Make Nonprofits Profitable™ | For Nonprofit Leaders Who Want to Diversify Revenue, Build Capacity & Scale to Sustain Impact

How can transforming story from a gala line item into a strategic asset ignite true momentum for your nonprofit?

Ashley Cadis is a nonprofit veteran, Emmy-winning storyteller, and co-founder of Nathan Cadis Media. With nearly 20 years of experience in poverty reduction, foundation work, and community impact, Ashley helps mission-driven organizations uncover, shape, and share stories that matter. Her strategic approach to story leads nonprofits to elevate their missions, connect deeply, and build sustainable impact well beyond gala night.

In our conversation, Ashley shares

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Why story is a strategic asset that reveals the human truth behind an organization's mission, not just a fundraising tool.

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How building a story strategy, beyond gala videos creates consistent, dignity-centered impact across every touchpoint.

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What nonprofits risk missing when they let messaging override the human element or try to tell every story instead of focusing on less for more movement.

If you're struggling to clearly communicate your nonprofit's value, stuck in repetitive messaging, or unsure how to elevate your mission through storytelling, this episode is packed with actionable insights to reimagine your approach.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

KEY TOPICS

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The difference between messaging and true, human-centered storytelling for nonprofits [00:07:48]

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Why film is "downstream" of a much deeper process of uncovering and shaping impact stories [00:11:23]

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How story strategy becomes a core organizational asset, not just a gala budget line item [00:16:06]

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The hidden cost of leaving out the human element: how momentum is lost when story = stats [00:23:24]

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"Less is more": why focusing on fewer, well-told stories creates bigger movement and connection [00:27:06]

About Ashley Cadis

Ashley Cadis is co-founder of Nathan Cadis Media, a global storyteller who helps mission-driven organizations connect human stories to the strategy moving their organizations forward. She leads a documentary team with more than 25 years of combined film and production experience.

With nearly 20 years in the nonprofit sector and a master's degree in International Development, Ashley has worked from the grassroots and program level through serving as a Director of Development leading fundraising efforts, a member of senior leadership teams, a board member, and a strategic advisor.

Her experience spans inner-city and rural communities, under-resourced communities in the U.S. and abroad, small businesses, grassroots organizations, and large nonprofits. Over time, that work has expanded into a global storytelling focus, with projects across South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

She brings those perspectives together through a dignity-centered approach to story that holds heart, mission, and strategy together, helping leaders uncover the human truths and stories that can move people toward meaningful action.

She believes people are often one story away from their next meaningful movement—giving, volunteering, advocating, participating, or seeing an issue differently—and that story is one of humanity's oldest tools for helping people understand what matters.

Ashley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymcadis/

About Nathan Cadis Media

Nathan Cadis Media is a story-first strategy and production company that helps mission-driven organizations uncover, shape, and share the stories that make their work matter. We work with nonprofits, ministries, and social-impact organizations to translate complex missions into clear, human stories that build trust, deepen connection, and create momentum.

Rather than treating storytelling as simply marketing or content creation, we help organizations see it as a strategic asset—one that can strengthen fundraising, clarify value, engage partners and customers, and support long-term growth. Through narrative strategy, documentary filmmaking, and ongoing story development, we help organizations communicate not only what they do, but why it matters and why people should want to participate in it.

Company website: http://www.nathancadis.com/

About Elevate for Sustainability

Elevate for Sustainability is for nonprofit leaders and change agents who can see what is possible, know there is more within reach, and want greater clarity around the next move that can help get them there.

A one-day, interactive, insight-driven workshop for senior nonprofit leaders, board directors, and key members of their teams ready to step outside the day-to-day, gain fresh perspective, and get clearer on what their organization needs next across four expert lenses: Earned Revenue, Board Governance, Executive Capacity, Story Strategy.

Learn More at http://www.elevateforsustainability.com/. Houston, Nov 11, 2026.

Connect with Ashley Cadis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymcadis/

Website: https://www.nathancadismedia.com/

Websites and Social

Company Website: http://tacosa360.com/

Impact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.com/

YouTube: http://youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics nonprofit storytelling strategy, uncovering human-centered stories, dignity in nonprofit messaging, ROI of story in film, building sustainable impact, nonprofit story infrastructure, elevating impact through story, narrative consistency across organizations, innovation in nonprofit communications, movement and ripple effects of story, internal nonprofit narratives, less-is-more in storytelling, event-based nonprofit learning, sustainable nonprofit leadership, elevating organizational value through story

What does it take to sustain your organization when your growth is outpacing your people strategy?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Queie Barnett, Founder and Principal of Kysin LLC, a strategic people leadership firm for mission-driven organizations, shares her path from an early-career tenure at the Atlanta Community Food Bank under founder Bill Bowen to founding Kysin, where she brings Chief People Officer-level leadership to organizations whose growth has outpaced their people infrastructure.

In our conversation, Queie shares

• Why a healthy organization means every people decision has a clear owner, and how that shift frees a leader to stop managing and start leading.
• Why burnout is a symptom of structure, not a standalone problem.
• What a new leader should do in their first few months before touching anything.

If you're wearing every hat in your organization, trying to figure out when to delegate, or watching burnout surface no matter how hard your team works, this episode offers candid, practical insight.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• A healthy organization gives every people decision a clear owner.
• Burnout isn't the problem itself. It's a symptom of a structure that was never built to support the work.
• Human capital is usually an organization's largest expense, but its infrastructure rarely gets the same intentional design as the financial side.
• New leaders should listen before they act by taking the first couple of months to understand who really drives the organization before making any changes.

About Queie Barnett

Queie Barnett is the founder and principal of Kysin LLC, a strategic people leadership firm serving founder-led and mission-driven organizations, typically between 40 and 400 employees, whose mission has grown faster than the people infrastructure behind it. She has spent more than 20 years doing people strategy at the executive level, building HR functions from the ground up across nonprofit, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and professional services organizations.

