Responsive Lab Podcast

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, and the inability to confidently execute digital strategies.

 

From the power of donor-centric messaging to the rise of personalized, AI-powered donor journeys, this conversation dives deep into the core disconnects that hinder generosity, and how organizations can close the gap.

 

👉 Download the full 2025 Nonprofit Peer Report here.

📥 Connect with Javan: Donately | Fifty & Fifty | LinkedIn

🎧 Explore Javan’s podcast: Good with Pixels

👉 Check out the blog “Do Nonprofits Need an AI Policy?”

 

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, 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 predictive and generative AI work together to drive giving

Why most AI initiatives fail and how to beat the odds

Ethical and environmental concerns (and how to respond to them)

How Virtuous is building the future of fundraising through AI

 

Nathan brings years of experience in machine learning, innovation, and responsible AI use in philanthropy. This session is a roadmap for nonprofit teams looking to move from AI curiosity to AI clarity.

 

Watch the webinar that prompted this conversation here: 5 Essentials for AI Success: What Today’s Fundraising Teams Need to Know (and Do) to Thrive

 

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 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 spreadsheets and start making decisions with confidence. Erik shares lessons from 5,000+ donor visits and how tech can enable deeper generosity, while Stephen explains why the best fundraising teams are shifting from being data hoarders to decision-makers.

 

Plus, they introduce Avid, a new fundraising operating system that helps nonprofits aggregate data, visualize insights, identify audiences, and deploy campaigns, all without replacing your existing tools.

 

Learn more about Avid at https://www.avidai.com/

 

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.

 

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 AI and “digital colleagues” to practical data strategies, Erin outlines a clear, human-centered vision for tech innovation in the sector.

 

You’ll hear:

Why strong data foundations are essential before adopting AI

The difference between automating tasks and transforming systems

Real-world examples from fundraisers, healthcare providers, and program teams

How to balance innovation with ethics, trust, and human connection

The concept of “frontier nonprofits” and how to become one

 

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 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 powerful stories with the communities you serve.

 

Highlights include:

Dismantling deficit-based narratives

Honoring community voice in storytelling

Why joy and complexity must be part of your mission narrative

Tactical strategies for ethical co-creation

 

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 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