EP 72: Building Trust with Donors Through Better Impact Measurement with Sonja Schappert Howden

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Sonja Schappert Howden, Chief Impact Officer at Seed Impact, to unpack what meaningful impact really looks like and how fundraisers can communicate it in ways donors understand and trust.

Drawing from more than two decades of experience in faith-based nonprofits, Sonja explains why outputs are only the starting point, how outcomes reveal personal change, and why true impact often happens outside your organization’s walls. She introduces the SEED Competency Ladders, a framework grounded in being, doing, and relating, and shows how this approach helps fundraisers tell more human, donor-centered impact stories.

You’ll also hear why impact is not linear, why collaborative measurement matters more than ever, and how removing jargon can help donors connect emotionally before they ever engage intellectually.

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Seed Impact at https://www.seedimpact.org/   

• Email Sonja at [email protected]  

Free impact report reviews available for a limited time here: https://www.seedimpact.org/impact-report-review/January-26th-Impact-Report-Review-p801608951