Podcast episode
Episode 220 – Why Charity Alone Can Never Solve The World’s Greatest Problems
What if the way we’ve been giving — well-intentioned, generous, but isolated — is the equivalent of stock-picking in a world that’s already moved to professional fund management? That’s the provocative question at the heart of this episode, as Justin Forman and Henry Kaestner introduce a bold new initiative: Solving the World’s Greatest Problems Collaborative Giving Funds. Joined by former Goldman Sachs bond trader Zac Sicher and Prudential Financial philanthropy veteran Rebecca Yuschak, this conversation reframes what it means to deploy charitable capital with intelligence, strategy, and community.
All opinions expressed on this podcast, including the team and guests, are solely their opinions. Host and guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as specific investment advice for any individual or organization.
Episode Notes
What happens when a former Goldman Sachs bond trader walks away from Wall Street — not for a bigger paycheck, but to end hunger in Africa? Zac Sicher did exactly that. After trading through the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the Credit Suisse crisis, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zac spent time alone in the mountains asking God what to do with his career. The answer led him across 400+ conversations on the African continent and into a new role as a fund manager for one of FDI’s most ambitious initiatives yet: Solving the World’s Greatest Problems.
Joined by Rebecca Yuschak — who brings a dozen years of corporate philanthropy experience from Prudential Financial — hosts Justin Forman and Henry Kaestner unpack how Collaborative Giving Funds work as professionally managed donor-advised vehicles that deploy 100% of contributions into the field.
Zac lays out the Jenga block framework: instead of trying to eradicate entire problems from the top down, identify the single structural pressure point whose removal causes the whole broken system to crumble. He applies this to Africa’s hunger crisis — 378 million people trapped in structural, solvable food insecurity — breaking down the staggering yield gap between Zimbabwean and American corn farmers (35 kernels vs. 700), and the 30–40% post-harvest food waste that disappears before it ever reaches a consumer.
Henry draws a sharp parallel: in the 1980s, Peter Lynch and the Magellan Fund convinced us to stop stock-picking and trust professional management with our investment capital. But with our charitable giving? We’re still stock-picking. There are 6,100 clean water ministries in America alone. This episode makes the case that it’s time to apply the same discipline, strategy, and community to how we give as we do to how we invest.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction — The Jenga Block Framework
01:24 Why We Need Entrepreneurs at the Problem-Solving Table
04:17 The Eagle Fund Model: Combining Build, Invest & Give
05:27 The Scope of the Problem: $14–16T Housing Gap vs. $592B in US Giving
06:50 How Philanthropic Capital Unlocks Market Capital
07:42 Zac Sicher: The Role of First-Loss Capital in Major Innovations
09:44 Human Trafficking as a Business Model — and How to Bankrupt It
10:36 The Immense Shortage of Capital Willing to Go First
13:24 The Why Behind It All: Under His Power, For His Glory
14:27 Content + Community + Funds: A New Problem-Solving Platform
15:31 What’s New: The Collective Impact Fund Structure
17:18 Rebecca Yuschak’s Journey from Prudential to FDI
19:53 Leaving Corporate Philanthropy to Go All In
21:33 Zac Sicher’s Journey: From Haiti Mission Trip to Goldman Sachs
23:28 Traveling Africa and Listening to 400+ Problem Solvers
25:09 How the Collaborative Giving Funds Are Structured
26:03 Rebecca Explains the Donor-Advised Fund Mechanics
27:51 Investment Committee, Fund Manager Roles & Strategy
29:41 Smart Money vs. Dumb Money — Applied to Giving
31:29 The Hunger Fund Video: Acute vs. Structural Hunger
34:47 Breaking Down the 673 Million Undernourished
36:44 The Corn Yield Gap: 35 Kernels vs. 700
38:10 30–40% Post-Harvest Food Waste in Africa
39:34 Market Innovations Solving Post-Harvest Loss
40:19 Henry’s Magellan Fund Analogy: Stop Stock-Picking Your Giving
42:45 The Full Platform: 8 Funds Across 6 Problem Areas
43:51 Making Complex Problems Accessible
45:41 Next Steps: Foundation Course, Communities & Funds