Lessons From The Field: 3 Trends In How Small Orgs Grew To (& Sustained) $2M

How you think about fundraising and your board and hiring is so different at $1M than at $10M. And trying to do what organizations at different stages of development are doing will lead to frustration, negative self talk and burn out. 

I’ve found that there was very little information about how a small nonprofit org should think about growth and sustainability, and the guidelines and rules for a larger org may not be appropriate.

So about five years ago, I decided to do my own research to discover and distill whether there is logic to the seeming chaos of growth amidst small non-profits. 

This week I’m sharing some “lessons from the field” — offering behind-the-curtain insights into what sustainable $2M organizations look like. 

I’m sharing three specific trends in staffing, fundraising, and board structure for organizations that grew to and sustained $2M: 

• Structured and effective leadership team to get the ED out of the weeds
• An intentional funding model that leans into what’s work and away from what isn’t 
• Increased board structure, skill, and focus on governance

As you think about your own growth, keep these 3 benchmarks in mind either as lighthouses to aim towards or as gut checks to rethink your own structure. No two organizations are the same, but we can learn from one another so that we shorten the distance and lessen the effort for getting from where we are to the impact we want to have. 

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