Responsive Lab Podcast

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your Virtuous co-hosts, Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus, welcome Matt Scott from CauseMic for an exciting discussion about the importance of technology in the nonprofit sector. Matt begins by sharing his background and experience in helping customers choose the right technology to meet their needs. He explains what he sees as the biggest hurdle in overcoming t...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your Virtuous co-hosts, Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus, welcome Imago Consulting founder, Purpose and Profit Podcast co-host, popular speaker, and best-selling author, Dave Raley! Dave begins the conversation by introducing his new book, The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy is Transforming Recurring Giving and What Nonprofits Can Do to...

In this special episode of The Responsive Lab, we’re excited to welcome Scott Holthaus as your new co-host alongside Carly Berna! Scott’s the Partner Marketing Manager here at Virtuous, where he helps nonprofits grow generosity and implement responsive fundraising. Before joining Virtuous, Scott spent 15+ years working in nonprofits and ministries in a variety of roles, including marketing and com...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your Virtuous co-hosts, Carly Berna and Stephen Boudreau, bring in DonorSearch’s head of AI, Nathan Chappell, for an exciting conversation about AI and how it can fuel generosity in your organization. Nathan begins by diving into his experience, which includes founding the Fundraising. AI collaborative, a 10,000+ member global think-tank responsible for publi...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your Virtuous co-hosts, Carly Berna and Stephen Boudreau, are joined by Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer and Tech for Social Impact Leadership Team member, Erin McHugh Saif. Erin begins by sharing her background, which includes experience working for big tech companies such as Blackbaud, Salesforce, and TIBCO. Next, Erin explains the nonprofit side of Micros...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your Virtuous co-hosts, Stephen Boudreau and Carly Berna, are joined by Jon McCoy and Becky Endicott from the podcast, We Are For Good. They begin by talking about how to measure success, giving examples such as tracking the various forms of engagement in one’s organization. Next, they discuss the topic of activation. How do donors, listeners and supporters r...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, your co-host, Carly Berna, is joined by fellow Virtuous colleague, Scott Holthaus, for a special audio-only edition featuring Virtuous partner, OneCause. Included in the conversation are OneCause’s CMO, Karrie Wozniak, and Director of Corporate Communications, Sarah Sebastian. Together, Karrie and Sarah share details from the 5th edition of OneCause’s Giving...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Stephen Boudreau and Carly Berna are joined by industry leader, Trent Dunham, for an exciting conversation about the world of modern fundraising and how to become effective leaders in an ever-changing nonprofit landscape. Trent begins by dissecting some of the large-scale (or macro) trends in fundraising today, and lists some of the struggles that nonprofits...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab podcast, Carly Berna and Stephen Boudreau are joined by executive coach, fundraising consultant, and host of the podcast What the Fundraising, Mallory Erickson, for an exciting conversation about the evolution of fundraising – plus, a sneak peak of Mallory’s new book, What The Fundraising? Mallory begins by discussing the common obstacles faced by fundraisers...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Stephen Boudreau and Carly Berna are joined by Executive Vice President at DickersonBakker, Andrew Olsen, for a discussion about nonprofit fundraising and how to give donors a better giving experience. They dive into the current climate of fundraising and discuss what it means to create a major-donor like strategy. They take an in-depth look at the ‘responsiv...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly Berna and Stephen Boudreau team up with nonprofit expert Taylor Shanklin for a lively deep dive into the art of scaling a nonprofit organization. Together, they unpack what growth truly means, explore how it differs for smaller organizations versus larger ones, and tackle the common hurdles that can keep nonprofits from reaching their full potential. Ta...

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Stephen and Carly are joined by Virtuous’ very own CEO, Gabe Cooper, for a talk about Virtuous’ first-ever Benchmark Report! Gabe begins by diving into not only the what, but the why behind benchmark reports, revealing how valuable they are in understanding your nonprofit organization, as well as your donor relationships. Gabe discusses the 7 crucial KPI’s (K...

