Gem spotlight - Rebecca Passlow, Executive Officer, Penguin Foundation
Meet Bec, a purpose‑driven leader and bequests specialist who brings empathy, emotional intelligence and a deep commitment to conservation. With a decade of experience guiding supporters through personal and meaningful giving decisions, Bec honours their stories and helps transform their passions into lasting impact.
In this Spotlight, she reflects on what motivates her, the conversations that shaped her career, and why genuine connection sits at the heart of powerful philanthropy.
What is your proudest accomplishment or career highlight?
A significant portion of my fundraising career has been specialist work in gifts in Wills within both the environment and education sectors. The humbling part of a career in planned giving, is that the wake of impact of my work developing relationships with such an incredible array of supporters from diverse life experiences and passions over the past decade is now starting to emerge. It is at times confronting to know that people I once shared moments in times with, experiences and traded stories of a love of nature and inspiring the next generation with have since passed, but it is also deeply moving to know that I played a small part in facilitating the impact they envisioned for their legacies. It gives me goosebumps every time I think about it, and for me, that’s what relationship fundraising is all about.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
‘Do something you love’ and ‘we’ll make it work’ – I am forever grateful to have received this advice and support from my wife at my first major career junction in our relationship. It’s the same advice she’s given for every career decision since including returning to the conservation sector to my current role at the Penguin Foundation.
What first inspired you to get into fundraising or the nonprofit sector?
I’ve worked in the not for profit sector on and off over my career, but the catalyst to move into the philanthropy sector into a fundraising role 12 years ago was perhaps something of a universal alignment. I was taking some leave from my Government job, when I came across a role that piqued my interest. It was for a conservation organisation that I’d admired from a distance for over a decade, founded by Bob Brown - who I admired and deeply respected, and it involved working with people who were considering deeply personal conservation legacies. The part of the role that perhaps made other people uncomfortable – working with bereaved families of supporters who had passed and left a legacy – was the part that stood out to me as something I felt drawn to and spiritually equipped to handle. Indeed, some of my all time favourite conversations were with family members of dedicated supporters, reminiscing over their loved ones cherished times in nature, and in doing so honouring those legacies that become part of the fabric of their family generations through tangible impact.
Fundraising can be challenging. What keeps you focused, motivated, and committed to giving back, even when it’s tough?
I watch Burrow cam – there’s nothing quite like a fresh hit of dopamine from your fundraising beneficiaries to keep your spirits up. Highly recommended!
What do you think the future of fundraising looks like?
With the greatest wealth transfer in a lifetime on the horizon, the future of fundraising as we currently know it, will be forever changed. I imagine it’ll see a transformation of the sector as a whole, with extraordinary gifts enabling organisations to dream of and implement solutions to some of the worlds greatest challenges. That is exciting.
What’s a skill or quality that you think every great fundraiser should have?
Emotional intelligence and genuine passion for the cause you’re seeking to raise funds for. What I lack in being able to recall names (which is an awful affliction for a relationship fundraiser), I hope I make up for in emotional intelligence and passion for conservation. For me, I nurture this skill by about picking up the phone instead of whipping off an email. I often call, not with the purpose to make an ask, but to have a genuine conversation with a fellow likeminded person. To explore their passions and experience; and to thank them for trusting the organisation I represent. I like to take the time to find out the name of their dog barking in the background and in return I’ll share a part of my story, build rapport, connection and trust. With these things, powerful philanthropy can follow.