The Nonprofit Show
The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily broadcast for the business side of nonprofits — bringing you practical insights, expert interviews, and real-world strategies to help your organization run smarter, lead stronger, and fund better.
Each weekday, our co-hosts and guests break down the most current topics in fundraising, board governance, leadership, staffing, technology, communications, and financial strategy — giving nonprofit professionals the tools they need to build sustainable, high-performing organizations.
With more than 1,400 episodes and growing, our on-demand library is a trusted resource for executive directors, team members, fundraisers, board members, and sector leaders who are ready to move beyond inspiration and into implementation.
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The Nonprofit Show
How to Make Your Nonprofit 'Investable'
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How do you make a nonprofit ‘investable’ to today’s philanthropic donors? Carol Wick, president of Sharity, explains how stronger planning, financial discipline, outcome measurement, and revenue strategy can help nonprofits attract larger, longer-term investments.
Traditional fundraising often sits apart from operations. Carol argues that this separation leaves organizations chasing gifts without building the infrastructure donors increasingly expect. Drawing on 40 years in the sector and Sharity’s work across 37 countries, she outlines five elements that help philanthropic investors—and boards—feel confident: a functional business plan, a multiyear budget, the right team, measurable outcomes, and a sustainable revenue strategy.
Carol reports that roughly 75% of nonprofits do not have a strategic plan guiding daily operations. She also shares that Sharity clients following its model average a 200% revenue increase within 24 months. Those results begin with a shift in thinking: donors are not only asking whether the mission is inspiring. They want to know what the organization will accomplish, how success will be proven, what it will cost, whether the team can deliver, and who else is committed.
"Nonprofit is a tax status, not a goal,” Carol says. That mindset requires leaders to understand the real cost of every program, identify funding gaps, and confront services that may be ineffective or financially unsustainable.
The conversation also separates outputs from outcomes. Counting meals, bed nights, or counseling hours shows activity. Investors want evidence of what changed because those services were delivered. As Carol puts it, donors “do not want to just know that you were busy.”
Key Takeaways:
* Integrate fundraising with operations, outcomes, budgeting, and long-term strategy.
* Build a three-year business plan, organizational chart, and budget—not a shelf-bound retreat document.
* Measure the change programs produce, not merely the volume of services delivered.
* Calculate the full cost of programs, including wages, benefits, overhead, and depreciation.
* Cultivate both present-focused donors and future-focused investors seeking societal change.
* Use strategic planning as the cultivation foundation for a comprehensive campaign.
00:00:00 Making a Nonprofit a Smarter Investment
00:01:24 Sharity’s Scaling Model and 200% Revenue Growth
00:03:03 Why Fundraising Cannot Be Separated from Operations
00:06:12 How Modern Philanthropic Investors Evaluate Nonprofits
00:09:00 The Five Factors That Build Donor Confidence
00:10:18 Teams, Outcomes, and Sustainable Revenue
00:12:04 Confronting Programs That Lose Money or Miss the Mission
00:16:16 Present-Focused Donors vs. Future-Focused Investors
00:19:23 Turning Strategic Planning into Donor Cultivation
00:22:31 Stop Chasing Dollars and Return to the Mission
00:24:45 Nonprofit Inc.: Scaling with Purpose
00:27:25 The Work Required to Scale Successfully
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