The Seven Types of Nonprofit Leaders
Fundable by Design
Today I want to walk you through something I’ve observed after nearly 40 years in the nonprofit space: There are patterns in how nonprofit leaders show up. And over time, I’ve seen that most leaders tend to fall into one of seven types, each with its own strengths, blind spots, and impact on how the organization grows and gets funded. If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure about what needs to shift, this conversation will give you a new lens to understand your role as a leader.
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Your Mission Isn’t the Problem. Here’s What Is.
Fundable by Design
You’re not struggling because your mission isn’t good. Your cause matters. The work you want to do matters. That’s not the issue. This isn’t about questioning your mission. It’s about strengthening the organization behind it. If you’ve been working hard and wondering why it still feels difficult, this conversation will help you shift your perspective — and start focusing on what actually moves things forward.
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Why Programs Alone Won’t Sustain Your Nonprofit
Fundable by Design
I want to talk about a pattern I see all the time: Nonprofit leaders pouring everything into their programs… while the structure of the organization is left underdeveloped. Now let me be clear, your programs matter. They are the expression of your mission. But they are not what sustains your organization. If you’ve been working hard on your programs but still feeling stuck, underfunded, or overwhelmed, this conversation will help you understand what’s missing and where to shift your focus. Because without structure, even the best programs struggle to survive.
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Why Waiting for a Grant Is the Wrong Strategy
Fundable by Design
I see this pattern all the time: someone starts a nonprofit… and then waits for a grant to come in. And when it doesn’t happen, confusion and frustration start to build. So today, I want to talk about why starting a nonprofit and then waiting for a grant is one of the biggest mistakes I see and why it keeps so many organizations stuck. If you’ve been feeling stuck, hoping the right opportunity will show up, this conversation will help you shift from waiting to building.
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The Dangerous Mistake: Starting a Nonprofit Based on Your Idea (Not the Community’s Need)
Fundable by Design
I want to talk about a mistake I see far too often — and it’s a dangerous one. Starting a nonprofit based on your idea… instead of the community’s actual need. If your organization is built around your idea instead of real, validated need, it will struggle to gain traction, trust, and funding. Nonprofits are not built to express our ideas. They are built to respond to real problems. If you’re in the early stages or even if you’ve already started, this conversation will help you step back and ask a critical question: Who is this really for? Because when your work is aligned with...
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Why Most Nonprofits Fail Before They Ever Get Funded
Fundable by Design
I want to talk about something I see far too often. Passionate, committed nonprofit leaders doing everything they can — and still feeling stuck, frustrated, and unfunded. And over time, many of those organizations quietly fade before they ever get the funding they were hoping for. If you’ve been showing up, doing the work, and still wondering why it feels so hard, this conversation will help you understand what’s really going on. You’re not failing because you care too much. You’re struggling because you were never taught how to build the organization behind the mission. And once you...
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Why “Infrastructure” Matters for Your Nonprofit
Fundable by Design
When I say the word “infrastructure,” it may not immediately resonate with you. And the reason is simple: when many nonprofit leaders start their organizations, no one ever talks to them about infrastructure. They talk about passion. They talk about programs. They talk about impact. But very few people explain the internal structure that allows a nonprofit to operate, grow, and sustain its work over time.
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The Visible and Invisible Work of Running a Nonprofit
Fundable by Design
Today I want to talk about the visible and invisible work of running a nonprofit. People see the program. They see the events. They see the impact photos. But they don’t see the systems, the compliance, the financial tracking, the reporting, the board management, the donor communication, the strategic planning — all the invisible work that keeps the organization alive. If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying more than people realize, you are. But here’s the key: the invisible work isn’t extra. It’s essential. Impact is what the world sees. Operations are what make it possible.
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Starting a Nonprofit With Long-Term Sustainability in Mind
Fundable by Design
If you’re thinking about starting a nonprofit or you’ve just started one, I want you to pause and ask yourself one question: Are you building this for impact today, or sustainability tomorrow? Starting is easy. Sustaining is leadership. If you want your nonprofit to grow, last, and be trusted by funders, sustainability cannot be an afterthought. It must be part of the foundation. Build it to last. Not just to launch.
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The 12-Month Roadmap: Turning Your Passion Into a Fundable Nonprofit
Fundable by Design
f you have passion for a cause, that’s powerful. But passion alone will not make your nonprofit sustainable, and it will not make it fundable. So today, I want to walk you through what a 12-month roadmap looks like for turning your passion into a fundable nonprofit organization. This is not about rushing. It’s about building correctly. If you’ve started with heart but want to move toward sustainability, this roadmap will help you think differently about your first year.
info_outlineOne 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.