Contents

Breaking Down the 2025 Nonprofit Peer Report: Strategy, Systems, and Storytelling with Javan Van Gronigen

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.

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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

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Riley Young

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Summarize with AI

Building Product-Centered Donor Experiences

Building Product-Centered Donor Experiences

TL;DR: Product-centered donor experiences treat donors with the same care a great company gives its best customers, built around two questions: is this relevant to them, and does it deliver…
What is a Good Donor Retention Rate for 2026?

What is a Good Donor Retention Rate for 2026?

TL;DR The donor retention rate measures how many donors from last year gave again this year, and the sector average sits at 54.73% in 2026. Top-performing nonprofits retain nearly 7…
How to Build a Brand That Drives Long-Term Fundraising Growth

How to Build a Brand That Drives Long-Term Fundraising Growth

TL;DR: Nonprofit brand strategy has to come before fundraising, not after it. Joni & Friends flipped their budget to 60% brand awareness and 40% fundraising to fuel long-term growth. Internal…

Grow generosity with Virtuous

Virtuous is the responsive fundraising software platform proven to help nonprofit organizations increase generosity by serving all donors personally, no matter their gift size.

“Virtuous truly understands nonprofits and the importance of our mission. And their open access to data and built-in custom reports gave us access to the data we need.”
Todd Shinabarger​
Chief Information Officer