The nonprofit sector is uniquely poised to move the needle on social issues. Yet, many nonprofit organizations struggle with the structural barriers inherent in the sector that lead to threadbare resources and compartmentalized revenue streams which, in turn, are inadequate to fulfill their mission. Further, many nonprofit organizations lack the capacity to build the development and marketing capacity they need to succeed, creating a frustrating chicken-and-egg situation. NextStep Nonprofit LLC helps address this situation by developing long-term relationships with our clients and helping them to gradually implement low-cost development and marketing capacity building solutions, by promoting a healthy culture of development in the sector, and by promoting nonprofit excellence based on impact, not overhead.

If your nonprofit organization is struggling with development (fundraising) in some way, you’re not alone. We’re here to help!

“Many nonprofits are stuck in a vicious development [fundraising] cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed.” There are “high levels of turnover and lengthy vacancies in development director positions throughout the sector.” More significantly, there are “deeper issues that contribute to instability in the development director role, including a lack of basic fundraising systems and inadequate attention to fund development among key board and staff leaders.”

~ CompassPoint

“Organizations that build robust infrastructure—which includes sturdy information technology systems, financial systems, skills training, fundraising processes, and other essential overhead—are more likely to succeed than those that do not. This is not news, and nonprofits are no exception to the rule.”

~ The Bridgespan Group

“In their enthusiasm to do good, many founders of nonprofits forget that a nonprofit is a type of business. Businesses have business plans in hand before launching. A business plan includes an evaluation of the competitive environment, sources of funding, potential products or services to be offered and to whom, and a needs assessment…Close behind the lack of planning is an unrealistic expectation about funding for a startup nonprofit. Many founders do not anticipate what it will cost to start their nonprofit, much less have any idea of where to get the funds.”

~ The Balance

“True charity is about the liberation of the receiver, not the redemption of the giver.”

~ Robert Egger, adapted