In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Director of Business Development Ryan Woroniecki talks with Erik Tomalis, director of business development and chief evangelist at responsive fundraising platform Virtuous. 

In their discussion, Erik shares some of the thought-provoking insights and questions from the joint Lighthouse Counsel/Virtuous 2023 Giving USA Briefing, including 

• His favorite panelist comments about the decline in donors and how organizations can effectively combat it 
• The best way to build meaningful relationships from these important investors? And, were there any great panel comments on this subject? [Follow up, how can we meaningfully engage these donors when their initiatives would cause mission creep?] 
• His top three takeaways from this year’s report and the panel discussion

About our guest 

Erik Tomalis is director of business development and chief evangelist at responsive fundraising platform Virtuous, where he is committed to helping nonprofits grow global generosity.  

He is a proven fundraising professional and has always been forward thinking, donor- and people-driven and, most of all, results oriented.   

With 20+ years of professional fundraising experience, Erik has made over 4,000 face-to-face donor solicitations, raising millions of dollars for numerous nonprofit organizations in areas including health care, education, human services, university athletics and youth-based organizations.   

He has served as a front-line fundraiser, as well as an executive in some transformative organizations focused on generosity, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Boy Scouts of America and the Allegheny Health Network.  

Erik believes charitable giving is about personal connections, not transactions. Generosity is driven by our passions and relationships – and givers want to feel like they are part of a movement bigger than themselves. Through his experience, Erik understands fully the ways to be successful in your non-profit organization and career.  

Erik lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Duquesne University and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He is an Eagle Scout and an active board member or volunteer for AFP Western PA Chapter, AFP Global, Verland, Boy Scouts of America, The Giving Institute and many more.   

• Connect with Erik on LinkedIn and learn more about Virtuous, the responsive fundraising platform, at https://virtuous.org 

• You can watch the full Giving USA 2023 Briefing, presented by Lighthouse Counsel and Virtuous at youtube.com/watch?v=pW-WyoMc5FY