Make an Impact: Illuminate Philanthropy with Daylight
Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio
Trend 8: Messy Marketplace with Daylight’s founder Dien Yuen
In this episode: You’ll meet Daylight’s founder and CEO Dien Yuen who shares insights into Trend 8 — The Messy Marketplace. “This includes the current private equity invasion into the world of philanthropy, and new innovation in wealth management.”
Explore Dien Yuen’s Daylight: The global home for learning, practice, and research
Winter 2025: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, BeInkandescent magazine — It’s always a pleasure and honor to feature in the magazine women who are doing well by doing good. Dien Yuen is a woman who not only embodies this truth, she guides others to do the same.
As the founder of Daylight, a global professional development community for philanthropy and social impact, Dien has created a podcast show to explain trends, feature changemakers, and shed more light to the topic of philanthropic giving.
Inkandescent is proud to produce Daylight’s Illuminate Philanthropy show. In season 1, we focused on Daylight’s research around “Adapting to Eight Trends in Philanthropic Advising.” The conversation centered on the practices and networks to maximize philanthropy’s potential for transforming lives. Whether you’re in nonprofit development, wealth management, or passionate about social change, Daylight provides you with the skills to navigate the evolving world of wealth and philanthropy. Above, you’ll find the first episode featuring Trend 1, The Changing Base, with Dien and Daylight’s Director of Advisor Practice Tony Macklin.
Megan Bell, Daylight’s Director of Engagement, and host of the “Illuminate Philanthropy” show
Hosted by Megan Bell, Daylight’s Director of Engagement, each episode features a member of the Daylight team who share insights into the 8 Trends, including:
- Trend 1: The Changing Base with Dien and Daylight’s Director of Advisor Practice Tony Macklin
- Trend 2: Evolving Definitions with Tony Macklin
- Trend 3: Evolving Vehicles with Daylight’s Advisor Practice Specialist Rick Peck
- Trend 4: Questioning Norms with Daylight’s Director of Strategic Impact Crystal Thompkins
- Trend 5: Growing Mistrust with Crystal Thompkins
- Trend 6: Wealth Planning with Rick Peck
- Trend 7: AI for Good with Dien Yuen
- Trend 8: Messy Marketplace with Dien Yuen
The first 4 episodes are featured in the sidebar, and listen to the entire first season here.
Stay tuned for Season 2, which includes interviews with industry experts — many of whom are graduates of Dien’s Impact Philanthropy Advisor program:
- Seth Klukoff, Principal of Eoan Strategies, a new consultancy that focuses on thought leadership strategy and communications capacity building
- Jaimi Cortes, Advisor of the Year, founder COR Philanthropic Strategies
- Christopher Beck, CAP®, Senior Advisor Principal Gifts and Inclusive Philanthropy Officer Southeast and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Scroll down to learn more about Dien’s mission and services. Read more about it here: daylightadvisors.com
“Amidst a historic intergenerational transfer of wealth, rising needs, and interest in philanthropy, now is the time to reinvigorate and elevate the practice of impact advising,” says Dien Yuen, founder of Daylight. “We do that by helping advisors build their competence, confidence, and cultural dexterity.”
Our mission:
- Empower: Practitioners with contemporary, accessible learning opportunities, and launch the first accelerator for BIPOC philanthropic advisor-entrepreneurs.
- Connect: Advisors, and organize and elevate this segment of the profession.
- Understand: The sector better with new research on philanthropic influence.
- Boost: The capacity of social justice organizations, as well as advisors, with specialized expertise and services.
“Advisors help activate the social impact of families and institutions – and there’s so much more we can do,” Dien knows. “Advisors bring the ideas and goals of families and institutions to life. Whether a specialist, wealth manager, accountant, attorney, gift planner, or life coach, advisors are essential for enabling many types of social impact and maximizing its value.”
Yet amidst the opportunity of today and imperatives such as systemic racism and climate change, three shortages hold the sector back, she insists.
“We don’t have enough advisors fluent in philanthropy; they are not diverse enough, and we need modern, scalable knowledge and skills to drive sustainable, equitable change.”
Dien is on a mission to be the change she wishes to see in the world.
Become an Impact Philanthropy Advisor (IPA): Our certified Impact Philanthropy Advisor program is designed exclusively for wealth and philanthropic advisors, to help you meet this extraordinary opportunity to grow your business, client relationships and impact. Click here to register for your class: https://www.daylightadvisors.com/impact-philanthropy-advisor.
In the Daylight column on BeInkandescent magazine, you’ll find details about her team, her podcast show Illuminate Philanthropy, and more of her company’s impactful research!
Read more about it: daylightadvisors.com