EP 77: Building a Donor Strategy That Honors Every Gift with Dean Axelrod

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.