In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with fundraising strategist Kel Haney, who has made more than twenty thousand asks by phone and helped nonprofits generate over twenty million dollars in mid-level giving.
Kel shares how she went from directing theater in New York to discovering the power of a well-structured donor conversation, and why a simple five-minute call can be one of the most effective tools a fundraiser has.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How Kel’s theater background shaped her approach to authentic donor conversations
- Why mid-level donors sit in the “messy middle” and need their own strategy
- The four tent poles of Kel’s five-minute fundraising ask
- Why scripts fail, and conversational structure succeeds
- How fundraisers can “hold for the silence” and build confidence over time
- Ways tools like Virtuous and Virtuous Momentum support personal outreach at scale
- How organizations can segment, prioritize, and even outsource outbound donor calls
Links from the episode:
- Pre-order Cherian’s book here
- Get your copy of “Neurogiving: The Science of Donor Decision-Making” on Amazon here
- Connect with Cherian on LinkedIn
Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist
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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.
