Responsive Lab Podcast

Speed matters. So does being seen. In this episode, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with fundraiser, former executive director, and founder of the Nonprofit Automation Agency, Rachel Bearbower, to unpack how small teams can deliver big-feeling donor experiences. We cover the “first 100 days” journey, the one-minute thank-you, and why silence erodes trust faster than anything. You’...

Launching a capital campaign is one thing. Raising over $200 million and outgrowing your original goals is another. In this episode of The Responsive Lab, hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Dr. Will Smallwood, Vice President for Advancement at Cedarville University, to unpack the story behind the wildly successful “One Thousand Days Transformed” campaign.   Dr. Smallwood shares the...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus are joined by Aarika Riddle, Executive Director of Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream, for a conversation about leading through uncertainty, stewarding well in challenging moments, and grounding your work in mission when fatigue sets in.   Aarika shares lessons from navigating multiple economic downturns in her fundraising ca...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with capital campaign expert Amy Eisenstein of Capital Campaign Pro to demystify one of the most ambitious and often misunderstood fundraising tools in a nonprofit’s playbook: the capital campaign.   Amy shares her journey from development director to co-founder of a firm that has guided hundreds of organizations...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott bring you the closing keynote from the 2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit. Victoria Harrison, co-founder of Charity: Water, shares how they created an in-person, immersive storytelling experience that could deepen donor connection and spark transformative generosity.   From VR headsets and interactive water walks to science labs and kine...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with fundraising powerhouse Tammy Zonker to talk about her new book, Calling All Heroes. Tammy brings 25+ years of experience and over $1B raised to the conversation. She shares why our sector needs a third way: human-centered fundraising.   From the hidden pitfalls of both donor and community-centered approach...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab, Brady Josephson (Charity:Water), Chris Barlow (Beeline Marketing), and Matt Scott (CauseMic) tackle the three most common mistakes nonprofits make in marketing and engagement and how to avoid them.   From trying to do everything at once, to neglecting brand investment, to overcomplicating donor segmentation, this discussion is packed with tactical ins...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab, John and Becky, co-founders of We Are For Good, talk movement-building from the stage at the Responsive Nonprofit Summit 2025.   John and Becky share their deeply practical framework for moving from donor acquisition to donor multiplication by centering believers, fueling joy, and letting go of control. Through stories from Komen, charity:water, the M...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Russell James, a leading voice in planned giving strategy, psychology, and research. Russell brings his unique background as a lawyer, fundraiser, college president, and now professor at Texas Tech, to unpack the practical steps any nonprofit can take to start (or strengthen) a planned giving program.   Fr...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab, fundraising experts Missy Gale (M. Gale & Associates), Gail Perry (Gail Perry Group), and Andrew Olsen (DickersonBakker) discuss how to balance long-term relationship building with the realities of fiscal year deadlines, limited capacity, and changing donor behaviors.   You’ll learn practical strategies for portfolio segmentation, leveraging donor...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Javan Van Gronigen, founder and creative director of Fifty & Fifty and Donately, to unpack the insights behind the 2025 Nonprofit Peer Report.   Javan shares surveying over 160 nonprofit leaders identified the top challenges nonprofit teams are facing today: misalignment, siloed data, brand confusion,...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, we go deeper into the real, raw questions nonprofit leaders are asking about artificial intelligence. Things like strategy and governance to privacy, personalization, and predictive modeling.   Join Virtuous’ Chief AI Officer, Nathan Chappell, alongside co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus as they unpack: What AI really means for nonprofit teams How predic...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Stephen Boudreau and Erik Tomalis from Avid to explore how fundraisers can actually use their data to drive meaningful action.   From demystifying AI to scaling human relationships with technology, this conversation dives into the real challenges facing fundraisers today and how teams can stop drowning in...

In this special episode of  The Responsive Lab , co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus bring you a featured session from the  2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit .   Erin McHugh, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft Tech for Social Impact joins Jason Van Lue, VP of Product at Virtuous, for a deep dive into what nonprofits need to be thinking about today to prepare for the future. From the future of A...

In this special episode of  The Responsive Lab , co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus bring you a featured session from the  2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit .   Join guests Stacy Houston, Rebecca Barnard, Jonathan McCoy, Vivian Borja, Becky Endicott, and Dr. Tim Lampkin as they challenge outdated narratives in nonprofit storytelling and share how to co-create more authentic, dignified, and pow...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Sterrin Bird, long-time fundraising leader and nonprofit executive-in-residence at Attain Partners, for a conversation on how technology can support—but never replace—the deeply human work of fundraising.   Sterrin unpacks: Why so many orgs still get “donor-centricity” wrong How AI agents can support mid-l...

In this special episode of  The Responsive Lab , co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus bring you a featured session from the  2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit . We’re diving deep into one of the most overlooked assets in the nonprofit world: data.   Fundraising veteran T. Clay Buck and neuroscience-PhD-turned-AI-CEO Tim Paris explore why clean data isn’t just a tech concern, it’s a fundraising n...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus are joined by Matt Scott—founder of CauseMic and nonprofit messaging strategist—for a candid conversation on aligning AI with your mission. Together, they explore the real (and often misunderstood) ways AI can amplify your message, improve team capacity, and deepen donor relationships without losing the human touch.   M...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Brynne Krispin, founder of Cause Fokus, to talk about the power of an empathy-driven social strategy and how nonprofits can use content and platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to foster trust, connection, and long-term donor retention.   Brynne brings a decade of nonprofit social media experience — includin...

In this special episode of  The Responsive Lab , co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus bring you a featured session from the  2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit . Virtuous Chief AI Officer, Nathan Chappell , explores why nonprofits aren’t just competing for dollars anymore, they’re competing for connection.   Drawing from his decades of experience and his acclaimed book The Generosity Crisis , Nat...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Scott Holthaus and Carly Berna sit down with email marketing consultant Katelyn Baughan of KB Digital to uncover what’s broken in nonprofit email marketing and how to fix it.   From donor retention challenges to the pitfalls of “spray and pray” messaging, Katelyn shares practical ways to move from broadcasting to relationship-building. Learn how to c...

In this episode of Ask a Responsive Fundraiser, Sam Staley, Founder and CEO of Event. Gives, joins us to challenge traditional metrics of event success. From the power of personalized thank-you messages to the concept of “dollars in the room,” Sam shares actionable strategies nonprofits can use to grow giving long after the event ends.   This episode is packed with real-world insights on how fundr...

What do you do when your nonprofit loses 75% of its budget overnight?   In this episode of The Responsive Lab, fundraising veteran Barbara O’Reilly of Windmill Hill Consulting joins co-hosts Scott Holthaus and Carly Berna for a deeply practical and human conversation about leading through financial turbulence.   From donor shifts and budget cuts to internal turmoil and board conversations, Barbara...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab , co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus bring you a featured session from the 2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit . Join Christine Robertson from NPact and John Mark Vanderpool from Social Impact Solutions as they sit down with Virtuous DBA-in-residence, Kayla Schneider, to tackle one of the biggest challenges in nonprofit fundraising: donor retention ....

In this episode of The Responsive Lab , hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Brady Josephson, VP of Marketing and Growth at charity:water.    Brady makes the case for long-term brand marketing in a nonprofit world obsessed with short-term returns. He unpacks how charity:water’s latest initiatives — including their immersive Experience Lab and viral “Work from Bed” campaign — are usin...