Episode 103: How to Move from Here to There: Strategic Growth
If you're struggling to move to the next level, you need to assess where your organization is. What stage? Be truthful. When you know what stage it's in, you can move to the next stage by checking off the foundational elements you have (or don't have). Don't check off the box to move forward. If you've been self-funding your organization, chances are what you've been doing isn't working (so don't check that box! Fix the issue!) That's what gets you to consistent revenue.
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Podcast Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learn to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding impact and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident, Philanthrepreneur Amber Wynn.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good morning fam. It's your girl, Amber Wynn. And today we are going to talk about how to move your organization from here to there. From here to there. I have nonprofits come up to me all the time and say, I'm just trying to get from here to there. I don't understand how to get from struggling and self-funding to getting the grants. I see other organizations getting it. How do I do it? How do I move from being a volunteer, meaning I'm not getting paid to getting consistent revenue. And here's what I have to tell you. It's not a quick fix. It's not a matter of I just need to get four grants. It's not a matter of, it's not a simple fix. There is a process. The IRS has created certain rules and regulations, and as a result of that, the funders follow those rules and regulations, right?
(01:22):
So you may be making things up, you may have been making things up for quite some time, which then means you're going to have to take a couple of steps back, clear out the mess that you created and start a anew, but following the roadmap that the IRS has set up for you. So today that's what we're going to talk about, strategic growth, how to move your organization from here to there, and when we talk about there, we're talking about success. The world needs our nonprofits right now, and if you are confused and you're scrambling, you're making stuff up, but you don't see your organization moving forward, and when I say moving forward, I mean generating consistent revenue. Then this is the episode for you. When we come back, we're going to talk about how to move your organization from here to there.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Not sure how to price your programs or how to cover salaries. Are you scared to increase your program fees? If you're struggling to fully cover the cost of running your program, then you need how to price your programs for profit. This workbook provides step-by-step instructions for how to develop programs funders love to fund, determine the cost to charge for your programs and present salary costs in a way that funders will approve. Learn the secret formula I used as an executive director for how to fully cover program costs. Order your copy today.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Welcome back. You're on air with Amber Wynn, and today we're talking about how to move your organization from here to there. We're talking about strategic growth and what I will say to you, the first thing that I would you're doing is to stage what development your organization is in. What do I mean by that? There are seven stages in the nonprofit journey. You're thinking about starting a nonprofit. You've started it. You've just got your 501(c)(3), you're established, you're trying to scale your organization. Where's your organization? Why do I need to stage it? Amber? I just need money. No, no, because if you're just thinking about starting your nonprofit, there are certain things that you need to do in that stage. You're not thinking about collaboration. You're thinking about making sure that the name that you're selecting hasn't already been selected. You're thinking about who your board leadership is going to be.
(03:51):
You're thinking about, so those are the things you're thinking about. If you're thinking about starting a nonprofit, what's your cause? What community are you going to be in? Is it oversaturated? Those are the things you're focusing on in that stage. In stage one, when you're just filing, you're not thinking about getting government grants, you're not ready for government grants. In that first stage, you're thinking about, okay, how can I get some unrestricted funds? How can I get $500 that I'm then going to flip to turn to $1,500 that I'm then going to flip to $2,500 so that I can invest in my organization. I can get a virtual assistant that's going to help me grow my board. You want to know which stage you're in so that you can do all of the things in that stage. Make sure you do them in the right way so that you have a solid infrastructure so that each stage you're solid, but you're growing and you're growing and you're growing because when you get to that final stage, you will have everything in place that you need to qualify for a grant.
(04:57):
A nonprofit is a business. It's just a business with a philanthropic focus. So you have to have HR, you have to have accounting. You need to be able to market because you need visibility for funders to see you. You've got to have your financial statements, so you got to have a funder ready budget. When you start a nonprofit, it's not you just doing what you love, which is delivering the programs. There's all of the other things behind it, compliance. So if you know what stage you're in, you can focus on that stage, get that solid, move to the next, move to next. People get really irritated because the process is the process. But if you look at organizations who've been around for 10, 15, 20 years and they're still self-funding, you will see the value in staging your organization, putting things in place the right way so that by the time you get to year one, two, you're positioned to get funding. And if you follow my roadmap, not only will you get funding, but you'll probably get three times the amount of revenue that a normal nonprofit would get because they don't have the insider secrets of what it is you need to do from a funder's perspective. So how to move from here to there strategically, you start off by staging your nonprofit. And here's the thing I'm going to say, don't be arrogant, right?
