The fifth child in a family of six, Bill High grew up “dirt poor and on welfare.” The son of an alcoholic, Bill describes his childhood as “pretty dysfunctional.”
Around age eight or nine, Bill was introduced to the idea of a personal faith by a neighbor, and that began his life-long journey to live differently and to focus on making an eternal impact in our world.
Throughout his lifetime, Bill has had some amazing opportunities to impact the world, including practicing law for 12 years to co-founding iDonate, a leading digital giving software company that helps nonprofits build lasting relationships with their supporters.
In 2000, Bill felt a calling to do something more in our sector, leading him to create The Signatry, a global community and ministry dedicated to creating eternal impact through generosity across generations. They provide a unique approach to donor advised fund giving to empower donors, advisors, and ministries to maximize their impact.
Bill and I met through our mutual relationship with Forbes Business and Nonprofit Councils, and sat down recently to talk about philanthropy and leading generously.
Some of the key insights from our conversation include:
- The impact of the massive increase in Donor Advised Fund adoption over the last decade
- Debunking the myth that Donor Advised Funds are simply a place for the wealthy to “park” money
- How Donor Advised Funds (on average) distribute 10X more than private foundations annually
- How leaders who invest heavily in the people in their care are maximizing impact
- The value of leaders serving others, and how that releases creativity and increases engagement with employees
- Lessons from a reluctant leader
- Why setting vision and inspiring your people is essential to your ability to achieve greater impact
- How the best leaders use storytelling to inspire others
- What 2021 has in store for philanthropy and charitable giving
- Quick tips for nonprofit boards and CEO’s to begin effectively planning for leadership succession
This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We’re so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 2021 Responsive Fundraising Summit on April 14th and 15th. You can register for FREE today.
You’ll be front-row with world-class nonprofit and thought leaders, participate in hands-on, discussion-driven workshops, and build lasting connections with like-minded peers.