Responsive Lab Podcast

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. Taylor shares real-world examples of what growth can—and should—look like, along with practical advice for nonprofits on scaling in a healthy, efficient way to seize every opportunity. Other topics in this episode include: -Taylor’s personal story of growth -The role of technology -A mystery question at the end! Taylor is the founder of Berlele and Creative Shizzle, and is an experienced Storybrand Guide and Business Made Simple Coach, focusing on a dream to help purpose-driven companies and organizations communicate thrive. Season One of The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous. Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist. Special thanks to editor and sound engineer Barry R. Hill and producer Abigail Morse.

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 (Key Performance Indicators) included in Virtuous’ benchmark report – Gross Donor Retention, Average and Median Gift Amount, Donor Expansion, Recurring Giving, Portfolio Balance, Donor Lifetime Value, and New Donor Acquisition – and highlights why each of these factors represent important key growth factors for nonprofits. In addition to dissecting each of these individual reports, Gabe, Carly, and Stephen touch on some key tactics and takeaways that you can implement in your nonprofit to drive your donor giving – because the Virtuous Benchmark Report isn’t just a series of stats. It’s a helpful tool that can be shared with and implemented by your nonprofit for a better, more healthy donor file. Other topics include: - The rise of subscription giving - The pre- and post-Covid donor landscape - Building relationships with first-time givers - The importance of creating multi-channel new donor welcome series - Constructing dynamic ask arrays - Using median gifts as an insight to upgrading donors Get more details about this year’s benchmark report by downloading it for FREE. Simply visit: https://virtuous.org/benchmarkreport/ Season One of The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous. Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist. Special thanks to editor and sound engineer Barry R. Hill and producer Abigail Morse.

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 background in the sports industry, Carly and Stephen highlight the value exchange that comes from watching your favorite sports team, and akin that to the feeling one gets when donating to nonprofits, showcasing not only their similarities, but practical implications when driving nonprofit success. Together, they discuss the pressurized state of the fundraising industry and how tension is at an all-time high among nonprofits today. They’ll dive into the effects this has on company vs. donor expectations, and how nonprofits can translate the same passion that people may have for sports into their nonprofit donor experience. Additional topics include: -Technology as a vehicle for success, not the end-all answer -The evolution of the digital market from the pre-Covid era to present day -The top-down and bottom-up tensions in nonprofit organizations that lead to the pressurized nonprofit market, and how to work through that pressure in order to re-engage nonprofit passion. Season One of The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous. Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist. Special thanks to editor and sound engineer Barry R. Hill and producer Abigail Morse.

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 Monthly Giving Mastermind. She’s also the author of the upcoming book Monthly Giving Mastermind: How to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good. Dana dives into a discussion about her upcoming book and shares her 5 steps to successful monthly giving. Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special giveaway offer! Visit virtuous.org/danasnyder to learn more! Other topics in this episode include: - The benefits of creating impactful landing pages - The use of technology and AI tools for fundraising - ‘Thank You’ pages as the underutilized tools in the nonprofit’s toolbox - Should you send receipts following monthly subscription sign ups? The realities behind the ‘abandoned cart’ dilemma Season One of The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous. Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist. Special thanks to editor and sound engineer Barry R. Hill and producer Abigail Morse.

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 President of Brand—introduce themselves and share what inspired the creation of this podcast. They explore how nonprofits can stay ahead of the curve and maximize their impact in an ever-evolving landscape. Whether you're a nonprofit leader, tech enthusiast, or someone who loves a good story, we invite you to step into our lab and join us on this journey of discovery. So grab your lab coat and your headphones, and let's get started! Season One of The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous. Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist.

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 from commercial DAF providers. What can we learn from the rise of donor-advised funds to create more hyper-personal donor experiences and draw people into a bigger story about their impact? In the discussion, we explored: The challenges currently facing community foundations The rise of the donor-advised fund How technology can enhance donor experiences Strategies to meet the expectations of the modern donor

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 adopting marketing automation strategies and tools to maintain relevance and deepen relationships and engagement with donors. Mark Neigh, VP of Digital at Masterworks, suggests an “always on” approach to build awareness and affinity for nonprofits. Tune into this week’s episode to learn about the marketing automation strategies and the “always on” framework to stay top of mind for donors and supporters all year long.  Bonus: this episode was recorded the week of Giving Tuesday. Mark and Bryan spend the first 15 minutes discussing the top lessons learned from Giving Tuesday, and how those lessons inform fundraising next year.

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 comes into play to remove administrative duties from your fundraisers’ day-to-day activities. “When we take away the 32 Excel spreadsheets, the manual reporting, the manual memorization of what emails need to go out — all of that — we free up those fundraisers to be out in the community, really doing the job that we want them to do with the most effectiveness,” Abigayle Tobia, vice president of philanthropy at Verland, said. In this episode, Abigayle shares how marketing automation can simplify tasks, such as pulling reports, reconciling donations, emailing a donor welcome series, bettering donor acknowledgment, making donor communications documentation accessible to all team members, and more. For Tobia, it’s saved her so much time, that she’s more able to pick up the phone now to call donors — as well as determine which donors warrant that additional point of contact — thanks to 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 she intended to help in Haiti and how she uses that vivid experience to bring radical transformation to her homeland. Dr. Albert firmly believes that generosity has the power to change the world—if we allow it to change us first.

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 seen are transformational - including a 31% increase in overall individual giving. They’ve evolved the way they treat their program beneficiaries by embarking on a major innovation of their homeless shelter into a hotel that brings dignity to the experience of transitioning out of homelessness and welcoming their beneficiaries as guests. Beth Fisher, Chief Advancement Officer, calls this “the downstream impact of changing technology”.