My name is Neisyy, and I’m honored to be here. We joined this community because we want to learn from experienced nonprofit leaders and better understand what it takes to build and sustain an organization that serves communities nationwide. We believe there’s always something new to learn, and we’re excited to connect, share ideas, and grow alongside others who are making a difference. @Sidney Smith, thank you for creating a space where nonprofit leaders can learn, collaborate, and support one another. Consistency truly is the key to building lasting impact. I currently serve as the Chair of the Board, President & Chief Executive Officer of Jucoban Community Recovery Foundation, Inc. We are an Arizona nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve stability through housing, recovery support, community resource navigation, veterans assistance, returning citizen support, homelessness prevention, and partnerships with licensed service providers. We’re looking forward to learning from this community, building meaningful relationships, and applying what we learn to strengthen our organization and expand our impact.

I have the honor of working with long-time nonprofit professional, founder, funder and thought-leader, Matt C. Barnes each week to discuss revenue strategy, diversification, and sustainability. Please join us and the conversation. Bring your questions, your unique experiences, and any challenges that you may have to the topics discussed. Our goal is simple: to uplift nonprofit sustainability beyond philanthropy. Join Us today at 5:00pm CST on LinkedIn Live: The Next 100 Years (for Funders and Nonprofits) What to expect on today's session: Funders support a mission. Goodwill built a business that funds the mission. Funders and nonprofits can learn from our next LinkedIn Live guest. We're excited to welcome Steve Lufburrow, the recently retired President and CEO of Goodwill Houston to the show. Under Steve’s leadership, Goodwill Houston grew to more than 50 retail stores, 100 donation centers, and 2,200 employees. We will talk about what funders and nonprofit leaders can learn from Goodwill’s model -- and what it really takes to build, scale, and operate a mission-driven enterprise. This will be a serious conversation about building the economic engine behind a mission.

One of my favorite marketing and communications subject matter experts. Very easy to follow with clear observations. A couple of cool insights: - Fundraising emails identified as being urgent — whether that urgency was driven by a campaign deadline, breaking news, or just using urgent language (e.g. “right now,” “don’t wait,” “crucial moment”) — tended to get more clicks than fundraising emails without this language. - Emails sent from a person (e.g. FROM: Jonathan Benton, M+R) tended to underperform emails sent from an organization (e.g. FROM: M+R Labs), or a vanity sender (FROM: Giving Tuesday Update @ M+R). - We’ve long talked about the impact of storytelling on email performance — and the many ways they can fail to connect with donors. The main risks are that stories can create a disconnect when donors don’t see their role in them. There’s an art and a science to making these stories work — but in aggregate we’re still seeing that fundraising emails featuring personal stories underperform emails that don’t.

I came across a post on the reddit sub, r/nonprofit, and it got me thinking. Every now and again, I will see a post that captures my attention enough to respond. Anyone ever deal with those feelings of inadequacy, especially from a nonprofit role? I know I have. Okay, the post is as follows: POST TITLE: Desperate to leave non-profit but I have no confidence or direction Basically what the title says. I need to get out of non-profit work immediately and do something that challenges me and actually makes money. I’m completely burnt after 6 years in development. I just feel like a loser who has no other skills or ability. Did anyone else transition out of fundraising? What did you? All advice and help needed. MY RESPONSE: I wholeheartedly believe that what you are experiencing is the collateral damage of a sector that has an identity crisis. A sector that has become far too dependent on the generosity of others to SURVIVE and yet places that burden overwhelmingly on the shoulders of a fund development person/team to carry the weight. You are not a loser, you simply have been put in a losing position. How many businesses would we expect to sustain long-term by constantly, literally constantly, petitioning others to support its operations, goals, rising expenses and overall ability to remain open? Yes, the missions of our nonprofits are worthy of support, but it doesn't absolve us of the responsibility of every business, which is the securing of our own future. To answer your question, your skills transition well to business development, sales, customer service, operations or any number of business-related options. Additionally, and uniquely, your experience lends itself even better to helping your current employer or even a new nonprofit better understand that this model is not sustainable. A possible solution? Consulting nonprofit to pair the efforts of contributed revenue work, including grant submissions and donor cultivation through events, appeals, etc., with new earned revenue pursuits. Earned revenue including membership models, contracted revenue, developing intellectual property and packaging it for sale through education, certification or similar, and a few others.

In a world of sharing the highlights and the super polished, finished products (of whatever that may be for you)... It can be so discouraging that you choose not to continue, not to pursue. But let me share with you something that was pivotal for me in a discussion. A connection said the following, "they will cringe before they binge." Now I'm not actively encouraging nonprofit leaders to put our cringe-worthy stuff. The underlying principle is that whatever you are developing early will be "cringe" to whatever it's finished form will be. The first iPhone is cringe in comparison to the latest release. The original Toyota Camry is cringe in comparison to a 2026 model. It's all part of the process. So don't let perfection be the thief of progress. Go try the new thing, the new approach, the new earned revenue model. Why? Because your favorite thing, no matter what it is, started somewhere. Go forth and embrace the stage of cringe... I know I am!