Publications Archives - The Build Up Companies

The Next Chapter: A Letter from Our Founder

Dear Build Up Companies Community: After an incredible journey of innovation, social impact, collaboration, growth, and shared purpose, the Build Up Companies (“BUC”) will be winding down our full suite of operations. Our final day working within the BUC’s current institutional structure will be February 27, 2026. While this marks the close of an important chapter, it is…

Giving Reimagined, Through the Lens of Build Up, Inc.

All over the world, #GivingTuesday has become a moment when generosity rises to the forefront of our minds, especially as many communities experience a heightened level of need. Under the #GivingTuesday banner, volunteers have helped build clinics in rural DRC; a youth after-school organization in Ukraine pivoted to care for children living through war; and…

Hold to Your ‘Why’

Policies, public communications, and governmental actions taken by this administration in 2025 have brought on unprecedented challenges and confusion to the nonprofit sector, from constant threats against foundational pillars within the philanthropic space to Executive Orders looking to criminalize DEI and progressive movements. It has been a difficult and concerning time for many grantmakers, which…

An Appeal for Unrestricted Funding

It is only the first week of February, and the last month has proven devastatingly difficult for many nonprofits. Last week, federal agencies across the board alerted funding recipients that, in accordance with several Executive Orders recently signed by the President, all funding was to be halted, and all grant or contracting activities must immediately…

Transformational Grantmaking is Most Needed in a Crisis

This article was originally published in the PEAK Grantmaking Journal. PEAK Grantmaking is a member-led national association of more than 5,000 professionals who specialize in grants management for funding organizations. PEAK members come together to form a vibrant community of practice that advances shared leadership and learning across the sector – helping funders of every…

The Discovery Pod Hosted by Doug Nelson: Episode 72

The Discovery Pod, hosted by former CEO Douglas Nelson, features conversations with leaders in non-profit/social sector. He talks with CEOs, Board Chairs, Founders and other senior leaders about how they got started in the sector, how they work with their boards, and what remains to be done. Doug is the current Managing Director of The Discovery Group, a philanthropy and governance consulting firm based in Vancouver, BC., where understands the complexity of leading organizations and institutions and the challenges of aligning governance and philanthropic performance.

Listen to Episode 72 where Doug interviews our very own Founder & CEO, A. Nicole Campbell. Together, they dive into how Nic found her way into the field of philanthropy, taking risks, her advice for philanthropy leaders and much more.

The Funding Infrastructure Trends to Watch in 2020 (Part 2)

Interestingly, the COVID-19 crisis highlights, if not magnifies, the current environment in which nonprofits and funders operate. Accordingly, the trends we identified that we believe will continue to surface in 2020 have not vanished because of the crisis. On the contrary, the crisis has only magnified and will likely continue to magnify these trends.

Surviving COVID-19: 6 Recommendations for Nonprofits and Funders

We are in the midst of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and our lives are evolving on an almost daily basis. Industries globally are feeling the financial effects of the virus. The travel industry, for example, which is comprised of airlines, hotels, and parts of retail, restaurants, and technology is estimating that the drop in the industry’s economic activity could be as much as US$1 trillion. And the music and film industries are each projecting a US$5 billion loss. Millions in revenue are being lost daily across most industries.

The Funding Infrastructure Trends to Watch in 2020

2020 presents the opportunity for a new infrastructure build for the nonprofit sector. After all, it is the beginning of a new decade. To that end, I wanted to share my thoughts about the funding infrastructure trends to watch in 2020, informed by both my experiences with and observations of the sector. Yes, there are…

Practically growing with flexible funding

In our last article, I discussed the two reasons for the hesitation, reservation, and aversion towards flexible funding. Once those reasons are internally addressed, foundations and funders that currently provide no or a limited number of unrestricted or flexible funding awards can transition to bravely integrating this type of funding into their funding strategies. Discussing…