives on Canadian Fundraising! Join hosts Ed Sluga, Ken Ramsay, and Lisa MacDonald as they engage in an honest and intentional discussion of the many issues and conflicts currently facing the fundraising industry. Listen to this episode for the first of many candid conversations, and be ready to "get real."…

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No 95: SPECIAL EPISODE All About Tracey Church 33:25

3M ago33:25

33:25

In a continuation of PGgrowth’s 15th anniversary, this week’s podcast is all about Tracey Church. Tracey is a Senior Research Consultant at PGgrowth and one of the preeminent prospect researchers in Canada. In addition to her work with over 400 organizations, Tracey was a part-time faculty member at Western University for 15 years and also co-edite…

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No 94: SPECIAL EPISODE All About Suzanne Bone 23:13

3M ago23:13

23:13

In this special episode, we shine a spotlight on Suzanne Bone, Senior Consultant at PGgrowth and a trailblazer in hospital foundation fundraising. With over three decades of leadership as the inaugural—and for 31 years, the only—CEO of the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, Suzanne has built a legacy of progressive impact and fundraising succes…

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No 93: Sharing a Community in Common to Advance Planned Giving 35:03

3M ago35:03

35:03

In this episode of The Planned Giving Pod, Ed Sluga continues the conversation sparked by last week's discussion with Ken Ramsay, diving deeper into the realities of working in planned giving. Planned giving can often feel like a solitary pursuit, but it doesn’t have to be. Ed reminds us that the heart of this work is community, a shared space wher…

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No 92: Review Your Program for Future Success 1:00:57

4M ago1:00:57

1:00:57

In this thought-provoking episode, PGgrowth President and Co-Founder Ed Sluga revisits a critical question: Why are so many charities still struggling to embrace planned giving? Back in 2017, PGgrowth launched an in-depth research initiative to understand how charities across the country were engaging with planned giving—an often-overlooked yet pow…

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NO 91: Stress and the Fundraiser 32:04

8M ago32:04

32:04

Navigating the professional pressure of raising funds for great causes is difficult. Yes, we feel a great sense of well being by working to advance a mission that helps our community. But with that comes great stress and pressure. There is help! Fundraisers are coming together and meeting to support each other. Building a community of support that …

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NO 90: SPECIAL EPISODE About Theresa Butler-Porter 23:50

8M ago23:50

23:50

Enthusiastic promoter of planned giving and all around friend to everyone, Theresa Butler-Porter feels like she has always been a planned giving professional - she just didn't know it. Now, an expert in the field and much sought after mentor and speaker, Theresa takes some time to talk about her journey working in the field, what she has learned ab…

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NO 89: Updating Ideas Around the Messages of Planned Giving 26:59

8M ago26:59

26:59

Peggy Killeen and I sit down and discuss the messages of planned giving - there are the old standards AND the NEW thinking around how to speak to donors. The most important additions are simple: not everyone is the same so your messages need to relate to known types of donors who make a gift (one size does not fit all!), and, remember, at the core …

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NO 88: The State of Planned Giving in Canada 2025 50:03

10M ago50:03

50:03

From time to time, we mark important moments in the planned giving world with a discussion around the current state of this form of fundraising. We've done it again. This time it is a way to look at the 15 years we have been working to raise the bar within the sector around planned giving. Joining me for this discussion are noted experts in the fie…

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NO 87: SPECIAL EPISODE About Peggy Killeen 26:35

11M ago26:35

26:35

In our 15 years, PGgrowth has had as part of our team extraordinary leaders and experts in planned giving. This year, we will be taking the time to highlight these professionals. Peggy Killeen is a well known leader in the planned giving sector. Based in Montreal, her impact is national not only helping charities create and launch programs but also…

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NO 86: SPECIAL EPISODE About Grant Monck 23:31

11M ago23:31

23:31

In our 15 years, PGgrowth has had as part of our team extraordinary leaders and experts in planned giving. This year, we will be taking the time to highlight these professionals. First up is Grant Monck - leader in planned giving for 30 years, sector expert in blended gifts, a fixture both in British Columbia and across the country in leading best …

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N0 85: DRIVING PG FORWARD Understanding Your Opportunity Gap 13:14

2y ago13:14

13:14

In this second pod focusing on our webinar series Driving PG Forward from the Fall of 2023, Ken Ramsay - noted planned giving expert and data guru - gives one of the best arguments for understanding your organization's data and planned giving opportunity I have ever heard – and I have heard Ken talk about this many times before. It is all about the…

