The nonprofit industrial complex is failing you. We can fix that.
Calling all social impact leaders!
First off, let’s get one thing straight: the nonprofit world isn’t broken. Actually, it’s doing exactly what it was built to do.
Solidly pursuing its interests regardless of, and usually at the expense of, the best interests of society and individuals - textbook definition.
It was set up as an industry meant to keep visionary leaders overworked, underpaid, and busy in red tape, all while expecting them to save the world with a smile and a shoestring budget.
Cute, right?
Here’s the truth, the system isn’t broken. It’s just outdated, detractive, and not built with anyone’s sanity in mind. Not built with your genius in mind. Not built with the world we live in today in mind.
And I’m not here to tweak it. I’m here to shift the whole damn thing.
Our Selflessness is Selfish.
Ouch right? Follow me through here.
The industry teaches that burnout is not a badge of honor and that you, dear leader, must implement wellness practices for yourself and your team to fix your organization’s burnout problem.
I see you. Writing reports at midnight. Smiling through donor events. Your team runs on fumes, but still feels they should work this weekend.
You’re navigating board dynamics that belong in a sitcom, not a strategic meeting.
You’re advocating for equal pay while simultaneously not able to give anyone the pay raise they deserve.
Doing well, right?
And it’s not like you aren’t TRYING to get ahead of it. You have a budget and staff hours allocated to work from home, midday therapy, and self-care practices. So then why does it STILL feel like everything you are doing is not enough?
Here is the thing, you’ve been shown, modeled, and told that this is nonprofit leadership.
That if you’re not exhausted, you’re not doing it right. Your boots must be scuffed to get respect in this field (but try not to look too tired at that donor meeting).
Let me hold your hand while I say this. You inherited a lie.
Selflessness in the nonprofit sector is not noble. It’s a leadership failure.
And it’s hurting our entire industry.
Even worse, it’s holding back the impact you get to make in the communities you set out to serve.
Futureproofing organizations has nothing to do with donor trends, AI implementation or policy advocation. If we aren’t shifting how we build, support, and pay leaders in our industry, anything that comes down the pipeline is like building on quicksand.
Look, we are in a critical moment for the nonprofit sector:
74% of nonprofits report persistent staff vacancies
While 1 in 5 nonprofit workers lives in a household that can’t afford basic necessities
And 71% are facing an increase in demand for services
We all know that the game has changed. Systems become outdated annually, funders play on new turf, policies shift like quicksand, and leaders like you are left managing impossible expectations with an outdated playbook.
So no, you’re not imagining it. The money is out there but the math isn’t mathing.
Instead of patching holes in a sinking ship… What if we built something that actually floats?
This Isn’t Just About You. It Starts With You.
Nonprofit founders and directors are often the glue, the engine, the heart - and often the bottleneck.
This is because we were modeled to build organizations that require us to be everything. We then feel guilty for wanting rest, help, or (gasp) to grow beyond this position and eventually move on to something new.
But here's the radical truth. The most powerful thing you can do for your nonprofit is to make yourself less essential.
That’s right. Your nonprofit should run without you being the hero every day.
We’ve been trained to be everything to everyone. The visionary, the fundraiser, the administrator, the therapist, the cheerleader.
But really, this is about building something that lasts. That thrives. That doesn’t eat anyone alive in the process. That sees you as the founder, not the foundation. And the most radical thing you can do is build something that works without you.
Dear leader, that’s not abandoning your mission, it’s honoring it.
Your team deserves structure. Your community deserves consistency. And you deserve a life beyond your role.
You wanted to be part of the revolution, I’m here to make sure you don’t miss it.
The nonprofit world doesn’t need more martyrs. No, we need more leaders who dare to do things differently.
So if you’re ready to stop chasing your mission from a place of depletion and start leading from a place of grounded power...you’re in the right place.
Let’s torch that outdated playbook that told us:
🗴 Busy equals important
🗴 Burnout equals respect
🗴 Broke equals righteous
🗴 Bootstraps equal success
Let’s replace it with a world where laptops don’t go on vacation, missions grow effortlessly, communities operate together to thrive, and nonprofits actually work.
You don’t have to choose between impact and wellbeing. You can have both. You should have both.
I’m here to help you make that shift—not with a bandaid, but with a blueprint.
So if you’re ready to stop surviving and start leading. Welcome.
Let’s shift this sector together.