She has owned outcomes across talent strategy, compensation, culture, governance, and compliance and advised executive teams, boards, and funders on the people decisions that determine whether growth holds or unravels. She brings practical executive judgment shaped by years at the leadership table, the kind of thinking most growing organizations need long before they can justify a full-time executive hire. Queie holds SPHR and SHRM-SCP credentials.

About Kysin LLC

Kysin provides CHRO/CPO-level leadership to small and growing organizations that need experienced people strategy, governance, and risk oversight, without the cost or complexity of a full-time executive hire. Kysin serves as a people executive partner, accountable for how workforce strategy supports business goals.

Connect with Queie Barnett LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/queiebarnett Kysin LLC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kysin-llc Website: www.kysinllc.com Email: QEB@kysinllc.com

Websites and Social Company Website: tacosa360.com Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics nonprofit HR infrastructure, delegation for nonprofit leaders, human capital strategy, nonprofit burnout prevention, scaling a growing nonprofit, nonprofit leadership development, organizational culture and structure, people strategy for mission-driven organizations

What does it take to ask the hard question, "Is this sustainable?" And then put a plan in place?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Shane Woods, Executive Director of Girlstart, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls in STEM, shares her journey leading the organization into its next stage of growth.

Shane began her career as a middle school science teacher in Fort Worth ISD, rising over 17 years to K-12 Science Director for the entire district, and then served as Senior Director of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence before joining Girlstart in 2022. Her work has earned her the Women Leading Technology Leadership Award and an invitation to the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence.

Shane and I first met through Social Venture Partners Austin, when Girlstart was exploring new earned revenue ideas. In this episode, Shane shares perspective on the loneliness of leadership, why change happens incrementally, not overnight, and the discipline of asking not just what to add, but what to sunset.

If you're navigating the loneliness of being an executive director, wrestling with how to diversify away from grant dependency, or asking what your organization needs to sunset in order to grow, this episode offers candid, practical insights.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

· Leadership loneliness is real. Find people you trust to say the hard things out loud before taking them to your board.

· Change happens incrementally, not overnight. Phase in big shifts.

· Grant dependency is wish money, not guaranteed; earned revenue is a base you control.

· Growth sometimes means sunsetting. Ask not just what to add, but what to prune.

About Shane Woods

Shane Woods doesn't just talk about closing the gender gap in STEM: she's built a career doing it. As Executive Director of Girlstart, she leads a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls in STEM, bringing more than two decades of experience as a nationally recognized leader, author, and speaker in science education and equity.

Shane began her career as a middle school science teacher in Fort Worth, rising over 17 years to K-12 Science Director for the entire district, then served as Senior Director of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence before joining Girlstart in 2022.

Her work has earned her the Women Leading Technology Leadership Award, Austin Women in Business Finalist honors, and the Rising Star Award from Women Who STEAM, Dallas Links Inc., along with an invitation to present at the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence.

Shane holds an MS in Education and a BS in Biology, and stays deeply engaged in the broader education and youth development community through cofunding the North Texas Ecosystem, being a long-time partner of the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, and actively volunteering with the American Camp Association.

About Girlstart

Girlstart's mission is to empower girls through STEM. Girlstart envisions a future where all those who identify as girls believe they have the potential to change their world through STEM. Girlstart is a woman-founded, woman-led organization that has primarily offered year-round out-of-school STEM programming for girls in grades 4-8 in Texas, California, Massachusetts, and other locations nationwide.

Girlstart is headquartered in Austin, Texas, where it was founded in 1997, and is an active part of its community, serving girls not only in its own STEM Center but also by meeting them in their schools and through family-focused events across the region. Since 1997, Girlstart has impacted more than 200,000 girls through after-school programs, summer camps, STEM career conferences, and community STEM education outreach.

Connect with Shane Woods

Website: girlstart.org

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shane-woods-stem

Websites and Social

Company Website: tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics

Nonprofit earned revenue, nonprofit sustainability, executive director leadership, nonprofit change management, nonprofit program sunsetting, women in STEM leadership, nonprofit grant dependency

What does it take to bridge the business side of a nonprofit with its heart and vision?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Susan Nichols shares wisdom gained from 33 years in the nonprofit sector.

As founder of Connecting Communities Consulting, Susan helps nonprofits bridge the gaps between their mission, business, and community needs by refining their systems and structures, including their boards.

When Susan and I first met, I was struck by her balance of being deeply relational and highly business-minded, with a real heart for nonprofit work.

In this episode, she shares how the executive director and board chair relationship serves as a critical organizational health check, how a thrift store she led grew to nearly a million dollars a year, and her perspective on guided risk.

If you're trying to align your board and your business strategy, wrestling with how much risk to take on a new revenue idea, or working through a season of change, this episode offers candid, practical insights.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

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The ED-board chair relationship is the real health check.

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Earned revenue builds real stability.

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Guided risk beats guessing because you pay for shortcuts either up front or in a costly crisis.

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Resistance to change is really fear of loss.

About Susan Nichols

Susan often says she got the best of both worlds from her parents. Her father ran her home like a Fortune 500 company. She even had to get three vendor bids for every part of her wedding. Her mother, on the other hand, had a heart full of compassion and was always willing to step outside her comfort zone to serve others. It was not unusual for Susan to come home and find a new stranger sitting on her couch.

At first glance, those traits may seem like opposites: highly administrative and deeply relational. But over time, they merged and became part of her DNA.

After 33 years in the nonprofit world, Susan has come to realize how rare it is to truly love both the business and visionary sides of nonprofit work. She understands the board members who want to see the strategic plan, financials, project metrics, and measurable outcomes. She also understands the executive director who keeps a journal by the bedside, because inspiration often comes at unexpected moments, and the next big idea needs to be written down before it slips away.

