Responsive Lab Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP 93: How to Evaluate and Design Your Nonprofit Tech Ecosystem with Dave Malda and Mark Becker Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Scott sits down with Dave Malda, Chief Partnership Officer at iPass, and Mark Becker, Founding Partner of Cathexis Partners. Between them, they bring decades of experience helping nonprofits navigate technology decisions, from platform selection and data migrations to building integration ecosystems that hold up over time.

You'll hear about:
• Why discovery should always come before demos
• What nonprofits are asking for in software evaluations now that nobody was asking about five years ago
• How to understand the spectrum of integrations and how to decide which approach fits each situation
• When connecting your existing systems is the smarter move, and when continuing to patch things together is just delaying a harder conversation
• Why new system rollouts fail even when the software itself is solid

Links from the episode:

* Connect with Mark Becker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbeckercp/
* Connect with Dave Malda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemalda/
* Learn more about Cathexis Partners: https://cathexispartners.com/
* Learn more about iPass: https://ipaas.com/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 92: How to Launch Planned Giving at Your Nonprofit with Tony Martignetti Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Scott sits down with Tony Martignetti, founder, author, and planned giving consultant. Tony has spent nearly three decades making planned giving accessible for small and mid-sized nonprofits, first as a frontline fundraiser and then as a consultant since 2003.

You'll hear about:
• Why the conventional wisdom that small nonprofits aren't ready for planned giving is flat-out wrong, and what's really holding organizations back
• How to identify your best planned giving prospects using the donor database you already have, with a focus on longevity and consistency over gift size
• The Martignetti three-step, one-week planned giving launch, and what actually happens on day one
• Why planned giving conversations are about the life and sustainability of your mission, not about death
• What early metrics fundraisers should track when the financial results may be decades away
• What good stewardship looks like after a donor says yes, from the handwritten note to insider communications

Make sure to get a copy of Tony's new book, Planned Giving Accelerated, that's linked below.

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignetti/
* Buy Planned Giving Accelerated on Amazon: tony.ma/Amazon
* Buy Planned Giving Accelerated on Barnes and Noble: tony.ma/BN

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 91: How to Spark Growth In Your Recurring Giving Program with Dave Raley Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Dave Raley, Founder of the Center for Sustainable Giving. Dave spent 18 years in fundraising and marketing before founding the Center, driven by a belief that sustainable, recurring funding should be accessible to every nonprofit, not just the largest ones.

You'll hear about:
• Why a flat recurring giving program is often a visibility problem, not a donor problem, and what to look at first
• How the first 30 days after a first gift is the most important window to invite donors into recurring giving
• Why an invitation to recurring giving is really an invitation to donor identity, and how that reframe changes your messaging approach
• Specific ways to upgrade recurring donors beyond just asking for a higher dollar amount, including gift type, additional appeals, and legacy conversations
• How to make recurring donors feel genuinely recognized without a large budget or a complicated new workflow
• Where nonprofit fundraising technology is furthest behind the subscription economy, and what closing that gap actually looks like

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/draley/
* Learn more about the Center for Sustainable Giving: https://www.sustainablegiving.org/
* Download the Sustainable Giving Growth Blueprint: https://www.sustainablegiving.org/blueprint
* See the Recurring Giving Upgrade feature in Virtuous Raise: Recurring Upgrades With One Link

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 90: From RNS 2026 | How to Build a Brand That Drives Long-Term Fundraising Growth with Donna Lucas Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we bring you content from the 2026 Responsive Nonprofit Summit from Donna Lucas, Chief Marketing Officer at Joni and Friends.

You'll hear about:

Why being the "best kept secret" is a sign of failure, not something to celebrate
How Donna convinced her CFO to shift 60 percent of the budget to brand awareness
The framework of brand first, marketing second, fundraising third
Why she compares branding to planting, marketing to cultivation, and fundraising to the harvest
How Joni and Friends grew fundraising 95 percent over seven years by investing in brand
Why treating every social comment and DM like a phone call transformed donor engagement
How a full brand audit uncovered nineteen field offices acting like their own marketing agencies
Why aligning internal staff around the brand matters as much as external messaging

Connect with Donna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnamlucas/
Learn more about Joni and Friends: https://joniandfriends.org/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 89: Building Campaigns That Last Beyond the Goal with Chad Paris Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Chad Paris, Principal and CEO of Parisleaf, a branding agency that helps nonprofits fund progress by branding major fundraising campaigns. Chad has spent nearly two decades advising mission-driven organizations through comprehensive campaigns, and he brings a rare combination of strategic depth and candor about where the philanthropic sector is headed.

You'll hear about:
• What separates wildly successful campaigns from ones that simply meet their goal, including the four-part framework Chad uses
• Why donor fatigue is more often caused by a lack of meaning than by being asked too often, and what that distinction means for how you steward your donors
• How campaign branding shapes the way donors feel about your organization for decades
• The risk of over-relying on major donors
• Why volunteerism is one of the most overlooked indicators of future giving
• What nonprofit CEOs and chief development officers are wrestling with right now

Links from the episode:
-Connect with Chad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadparis/
-Email Chad: chad@parisleaf.com
-Learn more about Parisleaf: https://parisleaf.com/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 88: Building Product-Centered Donor Experiences with Ben Webb Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Ben Webb, Chief Marketing Officer at International Justice Mission. He's spent more than 15 years across nonprofit leadership, ministry, and creative consultancy, including a global marketing role at Compassion International where he led teams across digital, innovation, and experience design in more than 30 countries.

You'll hear about:
* Why most nonprofit marketing fails to inspire and what we can learn from Red Bull's space jump campaign
* The shift from direct response fundraising toward product-centered donor experiences
* How to create relevance and value for donors using the "good friend" framework
* Building marketing teams that blend nonprofit expertise with for-profit innovation
* Why your real competition isn't other nonprofits but companies like Amazon and Tesla
* The five-phase global marketing framework: insight-driven, concept-led, powered by stories, scaled by technology, measured and refined
* How to maintain urgency and heart when the work feels overwhelming

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Ben Webb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmwebb/
* Learn more about International Justice Mission: https://www.ijm.org/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 87: Building a Better Way to Fundraise with Derric Bakker Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Derric Bakker, CEO of DickersonBakker. With more than three decades of experience as a practitioner, consultant, and business leader, he helps organizations move beyond legacy fundraising models toward relationship-centered approaches.

You'll hear about:
* Why fundraising feels harder now and how this represents a fundamental shift, not just a cyclical downturn
* What "treat every donor like a major donor" actually means in practice
* How younger donors are increasingly behaving like major donors in their selectivity and relationship expectations
* Why 94% of nonprofit leaders agree change is needed, but 70% say it's not happening
* Where AI fits into relationship-based fundraising without replacing human connection
* Using data and technology to personalize donor experiences at scale
* Simple changes you can make this week to start expressing genuine gratitude and listening to donors

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Derric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derricbakker/
* Visit Better Way Champions: https://betterwaychampions.org/
* Get "A Better Way to Fundraise - Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor": https://a.co/d/0cF5FgIr
* Connect with DickersonBakker: https://dickersonbakker.com/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 86: How To Adopt AI Without Destroying Your Culture with Tim Lockie May 28, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Tim Lockie, founder of The Human Stack. Tim has spent his career at the intersection of data and people, helping nonprofits use information systems to increase impact and decision-making.

You'll hear about:
* Why the AI conversation happens in a vacuum separate from actual fundraising work
* How to think about tech, data, and staff as an integrated system rather than three separate silos
* The identity and belonging questions that AI raises for nonprofit staff
* How to identify if your tech is ahead of your culture or your culture is ahead of your tech
* Finding your AI "first chair" and creating psychological safety for tech adoption
* The reality of job displacement and why learning these tools matters regardless
* Practical steps for building a culture that supports technology success

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlockie/
* Learn more about The Human Stack: https://thehumanstack.com/
* First follower video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 85: Using Data Quality to Unlock AI's Potential in Fundraising with Erin Stender May 14, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Erin Stender, CMO at Omatic. With nearly a decade at mission-driven tech companies like Classy and Neon One, Erin brings a unique perspective from both the technology side and the nonprofit board member lens.

You'll hear about:

* Why nonprofits feel both excitement and trepidation about AI, and how both responses are completely valid
* How incomplete or inaccurate data creates costly missed opportunities, from major donors not receiving year-end appeals to lapsed donors getting acquisition-level messaging
* Why your CRM serves as the beating heart of your tech ecosystem and how integrations make it more powerful
* How to start cleaning up your data without feeling overwhelmed by beginning with one specific decision you're trying to make
* Using AI to identify blind spots by asking what you don't know rather than just automating what you do know
* Why the mindset shift around AI is often underestimated and how teams can adopt it together

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Erin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hall-stender-2644264/
* Learn more about Omatic: https://omaticsoftware.com/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

EP 84: Building Sustained Giving Through Human Connection and Technology with Chris Larson May 07, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Chris Larson, President & CEO at Ligonier Ministries. Chris has been with Ligonier since 2004, directing all strategic outreach initiatives and overseeing daily ministry operations through significant growth and leadership transitions.

You'll hear about:
* Why monthly sustainers became the backbone of Ligonier's 55-year mission
* How to create "beautiful reciprocity" where donors benefit from the org they support
* Balancing investment in younger donors while honoring longtime supporters
* Using AI and technology as force multipliers for human relationship building
* How to navigate the K-shaped economy without compromising donor relationships
* Why fundraising conversations should focus on alignment rather than guilt

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislarson73/
* Learn more about Ligonier Ministries: https://www.ligonier.org/

Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.

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