(06:30):
Don't be arrogant. When individuals go to my website and they take the quiz and it says, do you have a funder ready budget? A funder ready budget says that you cover all of the expenses that are required that are needed to run your organization at an optimal level. If your budget is $60,000, that is not a funder ready budget. That's not even a program budget. So I need you to read, when you're taking this assessment, I need you to read exactly what the summary is asking you and be truthful. If you've been around for five years and I ask you, do you have a program description with measurable goals and objectives, and you check, yes, you've been around for 10 years, you're self-funding your organization, I want you to take a deeper dive, right? If you say you have all of the things, you've been in this game for 10 years and you're still self-funding your organization, you're not being truthful with yourself, a funder ready budget, a concise mission that inspires program description with measurable goals.
(07:43):
If you go through this checklist and you check yes on everything, but you've been in this game for 10 years, you're still self-funding. You're not being honest with yourself. You may have a budget. Is it a funder ready budget? You may have a mission, but is it a concise mission? You may have program descriptions, but are they innovative? Are they inspirational? Can a funder look at your program descriptions and say, I know exactly what I'm going to get for this $250,000 because it is broken down, and if you can't say yes, then I want you to be honest with yourself. Because the goal is not to just check off the boxes. No, no. The goal is to get you to stop self-funding your nonprofit, and the only way you're going to stop self-funding your nonprofit is if you build out a solid infrastructure. So to build out a solid infrastructure, you've got to follow the roadmap the way that it's laid out.
(08:39):
It's like you're saying, I know how to bake a cake, but you're trying to bake your grandmama's pound cake. You can't just throw any ingredients in there. You got to throw in five pounds of butter. That's what she uses. You may use two, because you're being heart healthy or whatever, but it's not going to taste like your grandmama's pound cake. So what I'm saying to you, if in fact you want to move from here to there, you've got to let go of your ego. You've got to let go of what you think you've done. Yes, you've done a lot of work. Now we want you to do the right type of work, the work that's going to move you from here to there, and what that requires is that you follow the roadmap as it is laid out. The formula. I've had people say, oh, I don't want to take your course, Amber, can you just give me the part on the board I need for my board to fundraise?
(09:31):
No, I can't just give you that part because you didn't get, that's part C, right? A plus B plus C equals whatever. If you didn't get A plus B, but you just have C, then at the end you can say, oh, Amber's formula didn't work. I tried it. Well, it's because you didn't do A and B. So what I'm saying to you is to take a look at what you're doing. If it hasn't been working, try something new. I have a pretty good track record with my nonprofits because I've done it all. Y'all. I've done everything from emptying out the trash to actually giving out 7 million in revenue. So I know a little something something, and I'm here to tell you, it's not necessarily the work that you're doing. 95% of you guys are doing amazing work in the community. It's how your organization is set up.
(10:21):
So if you want to move from here to there, your organization needs to look a certain way. Funders need to feel comfortable with you operating as a nonprofit, and that means certain things have to look certain ways. Your financial statements, those two years of financial statements that they ask you for when you're submitting for grants, they need to look a certain way. It's called GAAP generally accepted accounting practices. If you're turning in something that doesn't look like what they're familiar with, you won't even be considered. So if you are going to strategically grow your organization, it starts with you assessing where you are. We talked about that a couple of episodes ago. Where's your organization? What are you doing if you are not generating consistent revenue? We need to fix your house. We need to get your house in order. So the first thing I'm going to implore you to do is go to my website, www.amberwynn.net, and take that assessment.
(11:20):
What stage is your nonprofit in? And be very honest, right? When they ask you the questions, don't say, yeah, I have a budget. Yeah, I have. If you haven't been successful with your corporate sponsorship package, don't say you have it. Literally, if you haven't generated $25,000 or more with your sponsorship package, then just consider that as non-viable. If you are still, excuse me, funding your nonprofit with the budget that you have and you haven't been able to more than $50,000 with that budget, then don't consider that a funder ready budget. $5,000, $10,000, $25,000. A funder will give you that because that's the amount that they can write off. That's the amount that they can afford to write off. When you start getting six figures, when you get $150,000, 250, then we can have that conversation and we can say, okay, I've got a funder ready budget, because funders are going to take more seriously giving out six figures than they will 10,000.
