#1: Nonprofits Can Generate Revenue (in addition to regular donations)
A nonprofit is a tax designation and legal structure that means your organization exists to serve a public mission rather than to profit its owners. BUT it does not mean you can't generate revenue beyond donations - including charging for services, where it makes sense - to support that mission.
Many well-established nonprofits generate revenue through earned income, which means charging for programs, services, or products that directly advance their mission. It's not only legal, but can also be smart.
3 great examples:
- Homeboy Industries sells goods and services to paying customers in their restaurant, dog grooming business, and other enterprises - which are staffed by their clients - so they can fund their non-revenue generating work helping formerly gang-involved individuals with reentry.
- The YMCA charges membership fees for gym access because promoting healthy living is core to their mission. Every membership sold is an investment in their cause.
- TED sells tickets to its talks because spreading ideas and inspiring innovation is exactly what it exists to do. The events are the mission.
When you stop thinking of charging for services as something nonprofits can’t do and start thinking of it as an investment in your mission, it changes everything.
(PS - As we see from our Homeboy Industries example above - If your organization serves vulnerable or low-income populations, consider which other groups could be paying customers for services to subsidize costs for those who can't pay.)
#2: Investing in Your People is Investing in Your Mission
We need to talk about this more in the nonprofit world: your people are your most valuable asset.
Yet so many nonprofits underpay their staff, stretch their teams too thin, and wonder why turnover is so high (in one recent survey, 70% of nonprofit staff were thinking of leaving their roles. Yikes!).
The truth is, when your people are burned out and can't put food on the table, your mission suffers.
Turnover is disruptive and expensive. Recruiting, hiring, and training a new employee costs significantly more than investing in the person you already have. More importantly, experienced staff who know your community, your programs, and your donors are irreplaceable.
Investing in your people through fair compensation, professional development, and a healthy work culture isn't a luxury – It's one of the smartest investments you can make for your mission.
When your team feels valued and supported, they show up differently. And that shows up in your impact.
#3: Boards and Staff Should Be Partners
For some, the traditional nonprofit board model has fallen short. A group of people who may not be aware of the challenges of the work on the ground makes major decisions that impact that work, and the staff have to execute on those decisions.
But there’s a lot of dialogue right now about new approaches.
In 2026, more and more nonprofits are reimagining board governance to emphasize shared power and input between board members and the staff who are doing the work on the ground every day. And it makes sense. Your staff often has the deepest understanding of your community's needs, your program challenges, and what's actually working.
When boards and staff operate as true partners, sharing information, listening to each other, and making decisions together, organizations make better decisions and build stronger cultures.
A few signs of a healthy board-staff dynamic:
- Staff (not JUST the CEO) have opportunities to share updates and insights at board meetings
- Board members ask questions and listen before making decisions
- Leadership decisions consider input from the people closest to the work
This doesn't mean the board loses its governance role. It means everyone's voice has a place at the table – and the board gets the benefit of hearing more about the realities of the work going on everyday.
When you shift the way you think about revenue, your people, and your board, you shift what's possible for your organization. And ultimately, for the communities you serve.
Try it this week 🚀
Which of these three mindset shifts resonates most with you right now? Or is there one that feels particularly challenging?