Susan's upbringing, combined with her years of experience in the nonprofit sector, helped her recognize the need to bridge these two worlds. That realization led her to create Connecting Communities Consulting.

She believes there is a tremendous opportunity to help well-intentioned nonprofits adopt strong industry practices while staying deeply connected to their mission and vision. Her goal is to help organizations become more sustainable, strategic, and effective. She is a lifelong learner, and she is grateful to serve as a bridge, helping connect the dots that transform organizations.

About Connecting Communities Consulting

Connecting Communities Consulting helps nonprofits bridge the gap between their mission, business, and community needs by focusing on refining their systems and structures. She uses relational insight and 33-plus years of nonprofit experience to align your team for amplified community impact.

Connecting Communities Consulting works with nonprofit executives and their boards who are relational and are equally focused on the business aspects of running a nonprofit. Services include building systems and structures tailored for an organization through: Leadership Development, Organizational Development, and Community Development.

Connect with Susan Nichols

Website: https://connectingcommunitiesconsulting.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-susan-nichols

Websites and Social

Company Website: https://tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics

Nonprofit earned revenue, nonprofit strategy, executive director and board chair relationship, nonprofit board governance, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit business sustainability, nonprofit organizational development, change management

What does it take to provide career opportunities for a talented workforce that's traditionally overlooked?

In this Force Multiplier episode, part of the podcast's Summer Spotlight series, Tanja Horan sits down with Jacob Blaeser, President of Ventures ATL, a nonprofit closing the employment gap for the neurodivergent community. Jacob shares his unexpected path — from a childhood love of sports, through engineering and management consulting — to leading Ventures ATL, a professional services firm designed to accentuate its employees' strengths in data-, process-, and AI-centric services, where the very attributes that define their neurodivergence enable them to be uniquely skilled for the task.

One of Ventures ATL's earliest hires recently celebrated nine years with the company — a milestone worth celebrating for a population that has traditionally been underestimated in the job market.

In their conversation, Jacob shares why he believes earned revenue gives a nonprofit's mission credibility and substance, his "three C's" — clarity, creativity, content — for nonprofits starting an earned-revenue strategy, and his advice to start with just one thing: one channel, one product, one strategy, before trying to do it all.

If you're building an earned-revenue strategy, wrestling with the tension between mission and money, or figuring out how to grow without overcomplicating your model, this episode offers candid, practical insights.

Build the organization your impact demands.

By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• Neurodiversity: It's not a disability, it's a different ability.

• Earned revenue gives the mission credibility, not just capital.

• Start with one thing when starting an earned revenue stream.

• Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough.

About Jacob Blaeser

My first word was ball and I dreamed of being a professional athlete. Faith is integral to who I am and is the lens through which I see the world. My mom was a teacher and thus education has always been an important driver in my family through high school, undergrad, and grad school. I love people, travel, food, movement, learning, and spending time outdoors.

About Ventures ATL

Ventures ATL is solving the unemployment gap within the neurodivergent community. It is a mission-driven organization that believes the autism community is talented but thus far overlooked and underutilized in the working world. Ventures ATL has designed a professional services firm that accentuates its employees' strengths while navigating around things that have traditionally been hurdles. Ventures ATL provides data-, process-, and AI-centric services where the very attributes that define its employees' neurodiversity enable them to be uniquely skilled for the task.

Connect with Jacob Blaeser

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobcblaeser/

Ventures ATL: https://www.venturesatl.com

Websites and Social

Company Website: https://tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics

neurodivergent workforce, employment gap, direct employment model, nonprofit earned revenue, data-centric services, AI support services, neurodiversity, nonprofit strategy

What happens when a five-dollar pledge becomes the catalyst for a lifelong commitment to connecting resources to people, organizations, and leaders who make a difference?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Nadia Rahali, Director of the Loudermilk Center, a nationally recognized convening space that serves as an earned-revenue stream for United Way of Greater Atlanta. Nadia shares her journey from that first small act of giving to two decades of building the Center into a hub for nonprofit, civic, and business leaders. She's also founder of Storywell Collective, a consulting firm helping nonprofit leaders build transformative, not transactional, fundraising.

In their conversation, Nadia shares how reframing scarcity as abundance, and making the donor the hero, changes what's possible for a mission.

If you're building an earned-revenue strategy, leading your team through change, or wrestling with how to ask for support without it feeling transactional, this episode offers a candid, practical perspective.

Build the organization your impact demands.

By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• Most fundraising conversations start from scarcity. Naming that context is the first step to changing it.

• Make the donor the hero. People give to join a mission, not just fill a gap.

• A "no" is just a no. Not a story or rejection. Ask what's next, or what was missing, and move on.

• Invite your team into change; don't force it. People say yes to a shared vision, not a mandate.

About Nadia

Nadia Rahali is Director of the Loudermilk Center, the nationally recognized convening space in Atlanta's historic Sweet Auburn District that operates as an earned-revenue division of United Way of Greater Atlanta. Nadia's path into nonprofit leadership began with a five-dollar workplace pledge to United Way more than twenty years ago, a small act of giving that came full circle with a call to United Way's 211 Contact Center. She has spent more than two decades growing the Loudermilk Center into a hub that convenes nonprofit leaders, civic organizations, and philanthropic and business leaders from around the world.

Nadia is also founder of Storywell Collective, a consulting firm helping executive directors and development officers move from transactional to transformative fundraising.

About The Loudermilk Center

The Loudermilk Center is a premier event and conference venue in Atlanta's historic Sweet Auburn District, the birthplace of the American civil rights movement. Owned by United Way of Greater Atlanta as an earned-revenue division, the Center has spent decades hosting local, national, and international leaders and organizations working to make a difference — offering flexible meeting spaces, state-of-the-art technology, and on-site culinary services.