(12:27):
That's like giving out $20, $50. We can afford to lose that. We can afford to write that off, but I want you to get to a place where your organization is self-sufficient, where you are getting paid every month. That means six figure numbers. So how to move from here to there and to strategically grow your organization is to take some steps back. Look at what you have, build out that solid foundation. And guess who has the roadmap? I do? It's called 90 Days to a Profitable nonprofit. It walks you through all of the things that I'm talking about. Even if you've been around for 20 years and you've never ever gotten to a place where you can consistently pay yourself, you've been paying to keep your organization going. I want you to pause and think, I've been in this game for 20 years and I'm still self-funding my nonprofit. Something as Keith Sweat would say something, something, something, something just ain't right, y'all. So step away from the ego and let's get your organization in a position whereby you can get what you need, which is consistent revenue. Let's take a look at 90 days to a non-profitable nonprofit because it's going to get you to where you want to be.
(13:51):
Are you struggling to fund your programs? Can't get a grant to save your life. Most consultants will share the what of how to start a nonprofit or how to fundraise. They may even share the why, but they don't share the how because that's where they make their money. Now, I'm not hating. I'm a businesswoman too, but I've been where you are trying to make the world a better place, struggling to keep the doors open up to the wee hours of the night writing grants and doing whatever needed to be done. And because I've walked in your shoes, I'm not here to make you spin your wheels, waste your time or your hard earned money. We ain't got time for that. The world needs you. I'm here to show you how to transform that pit. You keep dumping your hard earned money into a profitable nonprofit.
(14:40):
I take my 30 years of nonprofit experience as a founder, executive director, program developer, grant writer and funder, giving out over $7 million annually in grants, and I save you literally thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. I walk you through setting up your nonprofit organization so that you can be generating enough revenue to cover your monthly expenses in just 90 days. How would that feel? Not paying bills from your personal bank accounts. I share my insider secrets, tips, tricks of the trade, and provide you with a step-by-step roadmap on how to turn your bootstraps organization into a profitable nonprofit. Within six months. You could be generating enough revenue to pay your salary or fully fund your programs. The choice is yours, but you have to get the blueprint, and it took me three years to develop it, but it's here and it's going to change your life.
(15:37):
Join my other successful clients who were just like you, full of passion and determination, but they had no idea all that it takes to run and fund a successful nonprofit. Now they're winning grants and drawing a salary, and they know what it is that they're supposed to be doing to run a successful nonprofit. They're no longer making it up as they go. They have the roadmap and they're clear about next steps, and I want that for you too. So what do you get in this course? You'll walk away with knowledge, products, processes, and systems, not just a bunch of promises, but exactly what you need to turn your organization into a profitable nonprofit. I promise you don't need grants. What you need is a solid infrastructure, and this course is going to give you all of that and more. And what's more, it comes with the money back guarantee.
(16:30):
So go ahead, click the link below to register for this course. Welcome back. You're on air with Amber Wynn, and today we're talking about how to move from here to there, and the 90 days to the profitable nonprofit is one way to get there because it is strategic and it gives you step by step, point by point. What I recommended you do at the beginning of this episode is to stage your nonprofit. Go to my website, www.amberwynn.net, take the assessment. It's a quiz and it lets you know where you are, what stage you're in, because when you know what stage you're in, you know exactly what it is you should focus on, right? We want you, if you are in stage three to focus on those elements of your foundation in stage three, not focus on things in stage seven, right? That's going to save you tons of time, energy, and thousands of dollars. So now we're at the point in the episode where you get to ask me your question. I'm here to serve you, and I want you to get your questions out there so that I can ask them in the part of the episode called Ask Amber. I have a question out of Texas. Let's hear what John has to say.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Hi, my name is John and I'm calling from Texas. A question on a grant is asking me what my program design plan is. I was hoping you'd be able to explain to me what that is.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Hey, John. Thank you. Yes. When a funder asks you what is your program design plan, it's a high level overview of your program. It typically has six major parts. The first part is what is the problem? The funder wants to know what it is that you're solving for. What problem is your organization going to solve for? The second part is planning for the learning environment and experience. In short, that means will it be in the field? Will it be in a classroom? Will it be virtual? So where are you going to deliver your programs? The third part of the program design is the conceptualization change. Or in other words, what is the change that your program will create?