Welcome to the Responsive Lab, your new favorite podcast where innovation and impact collide to transform the nonprofit world! In this episode, your Virtuous co-hosts, Stephen Boudreau and Carly Berna, bring in special guest, Justin McCord of RKD Group. Justin is an industry-leading marketer, with more than a decade of guiding commercial and nonprofit organizations to success. Tying in Justin’s ba...

Welcome to Episode 1 of “The Responsive Lab,” the podcast where innovation and impact converge to transform the nonprofit world! In this episode, your co-hosts, Carly Berna and Stephen Boudreau, are joined by nonprofit fundraising expert Dana Snyder to talk about the dos and don'ts of achieving a healthy monthly donor program. Dana Snyder is the Host of Missions to Movements and Creator of the Mon...

Welcome to "The Responsive Lab," your new favorite podcast where innovation and impact come together to transform the nonprofit world. Brought to you by Virtuous, this podcast explores how nonprofits can harness technology to supercharge donor engagement and make a lasting impact. In this introductory episode, your hosts—Carly Berna, Director of Product Marketing, and Stephen Boudreau, Vice Presid...

This week Jeff Conn, Co-CEO of NPact , and Gabe Cooper, CEO of Virtuous , join the conversation to discuss the evolving landscape of community-based giving, particularly focusing on the rise and significance of Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) and the role of community foundations. Historically, community foundations have played a key role in philanthropy but are now facing challenges and competition fr...

What is your year-round brand message for your nonprofit? Most nonprofit marketing is about the offer - what we are asking a person to give. Yet the commercial space spends consistent time and resources on brand marketing. What does your organization believe in or stand for, what do you do, and what are the stories that showcase the world you are working to build?  Responsive nonprofits are adopti...

This episode was originally featured on The NonProfit Voice Tech Series hosted by Mark Becker editorial advisory board member for NonProfit PRO . Spreadsheets can quickly become overwhelming for nonprofit marketers — and even if you think they’re working for your organization, you might be surprised by how much more organized and streamlined your efforts could be. That’s where marketing automation...

In a world that is constantly changing, our generosity must also evolve. If we want to have a positive, long-lasting impact on local communities, we must rethink the ways we’ve traditionally addressed their needs. Dr. Bertrhude Albert will challenge you to dig deep and reimagine the ways we give and engage with those in need. She will share her personal story of how she found herself hurting those...

The Virtuous team was onsite with the team at Mel Trotter Ministries, witnessing their work at the forefront of battling homelessness through community partnerships and innovative solutions. The organization adopted Virtuous CRM and Responsive Fundraising as both a technology solution and a strategic mindset shift to how they operate as a team and deliver their programs. And the results they’ve se...

Donor retention is broken. This is no surprise to anyone who has worked in the nonprofit industry for any length of time. Despite all the best practices tactics about sending thank you cards, making phone calls, investing in new technology, etc. – the average donor retention rate seems to be stuck around 45%. I n a brand-new research endeavor analyzing both the donor retention performance and the...

This week we are featuring a conversation from The Beacon Podcast hosted by Lighthouse Counsel’s Director of Business Development, Ryan Woroniecki. This conversation with Ryan and our very own Erik Tomalis, Director of Business Development at Virtuous, have a follow-up conversation to the last episode’s discussion on the Giving USA 2023 report.  Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the pr...

Earlier this summer, the results came in from the Giving USA 2023 report, showcasing the current state of the philanthropic sector. In this conversation, nonprofit leaders across the sector gathered to discuss 2022’s biggest headlines, as well as what we can expect in 2023 in the current fundraising climate.  The following nonprofit leaders joined us to discuss the biggest issues facing the nonpro...

Responsive nonprofits harness measurement and data to increase generosity for their mission. A critical data point is measuring the short, mid, and long-term impact of your programs and showcasing to donors the power of the impact they create. John Mark Vanderpool, Co-Founder of Social Impact Solutions, shares his expertise and 8 reasons nonprofits should measure their impact. He’ll walk you throu...

Society for Science was looking for a new title sponsor for the second time in their 100-year history. That’s when Maya Ajmera , President and CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News, decided to flip the traditional RFP model on its head. Society for Science announced its own RFP. They asked donors to pitch them on why they should accept their sponsorship to support the...