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No 84: DRIVING PG FORWARD Determining YOUR PG Program 33:42

2y ago33:42

33:42

The first of four pods excerpted from our webinar series in the Fall of 2023 titled DRIVING PLANNED GIVING FORWARD. This episode looks at determining organization type and what best practices are the correct ones to implement and follow. What does your organization need to consider when establishing a program? How do you measure success? It is wher…

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NO 83: PGGrowth SPECIAL Town Hall: Recession proofing your fundraising program 39:35

2+ y ago39:35

39:35

In May of 2020, with the pandemic officially taking hold of all of our daily lives, PGgrowth held a Town Hall to examine fundraising in the ear of lock downs and economic unknowns. Now, 3 years later, we look at the after-effects of COVID, lessons learned - or not - and what to do so that your program is ready for the next economic down turn, wheth…

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No 82: The Leadership Decision to Create a Program 18:49

3y ago18:49

18:49

Working with charities across the country, we do find one common thread when professionals discuss their ability to - or inability to - launch a truly proactive program: leadership commitment. While the rational and the data continues to support proactive engagement of supporters to increase giving in the way, organizations continue to hesitate, mi…

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NO 81: The PGgrowth Planned Giving Podcast: The Golden Age of Planned Giving REDUX 14:37

3y ago14:37

14:37

This one is from the archives and firmly focused on the future. My colleague Katherine Blake is regularly talking about the coming transfer of wealth - one that we know of well in planned giving - and the fact that charities need to get involved now in planned giving or risk missing the opportunity. This reminded me of a conversation I had with Ken…

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NO 80: It's all about stewardship 15:19

3+ y ago15:19

15:19

Many experts in planned giving might say that it all begins and ends with donor stewardship. My guest on this episode of The PGgrowth Planned Giving Podcast - Peggy Killeen - is one of those experts. And her passion for stewardship and how it leads to gifts of this kind is unmatched - and so is her knowledge. Listen and learn that for some, it is a…

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NO 79: Being Prepared For Lead Generation 18:16

4y ago18:16

18:16

Any marketing tactic to engage your donors about planned giving needs both a preparation and a follow up plan. Otherwise, the cost and work put into the initial contact is not only wasted, the trust you need with your donors so they will create a planned gift will be eroded or even lost. In this first episode of season 8, we will explore the basics…

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NO 78: How to maximize your data for success in Planned Giving 12:11

5+ y ago12:11

12:11

Why and how should your charity examine in a deep and meaningful way, its data and donor bases to find its best prospects for Planned Giving. Ken Ramsay brings his decades of experience leading programs asking hundreds of thousands of people across North America for Planned Gifts has provided him with a 'one-of-a-kind' knowledge and expertise in mi…

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No 78: Using data to unlock your Planned Giving opportunity 12:11

5+ y ago12:11

12:11

Ed Sluga is joined again by planned giving thought leader Ken Ramsay as they discuss the most important asset of any organization's fundraising program - their data base. Using data effectively for the advancement of a planned giving program is fundamental to long-term and sustainable success. Ed and Ken discuss the rationale for regular data revie…

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NO 77: Reviewing your Planned Giving program and knowing where you are before you move forward 17:53

5+ y ago17:53

17:53

Janice Meighan - in a conversation with Ed Sluga - describes the purpose, process and outcome of a fulsome review of your Planned Giving program. Put simply, it is difficult to start a journey to greater success when you don't know where you are starting from. Janice discusses policies, metrics, reporting and more in what she describes as a 'busine…

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NO 76: Hospital foundations and their unique position in the Planned Giving world 16:49

5+ y ago16:49

16:49

Ed Sluga is joined by long-time senior hospital foundation executives Colleen DeJager and Jane Jamieson to discuss the unique approach the hospital foundations must take in developing and benefiting from planned giving. From community hospital to research juggernauts, the role that the hospital plays in the life of the community means planned givin…

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Planned Giving: the evolution to strategic philanthropy 19:49

5+ y ago19:49

19:49

In this first episode of the seventh season of The PGgrowth Planned Giving Podcast, host Ed Sluga discusses the new reality of planned giving programs and their importance to overall fundraising with legacy giving expert and innovator Ken Ramsay. Planned giving as a fundraising channel has gone from a niche secondary funding source to an important …