(18:50):
If your constituents are participating in deviant behavior, you're going to change that behavior. So what is the change that your program will create? Will have a reduction in dropouts. We'll have an increase in graduation. The fourth part of the program design is program activities. What will help bring about the change? Is it field trips? Is it counseling? Is it on the job training? Is it some specialized type of education, mentoring or whatever? The fifth part of the design is implement the program. How will you implement the program? How often will you meet? How will you deliver it? We're going to have a facilitator. It's going to be peer led. We're going to implement it on the school campus, like how will you implement the program? And then the last part is assessment. Funders always want to know how will you review the organization to make sure, number one, it's hitting the needs of your constituents.
(19:54):
And then number two, evaluate it so that when you deliver it in the future, you'll make sure that it is a solid program. So how will you assess the program? Will it be a pre or post evaluation? Will you have an evaluator come in? So, great question. Probably didn't know it required so much details, but that's what a funder's looking for on a grant. When they ask, what is your program design plan? What are those six elements? If you have a question that you'd like to ask me, you can hit me up on any of my social media platforms. I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Instagram. Ask me your question. You can email me at amber@amberwynn.net, and I would be happy to answer your questions. Now, we're going to move on to shine on nonprofit. It is the time in the episode when I shine a spotlight on those individuals doing the work in the community, whether that's a nonprofit or it's a consultant serving a nonprofit, providing them with resources, a subject matter expert, whatever it is, is going to help my nonprofit, number one, get the visibility that they deserve, get the resources that they deserve.
(21:10):
I'm here for it. Today we're on part three of Magdalena's Daughters. We've been having a robust conversation with the founder and executive director, Ashley Hill. So let's hear more from Magdalena's daughters.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
Each kid has their own circumstances or own mental health, and they do impact and influence one another, right? So smaller settings and actually having two parents reside in the home, and it's basically about creating a village, a village of homes in which these parents who live with these children support one another in the village. And there's a lot of resources and activities that happen on the village so that they don't really need to go out into the community more where they can be met with pimps and traffickers until they become stabilized and functioning citizen, confident, confident, all of those things. So that is really our vision is to create, to develop homes on land and create a village of support for these kids. What they really need, they really need relationships.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
You can watch the full interview with Ashley on my YouTube, but I think it's important to understand when we're talking about moving from here to there and the growth of your organization, a part of that is being innovative in your program. And Ashley has a lot of innovation in her program. In this clip, she was talking about building a village, creating a safe place for the girls to just really be confident in themselves so that when they're out in the I quote real world, that they stand strong, that they can avoid being caught up by some of the predators out there. So when we're talking about strategically growing your organization, those are the things you need to think about, but you need to make sure that you're in the right stage. Are you going to be thinking about what you're going to create in terms of innovation?
(23:42):
If you're just thinking about your organization, perhaps, perhaps when you're looking at your competitors and what it is that they are providing, you want to provide something different so that innovation is going to set you apart. But if you are in stage seven and you're thinking about scaling, it could be going deeper, deeper into the community, creating more collaborations. It could be creating more connections with your individual funders, having them come in and see what type of programs that you're developing, the impact that you're making, having an open house. The point of today's episode is to help you think, listen, if I am going to move from here to there, if I'm going to stop self-funding my organization, if I'm going to generate consistent revenue into my organization, what do I need to do differently? Or if you're not even sure, if you're just starting, look at where you are.
(24:39):
Focus on that stage. Accomplish all of the goals in that stage so that you are building out a strong infrastructure, a strong foundation, and then move to the next stage. Remember, don't let your ego get in the way. If you are serious about leaving your nine to five job and just working your nonprofit, and then I'm going to encourage you to leave your ego at the door. Look at what it is that I'm offering you in terms of a complete roadmap to get you to funding, to get you to covering all of your bills within 90 days to get you to where you are getting a consistent paycheck from your nonprofit. It's not going to happen with you keeping in place what you already have that's not working. It's going to require that you start with the clean slate. Start with the clean slate, and follow the roadmap the way that it is been established for you, because it has been proven right?
(25:39):
I have done this time and time again. My clients, when they leave my program, they triple their revenue because they have in place what they need to demonstrate to a funder, what it takes, what takes to run a successful nonprofit. So that's all I have today. If you heard anything that you think would benefit one of your colleagues in the nonprofit sector, please be generous. Share the link with people in your network. Subscribe. Make sure you visit my website because I have a ton of free resources there for you. You can also go to the website to enroll in 90 days to a profitable nonprofit, which is the roadmap for transforming your organization. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I hope to see you next week. Make sure you take care of yourself, like you take care of your community. See you next week.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.