Connect with Nadia Rahali

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nadiarahali

• Email: nadia@storywell-collective.com

• Consulting: Storywell Collective

• Loudermilk Center: loudermilkcenter.com

Websites and Social

• Company Website: tacosa360.com

• Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

• YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics

nonprofit earned revenue, earned income strategy, nonprofit business model, scarcity to abundance mindset, diversifying nonprofit funding, nonprofit sustainability, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Loudermilk Center, Make Nonprofits Profitable™

What does it take for a self-described "unlikely entrepreneur", who doesn't love spreadsheets but is great with people, to build a nationally recognized nonprofit?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Kitti Murray, founder of Refuge Coffee Co., as she shares her path from freelance writer to nonprofit founder. Thirteen years ago, Kitti and her late husband, Bill, moved to Clarkston, Georgia, referred to as the most diverse square mile in the country. They got to know their neighbors before ever building an organization. Those relationships led to Refuge Coffee, a nonprofit creating competitive-wage jobs, job training, and true community for her refugee neighbors through coffee.

Refuge Coffee has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, NPR's The Salt, Food & Wine magazine, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Kitti has shared Refuge's story at Creative Mornings, Q Commons, Leadercast Women, Google Atlanta, the Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator Conference, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Through stories from Refuge's first years, including one coffee truck, a parking lot, and a sunflower painted on asphalt, Kitti shares how she built a sustainable earned-revenue model, why she asked her network for wisdom a full year before she ever asked for money, and how the organization embraces excellence.

If you're founding a nonprofit, balancing mission with earned revenue, or building a culture where people can do excellent work, this episode offers candid and practical insights.

Build the organization your impact demands.

By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• Ask for wisdom before asking for money from trusted business leaders.
• Passion is necessary but it isn't a revenue model.
• Sustainability has to be built deliberately, one stage at a time.
• A grant that doesn't fit your team's capacity or genuine interest costs more than the money is worth.

About Kitti Murray

Kitti Murray and her late husband, Bill, moved 13 years ago to a refugee community on the edge of Atlanta that has been called the most diverse square mile in the country. They considered this the most intense and inviting neighborhood in their experience, and it taught them to dream big and love even bigger. One expression of that love has been Refuge Coffee Co., a non-profit Kitti founded as a way to join hands with neighbors near and far to create opportunity and true refuge through coffee and community service. Refuge Coffee's flagship shop is in Clarkston, Georgia, with shops in the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown and in historic downtown Norcross.

Refuge has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Senator Bill Bradley's radio show, American Voices, Food & Wine magazine, NPR's The Salt, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Kitti has spoken about Refuge at Creative Mornings, the Q Commons, Leadercast Women, Google Atlanta, the Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator Conference, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and at other venues where people come to hear stories about justice and mercy.

Connect with Kitti: www.refugecoffeeco.com

Instagram: @refugecoffeeco

About Refuge Coffee Co.

Refuge Coffee Co. is a nonprofit coffee company with a mission to offer competitive-wage, full-time jobs, job training, and mentorship for refugee neighbors; create safe, welcoming, agendaless spaces for the world to gather and enjoy conversation and coffee; and tell a more beautiful, accurate refugee story to Atlanta and beyond.

Organization Website: https://www.refugecoffeeco.com

Websites and Social

Company Website: www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics nonprofit earned revenue, social enterprise coffee shop, nonprofit grant strategy, mission-driven leadership, Make Nonprofits ProfitableTM

EP 17 [BONUS Summer Spotlight] From Teacher of the Year to Earned Revenue Leader with Lori Davis at E3 Alliance

What does it take to go from special education teacher to leading earned revenue strategy at one of the most respected education collaboratives in Texas?

In this Summer Spotlight Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Lori Davis, Senior Director of the Center for School Transformation at E3 Alliance, to trace her path from the classroom to leading a fee-for-service model that helps Texas schools improve outcomes for students with proven, data-based strategies.

Lori has been named District Teacher of the Year and Special Educator of the Year, and completed the Raise Your Hand Texas Harvard Leadership Program.

Tanja and Lori met years ago, shortly after Lori joined E3.

In their conversation, Lori shares her journey from classroom to leading a nonprofit earned revenue team without prior business background, how the team pivoted when the pandemic and the lessons learned along the way.

If you're building an earned revenue model, leading a nonprofit through disruption, or wondering whether you need to be the expert to lead something new, this episode offers practical, hard-won insight.

Key Takeaways

• Don't be afraid to try something new.
• Prove it with philanthropy first, then scale what works into fee-for-service.
• When circumstances change, adapt your perspective on measuring success.
• Identify your unique capabilities where your team's strengths meet real demand.

About Lori Davis

Lori Davis is the Senior Director of the Center for School Transformation at E3 Alliance, where she helps lead the organization's work to strengthen education systems so all students can succeed. She leads work that helps Texas districts strengthen instruction, build leadership capacity and improve outcomes for students. Lori works alongside educators, district leaders and E3 Alliance partners to turn data, research and practical strategies into meaningful change for schools and communities.

With more than 25 years of experience in Central Texas education, Lori has served as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, district behavior specialist, assistant principal and principal. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to doing what is best for students while supporting the educators and systems that serve them.

Throughout her career, Lori has been recognized as District Teacher of the Year and Special Educator of the Year. She also participated in the Raise Your Hand Texas Harvard Leadership Program.

Lori earned a master's degree in Special Education from Texas State University and a bachelor's degree in Special Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Connect with Lori: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-davis-a6b81a40/

Email: ldavis@e3alliance.org

About E3 Alliance

E3 Alliance is a place-based partnership that brings together students, educators, families, schools, businesses, nonprofits and community leaders to improve outcomes across Central Texas. Our mission is to transform education systems through data and collaboration, so all students succeed. Guided by our core values of being trustworthy, resolute, collaborative and intentional, we work to create lasting change from cradle to career.

