Sustainable funding doesn’t start with grants or donors.
Are You in Trouble?
You may be. Thinking about starting a new year may feel completely overwhelming.
As of this year, 95% of nonprofit leaders say burnout is a major concern, and 70% say they are currently experiencing burnout. What’s even more concerning is that, despite how high these numbers already are, they continue to rise.
The pressure on nonprofits is growing as community needs increase. People are struggling to afford food, find safe and affordable housing, pay for heat, and cover other essentials. The organizations trying to help are being stretched beyond their capacity.
I want to encourage you: it doesn’t have to stay this way.
Yes, the needs may grow even larger next year, and your organization will still have to navigate how to respond. But with the right strategy and a clear plan, it is possible to reduce stress, lighten workloads, and prevent burnout.
I’ve had the privilege of leading several nonprofits, overseeing building projects, and being actively involved in creating new community centres. That work has been incredibly meaningful and rewarding.
At the same time, it came at a cost. I burned out. Recovery took years. The constant pressure, endless fundraising, ongoing worry, and stress eventually became too much. If you’re feeling this way, you are not alone. In fact, you’re in the majority.
As we head into a new year, I want to invite you to consider making a change. Ask for help. Seek encouragement. Find people you can talk to. Learn how to address your organization’s needs without sacrificing your sanity.
I help nonprofit leaders who are struggling by building long-term funding strategies and clear cases for support. My goal is to make your work easier, reduce pressure on you and your team, lighten your workload, prevent burnout, and help you serve your community more effectively.
If this resonates with you, let’s talk.
Dave
The Funding Coach
www.facebook.com/thefundingcoachonline/
www.thefundingcoach.ca
Find the Director with the Right Skills?
This is a bold statement, but I can usually tell the long-term viability of a nonprofit within a minute of meeting its director.
Most people look for the common qualities in a leader: their passion, commitment to the mission, and ability to bring in great volunteers and staff. These traits matter. No nonprofit can thrive without them. But here’s the truth most people overlook: those qualities alone don’t determine whether an organization will be sustainable for years to come.
I often talk about perseverance because running a nonprofit takes real work. There are long days, hard choices, and plenty of moments where you’re giving more time and energy than you ever expected. And building the relationships needed for major funding? That can take years, sometimes decades.
Still, even with passion and perseverance, there’s one quality that stands out above the rest when it comes to long-term success.
A few years ago, I spoke at a local college alongside several leaders from major nonprofits in our area. The students asked all the right questions; what we look for when hiring, what skills someone needs to work for or start a nonprofit, and how to prepare for the work ahead.
The panel offered a lot of great insight, but one common thread connected every director on that stage. I’ve worked with most of them over the years and it was evident they all share the same crucial skill: they understand money, what is needed to raise it, not just for the short term, but for the long term.
And this skill is surprisingly easy to overlook. If a director doesn’t have the business or entrepreneurial sense to understand and manage an organization’s financial needs, the nonprofit will almost certainly face serious challenges down the road, or fail completely. This is why it’s so important to have an honest conversation when hiring: Does our director have the business mindset needed to sustain our budget and our mission long-term? If they do not, it can lead to failure of the organization, or burnout of the director.
The good news is that these skills can be learned. Training helps. Coaching helps. Passion may get a nonprofit off the ground, but it’s strong business skills that help it grow, stabilize, and last.
If you’re ready to develop those skills, reach out to the Funding Coach. I’d be happy to help.
Funding Lesson 39 – Give Away Your Fundraisers
If you run a nonprofit, fundraising isn’t optional, it is in the job description. Raising money takes time, energy, and hustle. Let’s be honest: most of that hustle comes in the form of the dreaded ‘fundraiser.’
Car washes, auctions, bake sales, chocolate bars, work-a-thons, and more. The ideas are endless… and exhausting.
So here’s a one idea that most organizations miss: Give your fundraisers away. No, really.
Instead of running every event yourself, what if you encouraged others to do the heavy lifting for you? Imagine asking a business, community group, or even a group of passionate volunteers to organize a fundraiser on your behalf, and then simply hand you the proceeds.
Sounds dreamy, right? It’s also highly doable.
Many businesses already run charitable promotions, or events, so why not position your organization to be on their donation list? Imagine ten businesses, each hosting one event a year in your name. That’s ten fundraisers… without you planning a single one.
Help Them Help You
Get smart: don’t just ask, equip them. Give businesses and supporters a menu of fundraising ideas they can run on their own turf. Think:
-Casual Fridays with a donation jar
-Selling a special product with proceeds going to your cause
-Hosting a themed dance night or trivia night
-Placing a donation box at checkout
You can even encourage your existing supporters, volunteers, staff, and board members to take the idea into their workplaces, churches, book clubs, or community centers.
