Taking your nonprofit’s impact to the next level

Welcome to the latest edition of Moving Forward, a newsletter designed to help nonprofits exchange ideas and learn from one another to unlock the full potential of the sector.

In our recent #BetterTogether live event , Aimée Eubanks Davis , Founder and CEO of Braven , attributed her organization’s growth to its decision to “go slow to go fast.” From humble beginnings serving 17 students in San Jose, California, Braven is now on track to empower 1,000 promising, underrepresented young people on their path to college graduation and strong first jobs. But that growth likely wouldn’t have been possible if the organization hadn’t invested the time and energy in building meaningful partnerships with higher education institutions and employers upfront.?

The importance of partnerships came into focus at the height of the pandemic when countless nonprofits found themselves facing both greater demand for their services and a shortfall of resources. To combat this, many organizations leaned on each other, forming fresh alliances and creating new support systems that enabled them to keep moving forward, despite all the obstacles in their paths.

But as Braven’s story shows, partnerships aren’t only valuable when nonprofits are in crisis mode: they can play a vital role in helping organizations build capacity and unlock greater growth. Approached strategically and with a long-term mindset, partnerships—with other nonprofits, advocacy groups, for-profit businesses, associations, and schools—can be the beams that prop up a growing nonprofit. Strong partnerships don’t happen overnight, but the time that goes into finding and forging them will pay off in the long run.

So, go slow to go fast, establishing critical infrastructure before trying to reach that next level. There will always be more people you could help and more good you could do. But by rushing ahead, everything you’ve worked so hard to build could come crashing down.?

What do you believe is the most critical step nonprofits can take to grow their impact? Join the conversation by using the hashtag #MovingForward or sharing your thoughts in the comment section.

• Kristin Shrimplin , President and CEO of Women Helping Women of SW Ohio , shares a recent lesson in nonprofit leadership discovered while competing in a Spartan Race.

• LaTondria Carter , Director of Human Resources at ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer , reminds us that the end of an awareness month is just the beginning of a nonprofit’s work.

• Thomas Mantz , President and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay , posts a heartwarming thank-you note from a family the organization has helped.

• Fundamentals of Audience Growth in the Nonprofit Sector : To grow your nonprofit, you need to reach more of the right people. Nonprofit Hub outlines a method that can help.
• 15 Strategies For Balancing Nonprofit Growth With A 'Lean Startup' Mentality : Nonprofits tend to run lean, but growth can complicate matters. Members of the Forbes Nonprofit Council share their tactics for finding balance.
• How to Build Your Nonprofit Development Team : A strong development team can help grow organizational capacity. This five-step plan can help you build your dream team.

We want to hear from you! Click here to refer a nonprofit professional you admire and whose insights you'd love to read. And if there's a particular topic that's top of mind for your organization right now, let us know and we may highlight it in a future edition.