Publications: Philanthropy

Do you think there is a strong, weak, or no connection between #compliance and programmatic #strategy? When do you think is the best time to consider compliance in your strategy discussions? Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is the relationship between compliance and programmatic strategy. Nic discusses two areas that highlight how compliance and programmatic strategy go hand in…

When you prepare a budget, do you ever budget for #innovation? Do you think you need to? Well, we think you should. Having space to experiment and fail and holding yourself accountable to pursuing innovation are two critical building blocks to innovation. Having an infrastructure that allows you to do both will allow you to innovate.

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is using your budget to strengthen your infrastructure. Nic discusses the reason why having an innovation line in your budget is integral to strengthening your infrastructure and creating transformational outcomes.

If you plan to give your grantees space to fail towards transformation or create new ways to amplify the voices of the communities you’re trying to pull from the margins, you need an innovation line in your budget.

Do you have an innovation line item in your budget? How do you create space to innovate and measure your progress? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link to watch Episode 27.

Does it really matter how you build your infrastructure? Does how you build your infrastructure determine whether you can say, “No,” to a grant?

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is again about the connection between infrastructure and the ability to say, “No,” to a grant. In it, Nic shares the second of three indicators of infrastructure strength that are connected to an organization’s ability to say, “No,” to funding – brave infrastructure building. It is the second part of a three-part series that started with last week’s Fast Build Friday Episode 24.

When you have the ability to say, “No,” it indicates that you are unapologetically building a strong foundation and infrastructure to support your work, which is what our communities need.

How do you build bravely? How does that building connect to your ability to say, “No,” to a grant? Let us know in the comments! 

You can follow the link to watch Episode 25.

Would you ever say, “No,” to a grant?

Nic has spent years working with #nonprofits around the world and she knows that the ability to say, “No,” is often an indicator of just how strong your infrastructure is. And she also knows that by saying, “No,” to certain funding, you are opening doors to diverse, revenue sources.

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is the connection between infrastructure and the ability to say, “No,” to a grant. Nic shares the first of 3 indicators of infrastructure strength that are connected to an organization’s ability to say, “No,” to funding – revenue diversification. It is the first part of a three-part series.

Being terrified of even the thought of saying, “No,” to a sizable grant is often an indicator of a weakened infrastructure, namely insufficient revenue diversification. Revenue diversification feeds your sustainability. And your sustainability impacts the way you serve vulnerable communities.

Diversifying your revenue often strengthens both your ability to say, “No,” and your infrastructure.

Do you have the ability to say, “No”? How is that ability tied to your revenue diversification? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

You can follow the link to watch Episode 24.

Can you tell us the most important component of a grant agreement? Chances are, you probably have to think a bit more about it because you probably do not think about your grant agreement that often to begin with. Right?

What if we told you that your grant agreement can often hold many of the keys to your infrastructure? What would you do differently?

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is about the critical components of a highly effective grant agreement. Nic shares the 4 critical components of these agreements. As in-house counsel and in her current practice, Nic has drafted and negotiated thousands of grant agreements for awards in countries and regions around the world and she knows highly effective grant agreements can be one of the fundamental pieces of your infrastructure.

If you only see a grant agreement as a technical tool, you are missing an opportunity to communicate with partners and better serve communities in need.

What will you do differently with your grant agreements going forward? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link watch Episode 23.

We think a compelling vision and strategy is at the core of sustainability for nonprofit and social-impact startups. They cannot transform outcomes or sustainably build without both.

Still, should a #startup really spend considerable time creating a compelling vision and strategy when it has to attract funding and resources form donors, partners, and supporters to survive in those early stages?

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is the first of two fundamental #infrastructure considerations for nonprofit or social-impact startups. Nic shares why you need a compelling programmatic vision and strategy in order to build a strong infrastructure and a sustainable organization.

Do you think vision and strategy impact a startup’s infrastructure and sustainability? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link to watch Episode 21. 

We want to tell you a story…but we will tell you only half of it. Do you still want to hear it?

By not considering #infrastructure as part of your #storytelling, you miss a critical opportunity to tell a compelling story about your organization, your work, and the communities you serve. You are telling half of the story.

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is the role of infrastructure in storytelling. Nic discusses how not talking about infrastructure needs is diminishing the kind of outcome you want to see and the impact that is needed. She also highlights a way to tell a compelling story that considers infrastructure.

At Build Up, we believe that infrastructure is fundamental to telling a compelling story. Knowing your infrastructure needs is the first step. If you would like some guidance in assessing your infrastructure needs, we have included a link here to receive our complimentary Brave Infrastructure Design® Action Plan, which walks you through how to assess your organizational infrastructure needs.

How are you thinking about infrastructure in your storytelling? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link to watch Episode 20.

When you think of #innovation, do you also think about accountability? Do you think you need #accountability in your infrastructure in order to innovate?

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is a continuation of last week’s topic about the importance of infrastructure in innovation. Nic shares the second building block about infrastructure and innovation – true innovation requires accountability.

Having built organizational infrastructure for years now, Nic sees accountability as the element that heavily contributes to sustained innovation.

And sustained innovation transforms worlds and lives.

How are you thinking about innovation and accountability in your organization? What do you demand? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link to watch Episode 19.

Nic had a conversation with a nonprofit CEO and they talked a lot about how #nonprofits and philanthropies often focus on #innovation as an outcome or a specific point in time.

Their conversation really made us reflect. In the nonprofit sector, we often hear the word, innovation, but we do not talk as much about how an organization “becomes innovative.” And we struggle with determining how to fund innovation or defining innovation in the first place.

Today’s Fast Build Friday topic is the importance of infrastructure in innovation. Nic wants us to dissect this topic; this episode explains the first of two building blocks about infrastructure and innovation she will share.

Nic wants this first building block to raise questions for you about how you think about and pursue innovation.

How do you create space for experimentation within your organization? And where do #failure and learning come into play within your #infrastructure? Let us know in the comments!

You can follow the link to watch Episode 18.