And the best part? You stay in control of your messaging. Provide flyers, posters, QR codes, and social media graphics. Make it easy for them to tell your story and drive traffic to your website or donation page.
Think Long-Term, Not One-Time
The real jackpot here is consistency. Once someone runs a successful fundraiser for you, ask if they’d consider making it an annual tradition. Becoming a “charity of choice” for a business or group means recurring income without you re-inventing the wheel each year.
Reimagine Your Space: Turning Expenses into Opportunities
Buildings cost money. They cost to build, maintain, heat, clean, staff—and that’s before you even account for the many unexpected expenses that always seem to arise. For many nonprofits, faith communities, and mission-driven groups, having a dedicated space is essential to fulfilling their purpose. But too often, the financial burden of owning or maintaining a building becomes overwhelming—draining resources, limiting impact, and in some cases, sinking the organization altogether.
It can feel like a never-ending struggle to cover these costs through donations, fundraisers, or offerings. And the truth is, it is never-ending—unless something changes.
Many groups have started finding creative solutions by reimagining how they use their space. Every building and situation is different, but almost every space holds untapped potential. These changes aren’t just about cutting costs—they’re also about expanding mission, deepening community connections, and creating new paths for impact.
Across the country, nonprofits and faith communities are turning their biggest expense into their greatest asset. Unfortunately, these conversations often don’t happen until an organization is in financial crisis—or not at all, which can lead to closure. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Reimagining Your Space can:
- Bring more of your community into your building
- Attract like-minded partner groups to share space and resources
- Create new funding opportunities and earned income streams
- Make your space eligible for grant funding
- Increase sustainability and long-term stability
- Turn underused areas into vibrant, multi-use spaces
It is possible to have a building that pays for itself—or even generates surplus income. Yes, it takes intentional planning and work, but compared to the endless cycle of fundraising, it can be far more effective and empowering.
These are big conversations, but they’re worth having. If your organization, faith community, or nonprofit is interested in exploring how to Reimagine Your Space, let’s talk. I’d love to help you see the possibilities.
Get Your Team Ready
I’ve talked before about getting your team involved in fundraising. But depending on the size of your organization, your “team” might be just you—or it could include family, friends, volunteers, staff, or all of the above.
No matter the size or makeup of your team, you can increase your reach by equipping everyone with the right tools.
Start by keeping it simple. Give each person a clear, short list that includes:
- What your organization needs
- How they can help
- How to give
This is the easiest way to multiply your message—by empowering others to share it again and again.
This approach works best when it’s:
- Simple
- Easy to remember
- Easy for others to act on
So take a little time to share a clear ask and action plan with your team. Make sure they understand it and can communicate it confidently.
Take Time
The holidays are coming. For some, this is a joyful thought. For those in the nonprofit world, it might raise a different question: Am I going to survive? There are so many individuals and families in need, and there are endless events to organize. You’re pushing for year-end giving, and it can all feel overwhelming and draining.
No matter what’s on your plate, you do need to take time to slow down. Burnout in nonprofits is far too common. The pressure—both internal and external—to keep everything afloat and meet the real needs of the community is relentless.
As we approach the end of the year, here are a few things you can put in place now, so you can truly take a break later in the month:
Tell people you’ll be taking time off. This creates accountability for yourself and gives others a heads-up that you’re stepping away.
Plan and set dates to take time off. Block out time in your calendar and stick to it.
Automate your social media posts. If you’re pushing for year-end giving, set up your posts in advance. This lets you take care of necessary business without the daily grind.
Rest. Do what fuels you. Whether it’s time with family, reading, or simply unwinding—rest is essential. Your community needs you, but you can only give your best when you’re recharged.
Be thankful. Reflect on the progress you’ve made and the impact you’re having. Gratitude helps sustain you through the busy months ahead.
The work you do is vital, but so is your well-being. Enjoy the holidays!
Dream to the Size of Your Dreams
We have several large-scale youth and family centers opening, being built, and in the planning stages here in Cape Breton. It took an incredible amount of work by countless individuals, hundreds of meetings, thousands of hours of effort, and sheer persistence.
However, not everyone may be aware of the ‘sparks’ that made this possible. The first spark was the need itself. The situation was dire, with rising addiction levels and a tragic number of youth and young adults losing their lives.