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Planned Giving: Leadership, Major and Estate Gifts 21:24

6y ago21:24

21:24

As there continues to be an evolution of giving - particularly individual giving - to charities, organizations are forced to confront a growing new reality of the nature of gifts. Most if not all of the larger gifts from individuals can be viewed through the lens of Planned Giving. It is a new perspective that major and campaign fundraisers must un…

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Planned Giving is now Leadership, Major and Estate Giving 21:24

6+ y ago21:24

21:24

Ed Sluga, CFRE and Ken Ramsay discuss the new reality that to truly engage donors as partners in your mission, all personal philanthropy - Leadership giving, Major Giving and Estate Giving - can and should be considered part of a larger Planned Giving program development.By Ed Sluga, CFRE

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EVERY organization can have a Planned Giving Program: where there is a ‘Will’ there is a way 12:12

8y ago12:12

12:12

By Ed Sluga, CFRE

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Using Prospect Research in a Planned Giving Program 11:13

8y ago11:13

11:13

Ed Sluga and Tracey Church, well known and well regarded Prospect Research Professional, talk about how to use the techniques of prospect research in a Planned Giving Program. Research is often reserved for Major Giving and Campaign Giving programs. This podcast rethinks that conventional wisdom in the new era of Planned Giving Campaigns.…

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Protecting your Donor's Wishes: Understanding Estate Administration 18:13

8y ago18:13

18:13

Ed Sluga and Colleen De Jager - Trust Officer and Fundraising Executive - discuss the process of Estate Administration from the perspective of the charity. The process is to ensure the charity is properly represented but the reason is not what you think. In short, its important to understand so that the wishes of the donor are protected and met. Co…

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The PGgrowth Podcast Archives: Engaging Your Donors 13:32

8+ y ago13:32

13:32

The step toward engaging donors directly is a difficult one and often has - even the most seasoned professional - pausing before meeting face-to-face. We are pulled two pod casts from our archives that address some of the tactics that can be used to make these meetings easier and more successful for both the donor and the fund raiser.…

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Worthy & Prepared Planned Giving: Part 3 - Practical Steps to Take 15:51

8+ y ago15:51

15:51

In this third of our three part series on being 'Worthy and Prepared' in the Planned Giving context, Peter Barrow and Ed Sluga discuss some practical steps to take to best position a charitable organization to truly be ready to receive and activate the funds that donors would give to support their mission.…

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Worthy & Prepared Planned Giving: Part 2 - Being 'Prepared' 14:35

8+ y ago14:35

14:35

In this second podcast of this three part series, Peter Barrow and Ed Sluga examine the concept of being 'prepared' for legacy gifts. To purchase their book 'Worthy & Prepared' go to www.charityinfo.ca To comment on this podcast, please email [email protected] or visit us at www.pggrowth.comBy Ed Sluga, CFRE

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Worthy & Prepared Planned Giving: Part 1 - Being 'Worthy' 12:24

8+ y ago12:24

12:24

Every charity feels that they are worthy of donations. In fact, at some point, each charity has felt confused as to why they are not getting even greater amounts of support from donors given the worthiness of their mission. In this conversation with Peter Barrow - marketing guru, university lecturer, writer, business owner, philanthropist and co-au…

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Richard Radcliffe and the process of engaging your donor 7:48

8+ y ago7:48

7:48

In this podcast, we revisit a discussion with internationally known Planned Giving consultant Richard Radcliffe. Richard has spent years researching donors and how they wish to be engaged by those charitable organizations they care about with regard to Planned Giving. His thoughts are insightful and provide a deep understanding of the donor journey…

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The Golden Age of Planned Giving Part 3: Enhancing your Planned Giving Program 7:24

8+ y ago7:24

7:24

In this last of the three part series with Ken Ramsay, Ed and Ken discuss how to implement a Planned Giving campaign methodology into an existing Planned Giving program so that an organization can take advantage of the current opportunity. For more Planned Giving Podcasts and to sign up for our regular updates, please go to www.pggrowth.com and loo…

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The Golden Age of Planned Giving Part 2: The era of the PG Campaign 8:20

8+ y ago8:20

8:20

In the second of the three part series of discussions with Ken Ramsay, Ed and Ken discuss how to take advantage of the current Planned Giving opportunity through conducting a targeted Planned Giving Campaign to build momentum, engage donors and secure gifts to the program and the organization. For more Planned Giving Podcasts and to sign up for our…