Studio Sessions
Conversations at the intersection of storytelling, fundraising, and impact
Studio Sessions is our interview series where we sit down with leaders, creators, and innovators who are shaping the future of donor engagement. Each episode explores how educational institutions and mission-driven organizations can use storytelling, strategy and tools to connect more deeply with their supporters, build lasting relationships, and unlock transformational results.
Episodes
Episode 3: Building What Lasts: Education, Oceans, and Values-Based Entrepreneurship
It's a new episode of Studio Sessions — and it’s one of our most thought-provoking conversations yet. Our guest is Sindre Østgård, Managing Partner at We Are Human, whose work spans values-based entrepreneurship, experiential education, and driving long-term investment in environmental systems that shape all of our futures. In this episode, Sindre shares: • How Kahoot scaled globally without marketing • Why experiential learning will change everything • How he's using the ocean as the world’s largest classroom • Why education may be one of the most powerful repair mechanisms we have • What it takes to fund and sustain work that unfolds over decades, not quarters This isn’t about quick wins. It’s a deep talk about building ecosystems, engaging people meaningfully, and committing to work that lasts - important lessons for us all!
Ep. 2: How TV Taught Us How to Build Donor Momentum
In this episode, Kevin Mangini and Charles Coxe turn the microphones on themselves to talk about the work that shaped their philosophy for GivingWorks Studio.
Before helping universities set world records in fundraising, the two built massive audiences in television and entertainment — including the 12-day “Every Simpsons Ever” marathon that became a Guinness World Record for live engagement and lifted a small cable network into the national top three. That same fan-first, story-driven approach later powered campaigns for Princeton and Purdue, where consistency, creativity, and community turned donor participation into habit.
Ep. 1: How Stories Move People
We kick off Studio Sessions with our longtime friend and collaborator Nils d’Aulaire. Nils is a brilliant creative strategist and audio storyteller with a career that spans work in music, film, media, and branded content. Currently creative director of SiriusXM’s Studio Resonate, he helps brands harness the power of audio to reach audiences in innovative and meaningful ways.
In this episode, we talk about the craft of storytelling, the lessons learned from building fan communities for various entities, and what tips and tricks institutions can take from the entertainment world to better engage donors. It’s an energizing, behind-the-scenes conversation that sets the tone for the series and reminds us why consistency and creativity matter so much in today’s landscape.
