Inside one of the world’s greatest fundraising operations

In this episode of Masters of Scale, host Jeff Berman interviews Rick Shadyac Jr., the recently retired CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Shadyac discusses how he transformed ALSAC into a data-driven powerhouse, significantly increasing fundraising from $600 million to $2.7 billion. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and acting on data, meeting audiences where they are (including social media platforms like TikTok and traditional media like CNN), and personalizing content. Shadyac also shares the story behind St. Jude's founding vision of inclusivity, the hospital's groundbreaking research, and the organization's global impact, including providing free cancer medications to children in low-income countries. He also touches on the importance of corporations doing good and offers advice to CEOs on defining their company's role in public service, stressing the need for authenticity and passion.