Organization Website: https://e3alliance.org/

Websites & Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com/

Impact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja Horan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics earned revenue for nonprofits, nonprofit fee for service, education nonprofit, nonprofit sustainability, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit scaling strategy, nonprofit funding models, Texas education nonprofit

What does it take to turn a lifelong love of storytelling into a mission that puts free books into the hands of the families who need them most?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Emily Ball Cicchini, PhD, Executive Director of BookSpring, to trace her path, from acting and playwriting to a PhD in research, that led her, in 2015, to lead the Austin-based nonprofit working to eliminate book deserts through free books, family reading support, and community partnerships. BookSpring recently marked 50 years of impact.

Emily also founded the National Book Access Association to strengthen book-access work nationwide.

Tanja first connected with BookSpring years ago as a member of Impact Austin, when the organization received an Impact Austin grant.

Through stories and real examples, you'll hear how BookSpring pushed through pandemic disruption by launching a digital library and a newsletter that now reaches nearly 20,000 families, how the organization built BookSpring Originals, a digital bilingual book line born out of a gap in diverse Spanish-language children's books and a perspective on leading with both data and heart .

If you're thinking about book access, early literacy, or how to lead a nonprofit through funding disruption this episode offers practical insight into building something that lasts.

Key Takeaways

• Outputs aren't outcomes.
• Collaboration needs structure, not just goodwill.
• Earned revenue should reinforce your mission, not distract from it.
• A crisis can be the excuse to build what you always wanted.
• Reframe "cuts" as "leverage" to protect impact through disruption.

About Emily Ball Cicchini

Emily Ball Cicchini is the Executive Director of BookSpring, an Austin-based nonprofit advancing early literacy through book access, family engagement, and community partnerships.

She also founded the National Book Access Association, which connects and strengthens local book access organizations nationwide. Emily holds BFA, MFA, and PhD degrees from The University of Texas at Austin.

Connect with Emily: linkedin.com/in/emilyballcicchini

Emily's Website: https://www.emilybc.com

About BookSpring

BookSpring is an Austin-based nonprofit that helps children and families build lifelong reading habits through free books, family reading support, and community partnerships. Serving children from birth through age 12, BookSpring works with healthcare providers, schools, early childhood programs, and local organizations to create reading-rich homes and communities.

Organization Website: https://www.BookSpring.org

Websites & Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja Horan

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics book access, early literacy nonprofit, nonprofit collaboration, earned revenue for nonprofits, nonprofit data and outcomes, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit funding strategy, book deserts, nonprofit sustainability

You have a new initiative. A new earned revenue stream. A new program. Three weeks in, everyone is busy — but the scope has drifted, the deadline is fuzzy, and status updates sound like "almost done." How did that happen?

Most execution problems don't announce themselves. They creep. Scope expands one conversation at a time. Progress becomes invisible. Problems surface too late to fix without pain.

The questions you ask before you start — and revisit as you execute — determine whether your initiative delivers or drifts.

Through years of leading teams and learning what to ask, I've identified five questions that mitigate risk, keep teams aligned, and set initiatives up for success and drive nonprofit effectiveness.

These are the Top 5 questions for nonprofit leaders who want execution to deliver their strategy

Key Takeaways

• Control starts with clarity. Document what's in scope AND what's out of scope before execution begins.

• The best project management tool is clear and reinforced communication, not software.

• Track progress in percentages, not feelings. "Almost done" is not a status update.

• "No" is your most powerful word. Use it to protect your team's focus and capacity.

• Respond, don't react. Get to the facts about what happened and why before you take corrective action.

Resources Referenced in This Episode

• Project Management Success Essentials — A downloadable resource with essential questions and tips for planning and executing your next initiative. https://bit.ly/Tacosa360-Project-Management-Essentials

Websites and Social

• Company Website: tacosa360.com

• Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

• YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics

nonprofit project management, nonprofit strategy execution, nonprofit management, nonprofit leadership insights, nonprofit effectiveness, nonprofit impact, nonprofit growth strategy, nonprofit initiative planning, successful nonprofit leaders

You ask three people on your team how long it will take to build a new earned revenue offering. You get three completely different answers.

One pads the estimate to protect himself. One underestimates because she believes she can always do more in less time. One gives you the most realistic, along with what she knows, what she doesn't, and how that affects the timeline.

Which one is right? That depends on whether you know your estimators.

Bridging strategy and execution is both an art and a science. Most organizations have the science — the frameworks, the templates, the process. It's the art where the gap lives: reading your team, calibrating what you hear, and adapting before a plan falls apart.

This episode is about that art. A practical lens for reading your team's estimating styles — and a framework to help you close the gap between strategy and execution.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• Undocumented assumptions are risks waiting to surface
• Know your estimators' styles so you can calibrate your plan.
• "Bigger than a breadbasket" scale: use it when you need a directional estimate. Define small, medium, and large for your org and apply it consistently.
• Speak to both the business mindset and human drivers when communicating the plan.
• Foster an environment that values: Honest estimates over impressive ones. Documented assumptions and "I don't know yet" aa trusted answer.

Resources Referenced in This Episode

· DOWNLOAD: Top 5 Tips: Effective Product Roadmap & Plan Communications — A practical guide for tailoring how you communicate plans, timelines, and direction to every audience in your organization. https://bit.ly/tacosa360-roadmap-communications

Websites and Social

Company Website: tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics: nonprofit execution gap, nonprofit project management, how to estimate projects nonprofit, nonprofit strategy execution, nonprofit planning and budgeting, nonprofit team management, strategy to execution

You asked for a tire swing and ended up with a lazy boy hanging from two ropes.

The goal was simple: build a tire swing. That was the vision. That was the dream.

