Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell

Episode: Reconnecting With Your Mission’s Biggest Fans with Gustavo Zylberberg

Date: September 24, 2025

Guest: Gustavo Zylberberg, founder of Vital C
Host: Julia Campbell

Episode Overview

In this episode, Julia Campbell welcomes Gustavo Zylberberg, founder of Vital C, to discuss how nonprofits can powerfully reconnect with past supporters, former staff, donors, and participants—often their mission’s biggest fans. Together, they explore the importance of building lasting, engaged communities beyond the confines of the current donor or volunteer base and share expert strategies about using technology, storytelling, and authenticity for enduring impact. The conversation is rich with practical ideas for those looking to revive and nurture their lapsed community members.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Hidden Power of Past Supporters

• Main Question: “What if your nonprofit’s most passionate supporters aren’t just your new donors...but the people that have been part of your mission in the past?” (01:46)
• Gustavo explains the overlooked opportunity in re-engaging former staff, donors, parents, and volunteers. He emphasizes that past supporters already share the nonprofit's values and often remain passionate about the cause, despite losing touch.

How Vital C Addresses the Engagement Gap

• Gap in the Market: Existing CRMs and newsletters are audience-focused, not true communities.
  Gustavo: "Those are more audiences. They're not communities." (03:33)
• Vital C's Approach:
  • Trains AI on an organization’s history through oral and written content.
  • Pulls from existing databases, CRMs, and social media.
  • Empowers current community members and ambassadors to reinvite and bring others back ("people inviting people").
• “We reignite the community by empowering different members and different ambassadors to help bring them back...” (04:25)

Why Nonprofits Lose Touch

• Main Reason: Lack of bandwidth—staff are stretched thin, focused on immediate needs, not long-term engagement.
• Gustavo: "The answer ... is always going to come down to bandwidth. Bandwidth and resources and wearing too many hats." (06:14)
• Solution: Use AI to automate content creation and community orchestration, making the nonprofit staff “approvers, not doers.”

Turning “Ghosts” into Advocates: Strategies & Incentives

• Motivating Past Supporters: Focus on storytelling and authentic prompts to reconnect emotionally.
• “That passion is already out there. It’s not starting from zero. It’s just collecting the passion and bringing it into a unified community.” (07:33)
• Storytelling Automation: AI prompts users to share memories and turns responses into compelling stories—approved by the nonprofit to ensure alignment with mission and tone.

Ideal Timing for Re-Engagement

• No universal time limit; varies by organization type.
• Example: Summer camp alumni remain engaged for decades, even up to age 97.
• For other organizations (e.g., independent schools), the window may be shorter, so capture contacts while engagement is still fresh. (08:45–09:46)

Messaging Best Practices

• Lead with authenticity: Be honest about goals (including fundraising) and educational about impact.
• Recognize contributions—time, skills, or money—to build a culture of philanthropy.
• "If donations is what you're after, I don't think you should shy away from it. I think you should double down on it." (10:00)

Content & Community Building

• Sharing nostalgia is highly effective—photos, yearbooks, stories from earlier times trigger emotional reconnection.
• Prompt-driven content: Users answer questions about their memories and experiences, and AI uses these to generate engaging stories for the community. (11:15–12:00; 21:02–22:02)

Consistency is Key

• Successful organizations build consistent and regular engagement, automated wherever possible.
• "By building consistency and building messaging that lasts and that resonates, the outcomes follow." (12:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On past supporters:
  "The most powerful thing that’s done is the storytelling...We automate storytelling by prompting users to share their memories." — Gustavo (07:33–08:25)
• On timing:
  "You could go 50 years. One of the summer camps we’re working with has a 97-year-old who logs in two to three times a week." — Gustavo (09:02)
• On authenticity:
  "If donations is what you’re after, I don’t think you should shy away from it. I think you should double down on it…educating the community on why they’re raising money and what that money buys.” — Gustavo (10:00)
• On where to start:
  "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. And the second best time is today." — Gustavo (16:53)
• On segmentation:
  “We really create internal tagging and segmentation so the user experience matches the user's desired relationship with the nonprofit.” — Gustavo (19:18–20:14)
• On quality over quantity:
  “Don’t send 10 crappy emails. Send 2 really, like, well thought out, strategic emails or stories that are very authentic.” — Julia (25:42)

Important Timestamps

• 01:46 — Julia introduces the central theme: reconnecting with past supporters.
• 02:35–04:16 — Gustavo explains Vital C’s origins and unique purpose.
• 06:14 — The problem of bandwidth/resource constraints in nonprofits.
• 07:33–08:25 — Automating storytelling and using passion that's already present.
• 09:02–09:46 — The remarkable longevity of engagement in camp communities.
• 12:16–12:41 — The role of consistency in community engagement.
• 16:53 — Analogy: Planting a tree to explain re-engagement timing.
• 19:04–20:14 — Moving from transactional to relational engagement; importance of segmentation.
• 21:02–22:02 — Evoking nostalgia and pulling on emotion with content.
• 24:59 — Addressing fears about annoying supporters with too much content.
• 27:20 — Data privacy differences between the US and the UK.
• 27:57–29:02 — Future trend: ongoing connection and community as a “soft tissue” maintained by the organization.
• 32:33–33:22 — Engaging members at the peak of participation and maintaining relationships.

Practical Takeaways

• Prioritize reconnecting with past supporters—they are likely your most passionate fans.
• Use technology (AI, automation) to overcome staff bandwidth limitations, but keep the human touch in review and approval.
• Leverage nostalgia and storytelling to spark emotional connections and engagement.
• Be intentional about segmentation and give community members choices in how they engage and what info they receive.
• Start small but be strategic: Identify your strongest engagement channel (email, direct mail, social media) and start there.
  "Focus really on where your strongest channel is." (17:12)
• Engage people before they disengage: Invite them into an alumni/community group at the point they leave or transition.
• Prepare for lasting trends: Maintain your own community outside of rented channels (e.g., social media), anticipating shifts in platforms and generational changes.

Connect with the Guest

• Website: vitalcy.com
• LinkedIn: Find Gustavo Zylberberg and Vital C
• Email: gustavo@vitalcy.com

This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and community builders looking to revitalize their lapsed supporters and build sustainable, authentic communities.