The First 30 Days of Your Nonprofit: What to Do Before You Ask for Money
Release Date: 12/31/2025
Passion Is Not a Plan (And That’s Why So Many Nonprofits Struggle)
Fundable by Design
I want to say this plainly, because I’ve seen the cost of it for decades: passion is not a plan. If you care deeply about your mission but feel like you’re working nonstop with little progress, this isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a planning problem, and that’s fixable. Passion starts the work. A plan is what makes it sustainable.
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What “Fully Funded” Actually Means
Fundable by Design
I hear nonprofit leaders say it all the time: “Once we’re fully funded, everything will be fine.” But after nearly 40 years in the nonprofit space, I can tell you this: most people don’t actually know what fully funded means. In this episode, I break down what being fully funded really looks like from an operational and funder perspective, not just a hopeful one. If you’re bringing in some money but still feel stretched, overwhelmed, or uncertain, this conversation will help you understand what’s missing, and what to build next. Fully funded isn’t a feeling. It’s a system.
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Nonprofit Success Starts With Operations
Fundable by Design
I’ve seen this over and over again in the nonprofit world: incredible missions, passionate leaders and organizations that still struggle. Here’s the truth I’ve learned after nearly 40 years in this space: Nonprofit success starts with operations. In this episode, I explain why operations are what determine whether a nonprofit survives and grows. If you’ve started your nonprofit but still feel overwhelmed, inconsistent, or unsure why funding hasn’t followed, this conversation will help you understand what funders see and what you can fix. Operations aren’t the boring part....
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Nonprofit vs Program vs Paperwork: What Founders Get Wrong
Fundable by Design
One of the biggest mistakes new nonprofit founders make is confusing the nonprofit, the program, and the paperwork, and that confusion can quietly block funding. Your paperwork makes you legal. Your program delivers services. Your nonprofit is the system that makes both sustainable. If you’ve done “everything right” on paper but still feel stuck, this conversation will help you reframe how you’re building and why structure matters more than forms.
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Are Donors Stingy? Busting This Nonprofit Myth
Fundable by Design
One of the biggest myths in nonprofit fundraising is this: “Fundraising is hard because donors don’t want to give.” That’s simply not true. Donors aren’t withholding money. They’re avoiding uncertainty and risk. If fundraising feels exhausting, awkward, or impossible, this conversation will help you see fundraising through the donor’s eyes — and change how you approach it.
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Why Funders Avoid Risk Even When the Mission Is Good
Fundable by Design
When nonprofit leaders hear the word risk, they often think about money. Funders think about something very different. Funders don’t avoid impact. They avoid uncertainty. If your nonprofit keeps hearing “not right now” or “not a fit,” this conversation will help you understand what funders are seeing and how to position your organization differently.
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The Moment Passion Turns Into Real Leadership
Fundable by Design
Passion is often what starts the work, but leadership is what sustains it. Turning your passion into leadership doesn’t mean losing heart. It means building something that can last beyond you. If you’ve felt the tension between loving the mission and carrying the weight of responsibility, this conversation will help you step into the next level of your work.
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Capacity Isn’t Cash. Here’s What Funders Actually Mean
Fundable by Design
When funders talk about capacity, many nonprofit leaders hear one thing: money. But that’s not what capacity actually means, and misunderstanding it is one of the biggest reasons nonprofits stay unfunded. Capacity is about ability, not balance. It’s about whether your nonprofit can deliver what it promises. If you’ve been told you “lack capacity” and assumed it meant you needed more money, this video will change how you see funding and how you prepare for it.
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Why Nonprofit Leaders Burn Out Before They Get Funded
Fundable by Design
Nonprofit burnout doesn’t happen because leaders don’t care enough. It happens because most founders are building, fundraising, and serving without the structure that makes funding possible. If you’ve been doing everything (running programs, posting online, applying for grants) and still feel stuck, this isn’t a motivation issue. It’s a fundability issue. Burnout is a warning sign, not a personal failure.
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The Grant Myth Is Getting Worse (And It’s Hurting New Nonprofits)
Fundable by Design
Many founders still believe that getting nonprofit status leads to grants. Not only is that wrong, but it’s making the journey harder than ever. Funding doesn’t come from starting a nonprofit. Funding comes from being fundable. In this episode of Nonprofit Nuggets, I'm discussing why today’s nonprofit landscape makes the “start a nonprofit and get a grant” mindset more damaging than ever.
info_outlineIf you’ve started a nonprofit and already feel stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated — this conversation is for you.
Most nonprofit founders rush straight to funding… grants, donations, events, partnerships, and then wonder why nothing is working.
In this episode of Nonprofit Nuggets, I'm telling you exactly what to do in the first 30 days of your nonprofit before you ask for money so you don’t lose momentum, confidence, or credibility.