And yet, by the time that vision traveled from the person who imagined it, to the person who communicated it, to the person who analyzed it, to the person who built it — what came back was something completely different.

The tire swing never got built. The original vision was never fully realized.

The culprit behind failed initiatives and projects for nonprofit and for-profit organizations is not a strategy failure. It is an execution failure.

Specifically the reason for the failure is the bridge connecting strategy to execution was never fully built.

Project management is a leadership discipline — not just an operational one.

Nonprofit organizations that consistently deliver are the ones where leaders ask the right questions, protect team focus, and remove barriers before they become blockers.

The question is never whether you have a strategy. It is whether you and your team can execute it.

In this episode of Make Nonprofits ProfitableTM, Tanja Horan opens the Strategy to Execution series with the leadership framing nonprofit executives need before a single initiative or project begins.

Using data from the Project Management Institute which finds that only about half of all projects succeed and the Hershey's case study as a real-world anchor, this episode breaks down the four root-cause failure categories where good initiatives consistently fall apart: strategy, planning, leadership, and communication. Each one requires the leadership team first.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

•

Strategies fail because the bridge between strategy and execution was never built.

•

Connecting strategy and execution is a leadership discipline, not just an operations responsibility.

•

Leadership engagement and sponsorship is more important than any single executor — without it, the project and the organization are at risk.

•

Successful initiatives require teams understand the why behind strategy, aligned objectives and incentives, and a consistent prioritization framework to maintain focus.

•

Execution is a leadership discipline. Organizations deliver when leadership asks the right questions, uses data, protects team focus, and proactively removes barriers.

Websites and Social

Company Website: tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics: nonprofit project management, closing the execution gap, why nonprofit projects fail, nonprofit strategy to execution, execution is leadership, nonprofit initiative failure, project management for nonprofit leaders, nonprofit leadership accountability, Make Nonprofits Profitable podcast, nonprofit executive strategy

Have you ever looked at a handmade teapot and wondered how it was made?

Every piece — the handle, the lid, the spout — is crafted individually. Beautiful on its own. Functional on its own. And together they create a system — a teapot.

The three diagnostic tools work the same way.

In this bonus episode, Tanja Horan brings together the three diagnostic tools introduced in Episodes 3, 6, and 10 — and shows how they work as one connected system.

The Readiness Check asks: where are we starting from? The Revenue Mix Check asks: is our funding model working for us? The Systems Reality Check asks: can our operations support what we are building?

Three questions. Three vantage points. One picture.

Each tool is valuable on its own. Together they give nonprofit leaders the executive-level visibility to move from reacting — to responding and leading.

New to the podcast? Start here, then go back to Episodes 3, 6, and 10 for the tool details and downloads.

Already listened to the individual episodes? This is the episode that ties them together.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

•

The Readiness Check, the Revenue Mix Check, and the Systems Reality Check are designed to work together as one executive-level system.

•

Each Check answers a different question. Together the three views reveal patterns and potential risks no single tool can.

•

Operational gaps are rarely random — they are often the downstream result of an organizational readiness gap.

•

Clarity drives the right action. Used as a system, the three Checks give nonprofit leaders the visibility to respond and lead instead of react.

Resources

• Episode 3 — The Readiness Check: the five-dimension executive-level reflection on whether your nonprofit is ready to grow. Visit the show notes for the downloadable tool.

• Episode 6 — The Revenue Mix Check: the funding model inventory, revenue runway map, and true-cost view of every funding stream. Visit the show notes for the downloadable tool.

• Episode 10 — The Systems Reality Check: the quarterly six-area operations diagnostic with the working-versus-pain quadrant. Visit the show notes for the downloadable tool.

Websites and Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

What does it take to build operations that keep your organization running smoothly and at scale — even in challenging times?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Sasha Crabtrey, Founder of Remote COO, to explore why operations is not overhead — and what nonprofit leaders can do right now to build a stronger foundation for sustainability and impact.

With 25+ years of experience spanning nonprofit operations, small businesses, and leading her own company, Sasha has seen firsthand what happens when programs outpace infrastructure. Growth without systems does not build strength. It magnifies existing problems.

Through practical insight and real examples, you will hear why most operational challenges are not about bad leadership. They are about missing structure.

Sasha shares why the bottleneck almost always runs through the top, how fractional operational support is one of the most underutilized tools available to nonprofits, and introduces three guiding questions every leader should ask to identify where to focus first.

This conversation explores the real challenges nonprofit leaders face. The scarcity mindset around operations funding. The grants lost because processes were not in place. And why fixing the most fragile point first is always the right place to start.

If you are carrying too much on your own, reacting instead of responding, or wondering where to start — this episode is for you.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

• Operations is not overhead — it is capacity, risk mitigation, and insurance for leadership.
• Growth without infrastructure does not build strength. It magnifies existing problems.
• Most operational challenges are not about bad leadership. They are about missing structure.
• Clear ownership and defined workflows free up leadership and eliminate the bottleneck.

About Sasha Crabtrey

Sasha Crabtrey is the Founder of Remote COO, where she and her team of Core Operations Optimizers help small business owners and nonprofits do more of what they love.

After 25+ years of experience in operations and project management — ranging from nonprofit operations to leading her own company — Sasha knows a "normal day" doesn't exist. Remote COO helps leaders pivot, prioritize, and make sure everything important is accomplished with excellence.

Sasha's favorite kind of work includes developing strategies that build strong business foundations, handling complex operational challenges, and fostering collaborative partnerships. She is a generous listener, relating to business owners' struggles, providing solutions, and driving productivity.

Sasha holds a BBA in Management from Texas A&M University's Mays School of Business and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

Sasha Crabtrey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crabtrey/

About Remote COO

Remote COO provides strategic and tactical operational support for nonprofit leaders who are carrying too much on their own. Through their Core Operations Optimizers, they embed as a hands-on fractional administrative partner — taking ownership of systems, workflows, and day-to-day execution so leaders can step out of the weeds and stay focused on mission and impact.

