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-level and major gift fundraising at scale

Why donor trust is your most valuable currency—and how to protect it

What truths about fundraising will never change, no matter the tools

 

You’ll walk away with clear direction on how to evaluate AI tools, use them to solve your biggest problems, and keep community, belonging, and authenticity at the heart of your work.

 

Connect with Sterrin on LinkedIn or at https://sterrinbird.com/

Learn more about Attain Partners here.

Learn more about Current here.

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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 necessity.

 

From the dangers of messy data to the exciting frontier of predictive and agentic AI, Clay and Tim break down:

• How poor data leads to lost revenue

• Why every data point represents a real, generous human

• What AI can (and can’t) do without clean donor records

• How to protect data privacy in an AI-powered world

• Practical steps for nonprofits to build a data-first culture

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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.

 

Matt shares how nonprofits are already using AI to simplify strategic decision-making, scale their messaging with custom GPTs, and synthesize information for smarter execution. You’ll learn why values-based AI guidelines matter, how to remix your messaging for different audiences, and what nonprofits get wrong when defining their value proposition.

 

Discover more about CauseMic and download their CRM Guide at: https://causemic.com/nonprofit-crm-guide.

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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 — including her time at IJM — and explains how she pivoted toward empathy-based storytelling after realizing traditional tactics weren’t cutting it. She shares how activating the personal profiles of nonprofit leaders, using emotional storytelling even when limited by privacy, and showing up with consistency can all work together to increase engagement and deepen donor loyalty.

 

Claim your special listener discount on Brynne’s brand-new ebook, Read the Room: Why Empathy is the Secret Sauce in Successful Branding. Get 50% off with the code VIRTUOUS here.

 

Download the ebook

Learn more about Cause Fokus

Connect with Brynne on LinkedIn

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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, Nathan challenges fundraisers to confront today’s tough questions:

 

What if the donors you have today are the only donors you’ll ever have?

Are you building community… or playing a numbers game?

 

You’ll walk away with four actionable steps to build lasting donor relationships that grow generosity for years to come.

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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 create a high-impact donor welcome series, set up automations that actually save time, and test your way into more effective fundraising emails.

 

You’ll walk away with:

The top reasons nonprofit emails underperform — and how to measure success

Practical tips for building a donor welcome series that inspires

Smart automation strategies to deliver better stewardship at scale

Examples of targeted emails that drive action

One simple change you can make today to boost results

 

Connect with Katelyn Baughan:

LinkedIn: Katelyn Baughan

Podcast: Inbox to Impact

Sign up for her weekly email tips at https://katelynbaughan.com/

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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 fundraisers can:

 

Rethink event ROI with a lifetime donor lens

Use integrated CRMs and event tools for faster, smarter follow-up

Create automated drip campaigns that boost attendance and giving

Identify and recover missed revenue through post-event data

Build lasting donor relationships through continued engagement

 

You can learn more about Event.Gives here.

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 offers honest, tactical advice for nonprofit leaders facing hard realities including how to communicate transparently without overwhelming your supporters, how to prioritize donor retention over acquisition, and how to forecast when the future feels fuzzy.

 

Whether you’re navigating today’s headwinds or preparing for tomorrow’s, this episode will leave you with practical tools and encouraging perspective.

 

Connect with Barbara at https://whillconsulting.com/ and on LinkedIn.

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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.

 

This episode dives deep into practical strategies for increasing donor loyalty by using better data, smarter segmentation, and personalized multi-channel outreach. From reducing duplicates and calculating your churn rate to aligning your entire team around shared goals, Christine and John offer tactical advice grounded in real nonprofit experience.

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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 using creativity and real-world touchpoints to increase future donor demand and loyalty.

 

From the difference between performance and brand marketing to tangible ways nonprofits can create their own pattern interruptions, this episode is a practical and inspiring masterclass in modern donor engagement.

 

🔗 Follow Brady on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bradyjosephson

🔗 Learn more about charity:water: charitywater.org

 

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist