Responsive Lab Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP 83: Turning Program Metrics Into Fundraising Fuel with Chris Palombo May 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Chris Palombo, President and CEO of MAP International. Chris leads the organization that serves as the global relief valve for surplus healthcare products, shipping $1.26 billion in medicines and medical supplies to 100 nations annually. His core belief? Nonprofits must speak four distinct languages to demonstrate true impact: heart, finance, medical outcomes, and operational efficiency.

You'll hear about:
* The four tribes every nonprofit must serve and how to speak their different languages
* Why heart stories remain important but can't stand alone in today's accountability landscape
* Why transparency should include both successes and the hard realities of nonprofit work
* How technology is improving data collection capabilities in developing countries
* Building credibility through industry partnerships, accreditation, and codes of conduct

Chris shares vivid examples of measuring blood pressure in Sierra Leone villages and implementing electronic medical records in Honduras shrimp farming communities. He demonstrates how sophisticated nonprofits can maintain heart-centered storytelling while building the systems and metrics that demonstrate genuine impact.

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispalombo/
* Learn more about MAP International: https://www.map.org/

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

EP 82: Building Diversified Donor Portfolios with Audrey Cooper Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Audrey Cooper, Associate Director of Philanthropy at Evidence Action. Audrey brings 10 years of nonprofit development experience across social services and international development, and has helped Evidence Action scale from its 2013 founding to raising over $60 million annually.

You'll hear about:

Why donor portfolio concentration becomes dangerous and what the moment of recognition usually looks like
How to make strategic first moves when diversifying revenue streams without spreading your team too thin
Building the case for unrestricted giving in ways that build trust rather than create donor hesitation
Evidence Action's four-category framework for deploying unrestricted donor investments
Why data and story are mutually reinforcing rather than competing approaches to donor communication
The power of "fundraising sprints" to focus on just a few priorities and follow them through completely
How boldness in sharing impact creates collaborative donor relationships that feel more like partnerships

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Audrey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreymcooper/
* Learn more about Evidence Action: https://www.evidenceaction.org/

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

EP 81: How Nonprofits Can Use LinkedIn to Find and Cultivate New Donors with Randy Molland Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Randy Molland, Founder and Chief Giving Officer at Impact Circle. Randy spent years building businesses as an entrepreneur before a trip to an orphanage in Mexico shifted his focus entirely.

Since then, he's built a career around one specific gap: helping nonprofits build real relationships with the business community.

His core belief? The people with money to give are already on LinkedIn, and most nonprofits aren't showing up.

You'll hear about:

Why only 43% of nonprofits use LinkedIn and what that gap means for organizations willing to show up
How Randy reframes LinkedIn as a Chamber of Commerce, not a job board
The outreach approach that separates genuine connection from marketing spam
Why funders fund people, not organizations, and how that should shape your LinkedIn presence
How to use LinkedIn to find sector-aligned donors and partners at any scale, local or national
Three real success stories showing what's possible in the first weeks of using this approach
How to think about personal profiles versus org pages and how much posting actually matters

Connect with Randy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randymolland/
Learn more about Impact Circle: https://impactcircle.network/

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

EP 80: Building Healthy Nonprofit Cultures That Fight Burnout with Dr. Jeff McGee Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Dr. Jeff McGee, a leadership and organizational culture strategist and creator of the Triple Loop Leadership framework. Dr. McGee has worked in nonprofits from frontline staff to executive leadership for over a decade and now coaches organizations nationwide on building healthy cultures and managing AI adoption.

You'll hear about:
* Why lack of honest communication creates quiet disengagement and an "us versus them" mentality between leadership and staff
* The key to retention: making staff feel valued, respected, and truly part of the mission they serve
* Three major challenges nonprofits face when introducing AI: ethics and privacy concerns, mixed readiness levels, and treating AI as threat versus efficiency tool
* How to frame AI as a relationship-building enabler rather than job replacement in the service-oriented nonprofit sector
* Using mentorship programs to bridge generational gaps when implementing new technology like AI
* Why effective AI adoption is really about strong change management that includes voices from every organizational level

Links from the episode:
* Connect with Dr. Jeff McGee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jeff-mcgee-38185468/
* Learn more about Cross-Cultural Dynamics: www.ccdynamics.org
* Get Dr. McGee's book "Reimagining Learning: The Power of Triple Loop Leadership": Order Here
* Email Dr. McGee: jmcgee@ccdynamics.org

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

EP 79: Building AI-Powered Major Gift Programs That Don't Lose the Human Touch with Griff Bohm Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Griff Bohm. As one of the founders of Momentum, an AI-powered donor engagement platform for mid-level & major gifts, Griff brings unique insights into how artificial intelligence can transform fundraising without losing the human connection that drives giving.

You'll hear about:
• Starting with problems instead of solutions when adopting AI tools
• Building major gift programs that leverage technology to create more donor time
• Understanding why major giving continues to grow as a percentage of overall fundraising
• Recognizing donor expectations for personalized, impact-focused communication
• Preparing teams for an AI-enhanced fundraising future
• Identifying practical AI applications that remove friction from daily work
• Creating systems that amplify relationship-building rather than replace it

Links:
Connect with Griff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffinbohm/
Learn more about Momentum: https://virtuous.org/momentum/

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

EP 78: Building a Loyalty Program That Celebrates Every Gift with Carly Plate and Dominika McLean Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Carly Plate and Dominika McLean from the University of South Florida to talk about building a consecutive giving recognition program that celebrates loyalty over gift size.

Their core belief? The donor who gives $25 every year for 30 years deserves just as much recognition as someone who writes one large check.

You'll hear about:

Why USF created Loyalty Herd to close the gap between major giving programs and unrecognized lower-level consecutive donors
How the program defines eligibility: any dollar amount, three or more consecutive fiscal years
How USF scaled stewardship across 20,000 donors using milestone touch points, in-house design, and creative campus partnerships
Why they chose not to offer a buyback option, and how that decision strengthened the program's intent
How to approach data, communications, and development teams before launching a program like this
The real ROI of recognizing giving behavior over giving amount
Practical advice for teams with small budgets who want to start something meaningful now

Links from the episode:

Connect with Carly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-plate-a8373b2b/
Connect with Dominika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikamclean/
Learn more about the USF Foundation: https://giving.usf.edu/about/about-usf-foundation

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

EP 77: Building a Donor Strategy That Honors Every Gift with Dean Axelrod Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Dean Axelrod, Vice President of Partnerships and Philanthropy at Direct Relief. Dean's career has spanned business, law, and financial services. But the common thread? Helping people and organizations succeed.

His core belief? If someone is giving all they have to give, they're a major donor. No matter the dollar amount.

You'll hear about:

Why Direct Relief moved away from traditional major donor definitions
How to build a stewardship philosophy rooted in gratitude and impact
The balance between thanking donors and confidently making asks
How to use technology to scale personalization without losing the human touch
Why hiring for culture fit matters more than hiring fast
How to prepare for the future of fundraising in an era of rapid change

Dean also shares why every communication should carry value to the donor, not just value to the organization. And why confidence in asking comes from laying the relational groundwork first.

Links from the episode:

Connect with Dean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-axelrod-mba-jd-bb010071/
Learn more about Direct Relief: https://www.directrelief.org/

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

EP 76: How to Build a Brand That Drives Long-Term Fundraising Growth with Donna Lucas Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Donna Lucas, Chief Marketing and Development Officer at Joni and Friends. Donna spent decades in consumer products marketing at brands like Adidas, K-Swiss, and Dickies before making the jump to the nonprofit world.

Her core belief? Planting comes before the harvest. Brand awareness has to come before the fundraising ask.

You'll hear about:

Why being "the best-kept secret" is actually a failure
How Donna convinced her CFO to spend 60% of the budget on brand awareness
The first steps to take once leadership says yes to brand investment
How Joni and Friends used Instagram to cultivate an audience for two years before asking for anything
Why internal alignment matters before you launch anything externally
How to measure brand impact in ways leadership can understand and trust

Donna also shares how the team achieved a 12% increase in fundraising revenue the first year after their rebrand and why momentum became the proof that kept the strategy moving forward.

Links from the episode:

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

EP 75: What the 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report Reveals About How Nonprofits Actually Use AI with Nathan Chappell Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

92% of nonprofits are using AI. Only 7% say it's actually making a strategic impact. So what's going wrong?

In this episode, Carly and Scott sit down with Nathan Chappell, Chief AI Officer at Virtuous and co-founder of Fundraising.ai, to unpack the findings of the 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report. Nathan breaks down why more AI tools don't equal better results, what happens when organizations use AI to speed up broken practices, and what the 7% are doing differently.

You'll hear about:

-The AI adoption paradox and why high usage doesn't mean high impact
-Why an AI governance policy is the most important first step
-How to break through the efficiency plateau
-What predictive and generative AI look like in action for fundraisers
-Why the habits you build in 2026 will compound for years

Download the full report: https://virtuous.org/resource/the-2026-nonprofit-ai-adoption-report-download/

Learn more about Virtuous Momentum: https://www.givemomentum.com/

EP 74: How to Build a Capital Campaign Around Real Donor Conversations with Meg George Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly & Scott sit down with Meg George, Co-Founder and President at George Philanthropy Group. Meg has spent her career in major gifts and now consults with nonprofits on campaign preparation and principal gift strategies.

Her core belief? Campaign planning is a practice, not a moment. The organizations that raise the most money are always in some phase of a campaign.

You'll hear about:

Why "comprehensive campaign" is a better term than "capital campaign"
What strong campaign preparation looks like before you go public
How to create a feedback loop during a feasibility study
The role AI can play in campaigns without replacing relationships
Why qualifying donors is the number one differentiator between campaigns that succeed and those that stall
The one skill every fundraiser should sharpen right now

Links from the episode:

Connect with Meg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-george-b19752165/
Learn more about George Philanthropy Group: https://www.georgephilanthropy.com/
Visit Meg's personal site: https://www.megtgeorge.com/
Get Meg's book, What's Philanthropy to Philomena?: https://www.megtgeorge.com/books

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