Jonathan's Back? Wins, Struggles, and What We Learned in 2025

After months away, Jonathan Hicken returns to Designing Tomorrow — and this time, we're recording from the brand new Seymour Studios at the Seymour Center in Santa Cruz.In this episode, Eric and Jonathan take a real look back at 2025: a year that felt like a grind but delivered surprising wins across the sector. They dig into what the data actually says about giving (spoiler: it's not all doom), why the story you tell yourself shapes your reality, what it means to actually invest in storytelling instead of just talking about it, and the personal lessons they're carrying into 2026.If you're ready to shed 2025 and enter the new year with big moves and big ideas, this one's for you.Notable Quotes"Those beliefs drive your actions, they drive your perception, they drive how you show up in real life, how you show up in your work." — Eric [28:51]"We just kept banging that drum. We kept banging that drum as long as things were working and we were moving in the same direction." — Jonathan [25:31]"Everyone says they want to do storytelling. You just don't see it in their investments. You don't see it in their energy. You don't see it in the dollars." — Eric [20:07]"Vulnerability and radical honesty — it's been a superpower. And it's something I want to carry into 2026." — Jonathan [31:16]"In my work, I'm seeing these huge wins from these growing nonprofit organizations, and it just gave me a lot of hope and kept me going." — Eric [10:00]Episode Highlights0:00 — Jonathan's Back: Welcome to Seymour Studios2:06 — Looking Back on 2025: What Went Well3:43 — The $350K House Party and Santa Cruz Generosity5:00 — Why Jonathan's Been Missing from the Show6:12 — The Interviews That Kept Us Going6:30 — Major Donor Giving Is Up (What the Data Says)7:46 — Should We Worry About Fewer Donors?9:00 — Client Wins: $13M, $14M, and More11:00 — How Cosmic Celebrates Client Success12:43 — Eating Our Own Dog Food: The Case for Support15:00 — The Questions That Forced Hard Conversations17:00 — What Even Is a Case for Support?19:00 — Building a Storytelling Engine (Content Brokerage)20:07 — Why Most Orgs Talk Storytelling But Don't Invest22:00 — What Charity Water Knows About Storytelling23:26 — Getting the Whole Team Aligned25:27 — Growth Isn't Linear, It's Cyclical27:00 — Big Moves Aren't Knee-Jerk (They're Secretly Researched)28:00 — "What If It's Not All Falling Apart?"30:00 — Turning 40 and the Midlife Recalibration30:44 — Jonathan on Vulnerability and Radical Honesty32:00 — Thank You, Listeners — and What's NextReferenced Episodes & ResourcesFewer Donors, Bigger Checks: Interpreting the Latest Giving Datahttps://designbycosmic.com/podcast/nonprofit-donor-trends-2025/Growth Isn't Linear. It's Cyclical.https://designbycosmic.com/podcast/growth-isnt-linear.-its-cyclical.How to Build a Strong Case for Supporthttps://designbycosmic.com/podcast/how-to-build-a-strong-case-for-support/Seymour Center Case for Support ExamplehtListeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link.*** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at [email protected] Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

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