Remote COO website: https://remotecoo.com/

Websites & Social Company

Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics: nonprofit operations, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit sustainability, nonprofit strategy, operational excellence, nonprofit capacity building, fractional operations, nonprofit infrastructure, nonprofit growth, scaling nonprofit impact

Do you ever have the feeling something is not working — but it is not clear where to start and figure out why?

Maybe you know why, and the list is so long it feels overwhelming. Maybe you think we'll address it later. But later never comes. Or maybe the challenge is the mantra, "that is just the way things are done".

When everything needs attention, nothing gets attention. And leading from reactive mode is exhausting.

In this Momentum Move episode of Make Nonprofits Profitable™, Tanja Horan introduces the Systems Reality Check, a practical quarterly assessment framework for nonprofit leaders to surface gaps and pain points across the core areas of an organization and turns them into a prioritized view of where to focus next.

The framework scores each operational area across three dimensions: how well it is functioning, the pain it is causing, and whether it is documented. Then plot the results to identify what needs immediate attention versus what can wait.

This is the third and final episode in the 3-part Operations & Infrastructure series. Episode 8 reframed operations as the engine behind nonprofit sustainability. Episode 9 explored how strong operations can be a competitive advantage. Episode 10 gives you a practical tool to assess where you are today and prioritize what to address next.

If you are looking for a practical way to assess nonprofit operations, identify what is slowing your organization down, and build a clearer path forward, this episode gives you the framework to get started.

Key Takeaways

• The Systems Reality Check is a quarterly framework to surface operational gaps, prioritize pain points, and stop reacting.

• Score each operational area on how well it is working (1–5) and how much pain it is causing (1–5), then plot the results on a simple quadrant.

• High pain, low working is the highest priority quadrant — address it first.

• Document processes that are working, even when they sit in low pain quadrants. Undocumented processes are tomorrow's risk.

• Run the exercise at every level of the organization. The disparity or alignment in scores is the data leadership needs.

• Quarterly is the right cadence. It gives the organization time to adapt and implement before the next review.

DOWNLOAD:

Systems Reality Check Tool: https://bit.ly/system-reality-check

Websites & Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: https://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

How many hours of sleep have you lost because every decision lands on your desk, donor nurturing is inconsistent, critical knowledge sits in one person's head, or there is no system in place to cut through the noise?

For many nonprofit leaders, the answer is: too many.

Nonprofit operations is an advantage that is often overlooked, undervalued, and underfunded and determines whether your organization operates reactively or intentionally.

Strong operations make every program dollar work harder, protect your team from burnout, and provide the time and space to lead instead of constantly fighting fires.

In this episode of Tanja's Take on Make Nonprofits Profitable™, Tanja Horan explores how to leverage nonprofit operations and infrastructure as a competitive advantage to advance your mission, scale your impact, and finally get some sleep.

You will hear how Tanja's first job out of college taught her what well-run operations buys you and what nonprofits can learn from how Walmart used operations as a competitive advantage.

Shifting to view operations as a competitive advantage influences how you prioritize, how you invest, and how you build for impact and sustainability.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are. Key Takeaways

• Strong nonprofit operations are a competitive advantage, not just an expense.

• Operations is invisible when it works well and uncomfortably visible when it does not.

• Weak operations is a risk to consistency, resiliency, and long-term impact.

• The three stages of operational maturity: foundational, functional, and optimized.

• Design operations for the organization you are building toward, not the one you are running today.

Websites and Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics nonprofit operations, nonprofit infrastructure, nonprofit competitive advantage, nonprofit sustainability, nonprofit leadership, scaling nonprofit impact,

More money equals more people equals more impact. Is that true?

While funding matters, it alone does not determine nonprofit sustainability or the ability to scale impact. The organizations that sustain and amplify impact are ones that build the operational foundation to deliver it consistently, sustainably, and at scale.

Operations are the foundation that makes every program dollar work harder and go further.

In this Reframe episode of Make Nonprofits Profitable™, Tanja Horan opens a new series by exploring why operations and infrastructure are the engine behind nonprofit sustainability, why the belief that lean is noble is costing organizations, and how to right-size systems and technology.

This is the first in a three-part series on nonprofit operations and infrastructure, anchored in a reframe: operations is not overhead. It is the impact engine.

You will learn why more funding does not automatically equal more impact — and what actually does.

The answer to do more with less is not always cut more.

Key Takeaways

• Nonprofit operations and infrastructure are the engine behind mission impact — not an overhead cost to minimize.

• Strong operational systems protect your people from burnout, turnover, and the cost of doing everything from scratch.

• Funders, customers, and partners do not separate nonprofit operations from the programs and services you deliver.

• Technology must be right-sized for your organization. The wrong tools cost more in time, money, and distraction than they save.

Websites & Social

Company Website: https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube: [www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360](http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360)

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

What separates nonprofits that sustain earned revenue and amplify their impact from those that don't?

In this Force Multiplier episode, Tanja Horan sits down with Susan Dawson, Founder and President Emeritus of E3 Alliance, to explore what it takes to build earned revenue that strengthens and advances the mission.

A trained engineer, Susan left the private sector to found E3 Alliance. What started on the back of a napkin grew into a nationally recognized model for collaboration across school districts, higher education, business, nonprofits, and policymakers. E3 Alliance has been recognized by The White House and the U.S. Department of Education for its objective, data-driven approach to building systems change in education.

Founded in 2006, E3 Alliance is celebrating 20 years of impact. Susan is also the author of Changing Education Systems: Wisdom Gained by E3 Alliance in Driving Effective Change Using Data and Collaboration. The path was not always easy, and Susan shares the wisdom gained along the way.