But another spark occurred. An old friend reached out to me with the ability to offer financial support on a scale I had never imagined. He asked, “If we could do anything for our community, what would we do?” To be honest, I had always considered myself a dreamer… or so I thought.
We began discussing this question with friends and community members. Once we removed the constraints from our thinking, our dreams evolved. Up to that point, my aspirations for the next year were limited by what we could realistically achieve. Maybe we could add a little something, tweak our approach, grow incrementally, and hopefully secure some new funding. But dreaming big, on the scale of the need, seemed like fantasy.
In this new context, we started to articulate what community transformation could truly look like. We considered the resources required to address the problem at its core.
I believe we all dream of what could be—the things we genuinely hope for. However, reality often dims the hope that such dreams could be possible, leading us to operate within a smaller, more constrained vision based on past experiences.
Here’s the kicker: after years of planning and discussion, my friend did not come through with the funding. We received zero dollars. That might sound devastating, but it wasn’t. It was disappointing, but it was too late to halt the progress we had made. By beginning to dream and articulate a real, practical, and hopeful vision, we started to attract the funding we needed.
When I think about change-makers, I believe their ability to dream is what sets them apart. They envision possibilities beyond current limitations and refuse to let past constraints dictate their aspirations.
After this experience, I now believe it is crucial to sit down with your team or organization and dream without limits. Imagine what you could achieve without the constraints of present realities. It is in this space of bold dreaming and vocalizing ideas that people will rally behind them, and funding is more likely to follow.
Not all dreams will come true, and even this journey was fraught with years of work, struggles, doubts, and burnout. But dreaming is the only way to pave the path to a new and better future for the people you serve.
So, dream to the size of your Dreams
Funding Lesson #28: Social Media for Nonprofits!
At our non-profit, when we needed help urgently—whether for meals, diapers, bikes for kids, or family support—social media often proved to be the fastest and most effective way to rally our community. This underscores just how crucial social media can be in times of crisis.
For many nonprofits, social media isn’t just about keeping followers informed; it’s also a vital tool for fundraising. If you’re feeling stuck trying to grow your following, remember: your nonprofit has unique advantages. Here’s how to make the most of them:
Share Compelling Stories: Great stories resonate and get shared. Pair them with eye-catching photos, a clear call to action, and make it easy for people to help. Don’t forget to ask your audience to share your posts!
Utilize Events: Events give you a direct opportunity to engage with people. Consider incorporating a QR code in your presentations that leads straight to your follow button, and ask everyone to follow. This works wonders for fundraisers, community events, or any programs you run.
Act Immediately: Turn every moment into a chance to gain new followers. For instance, offer a door prize at your next event specifically for new social media followers.
Implementing these strategies can help you grow your follower base quickly and effectively. Need more tips on promoting your nonprofit or community group?
Contact me, the funding coach, for more info and strategies.
#Nonprofit#Fundraising#SocialMediaStrategy#CommunitySupport#FundingCoach
Warning: Build Sustainability or Risk Hurting Your Non-Profit
My community, like many others, is littered with remnants of past projects left to fall apart—a recurring issue across various sectors. I’ve witnessed large-scale government-funded youth projects receive millions, only to disappear soon after funding dried up. Similarly, numerous churches and community centers expand ambitiously, only to struggle financially with higher ongoing expenses.
While securing large donations and grants can be immensely beneficial, they can also potentially sink your non-profit or faith community.
Over a decade ago, I received invaluable advice on creating sustainability. At the time, our organization had just acquired significant funding earmarked for expanding our building. With differing opinions among members on its use, seeking external guidance was crucial.
The consultant pointed out that more space meant new programs, opportunities, and long-term bills. He challenged us to invest a portion of the funds in income-generating initiatives, cost reduction strategies, and enhancements that would boost sustainability—not just in completing our building. We followed his advice, making our space more accessible to the public, increasing rentable areas, and adding features to attract new participants.
Think of it this way: getting a puppy isn’t just one decision; it’s a commitment to countless decisions, financial adjustments, and hard work. Yet, the joy and companionship it brings make it worthwhile for years to come.
To build a truly successful non-profit over the long term, integrating sustainability into your fundraising and growth strategies is essential. Otherwise, you risk falling into recurring pitfalls. It’s crucial to ask the tough questions: Will new funds this year lead to unforeseen costs next year? What happens when a grant for new staff or programs expires?
This concept might be new to many, but it’s prudent to factor in costs and expenses into your fundraising budgets that mitigate ongoing financial burdens associated with growth. This approach becomes even more critical with larger donations, grants, or expansions.
If you’re interested in learning more about sustainable fundraising practices, please visit thefundingcoach.ca.