Through stories and real examples, you will hear how E3 Alliance built a more balanced funding model that includes earned revenue. Susan introduces the 70-30 framework used to guide mission and revenue decisions, along with a decision-making tool to evaluate what to keep and what to let go, and the moment her 16-year-old son perfectly summed up why being smart is not enough. You have to be pretty too.

This conversation explores the real tradeoffs leaders face. When to say no. How to determine what is worth continuing. And why trust is the foundation for systems change.

If you are thinking about earned revenue, scaling your organization, or building something that lasts, this episode offers practical insights to strengthen your nonprofit's sustainability.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

•

Define your primary objective before pursuing earned revenue to inform the right funding mix and model.

•

Trust is the foundation for partnerships, growth, and long-term sustainability.

•

Knowing when to let go is as important as knowing what to start.

•

You have to be both smart and pretty. Pair objective data with compelling stories.

•

The right revenue mix is a strategic decision, not a formula. It will look different for every organization.

About Susan

Susan Dawson is the Founder and President Emeritus of E3 Alliance, a Texas-based education collaborative that partners with school districts, higher education institutions, businesses, nonprofits, and policymakers to drive systems change from cradle to career.

A trained engineer, Susan founded E3 Alliance in 2006 after leaving the private sector. Under her leadership, E3 became a nationally recognized model for data-driven collaboration in education, with recognition from The White House and the U.S. Department of Education.

Susan has been named one of Austin's 30 Most Influential Leaders by the Austin Business Journal, the 2019 national Cradle to Career Champion by StriveTogether, and the recipient of Leadership Austin's Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also named Austinite of the Year in 2020 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, recognized for making a lasting impact on Austin's culture, economy, and quality of life.

She is the author of Changing Education Systems: Wisdom Gained by E3 Alliance in Driving Effective Change Using Data and Collaboration.

Purchase Susan's Book on Amazon https://a.co/d/0bNyimxd

About E3 Alliance

E3 Alliance is a Texas-based education collaborative that partners with school districts, higher education institutions, businesses, nonprofits, and policymakers to drive education systems change through data and collaboration. http://www.e3alliance.org

Websites & Social

Company Website : https://www.tacosa360.comImpact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.comYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

When was the last time you evaluated whether your nonprofit funding model is generating a return that matches the effort and investment it takes to sustain it?

Nonprofit leaders are constantly working to bring in funding. Grants. Donations. Events. The question is whether the revenue mix is actually working.

In this Momentum Move episode of Make Nonprofits Profitable™, Tanja Horan introduces the Revenue Mix Check, a practical framework to evaluate your nonprofit revenue mix across grants, donations, events, sponsorships, and earned revenue.

You will walk through how to assess where your funding is coming from, how much must be re-earned each year, what your revenue cycles look like, and what it actually costs your organization to sustain it.

This episode helps nonprofit leaders evaluate their funding model, identify risk and dependency, and begin designing a more sustainable and diversified revenue strategy.

Because the right revenue mix is not a fixed percentage. It is a strategic decision based on your capacity, goals, and the return on investment of each funding source.

If you are exploring earned revenue for nonprofits or looking to strengthen financial sustainability, this episode gives you a clear way to evaluate your current model and begin designing a more intentional one.

Key Takeaways

•

The right revenue mix is not a formula. It is a strategic decision based on your organization's capacity and goals

•

Understanding your current funding mix is foundational to building an earned revenue strategy

•

Revenue concentration increases dependency and risk

•

A critical question is how much of your funding must be re-earned each year

•

Many organizations underestimate what it actually costs to generate funding

Resources

Revenue Mix Check Tool A practical tool to help you assess your funding mix, identify risk and dependency, and guide leadership conversations about a more strategic revenue model.

DOWNLOAD: Revenue Mix Check Tool (https://bit.ly/revenue-mix-check)

Topics

nonprofit leadership, nonprofit strategy, nonprofit sustainability, earned revenue for nonprofits, nonprofit funding model, nonprofit revenue mix, nonprofit revenue diversification, nonprofit financial strategy, nonprofit operations, scaling nonprofit impact

Websites & Social

Company Website : https://www.tacosa360.com/Impact Catapult: http://www.impactcatapult.com/YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Nonprofit leaders are used to operating inside a familiar funding cycle. Grants. Donors. Annual campaigns. Reports. Reapply.

The model is so embedded in the sector that many leaders rarely stop to ask a fundamental question:

Is this the only way to fund impact?

In this Tanja's Take episode of Make Nonprofits Profitable™, Tanja Horan encourages nonprofit leaders to step back from the daily demands of running an organization and explore an alternative: earned revenue for nonprofits.

Rather than relying solely on philanthropy, nonprofits can generate income by offering services, programs, products, and expertise that advance their mission while strengthening financial sustainability.

Earned revenue for nonprofits means generating income through mission-aligned services, programs, or products.

This episode invites nonprofit leaders to rethink what is possible. Through real examples from organizations across the country, you will begin to see how earned revenue can transform dependency into resilience.

This conversation will help you start recognizing where those opportunities already exist within your organization and how they can support long-term sustainability.

Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.

Key Takeaways

•

A key barrier is not capability. It is whether leaders are open to seeing new possibilities.

•

The strongest earned revenue opportunities are often found within what your organization already does.

•

Start by looking at your programs, services, and expertise to identify where value already exists.

•

Earned revenue provides greater control and flexibility, while philanthropy remains an important part of a balanced funding model.

Websites & Social

Company Website https://www.tacosa360.com

Impact Catapult http://www.impactcatapult.com

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/@Tacosa360

Connect with Tanja

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran

Topics nonprofit earned revenue, earned revenue opportunities, nonprofit funding strategy, nonprofit business model, nonprofit sustainability, nonprofit leadership