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What Season is Your Nonprofit In? (And What To Do In Each Stage) |
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Organizations are like gardens. They need different things at different times to help them grow and flourish.
Is your organization a new seedling just breaking through the soil, a tangle of fast-growing branches, flowers in full bloom, or in need of a thoughtful pruning to stay healthy for the long run?
As the year winds down, let’s take a moment to pause, take a breath, and look at your nonprofit with fresh eyes. 👀
In this week’s Changemaker Mondays ☀️ ☕ 🌍, I’m walking you through the four “seasons” of a nonprofit and what strategies to focus on in each one, so you can prepare for the year ahead with clarity and confidence.
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Changemaker Mondays is brought to you by:
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Season 1: Seedling 🌱
Your nonprofit is just beginning to take root.
This is the season of big dreams, fresh energy, and figuring things out as you go. Maybe you’re finalizing your mission, assembling your founding board, or mapping out your very first programs. Everything feels exciting…and a little overwhelming.
How to know you’re here: You’re clarifying your mission, gathering your first supporters, and setting the foundation for what comes next.
What to focus on now: The most critical thing you can do in this season is plant strong roots. Make sure your mission is crystal clear, get the right early board members around the table, and experiment with 2-3 fundraising methods that match your mission, model, and skillsets. These pieces will shape everything that grows later.
A little intention now goes a long way when the busy year ahead starts blooming.
2. Growing Season 🌿
This is the season when your work starts gaining momentum. Programs are running, people are engaging, and you’re learning what works as you go.
How to know you’re here:
- You’re delivering programs and gathering feedback
- You’re refining early systems (volunteers, tech tools, workflows)
- You’re experimenting with what fundraising approaches work best
What to focus on now:
- Strengthen your programs by tracking participation and feedback so you can improve quickly.
- Build simple systems and automate what you can. Choose one foundational system, such as donor tracking or accounting, and make sure it works smoothly.
- Refine your fundraising: Notice what supporters respond to and adjust your strategy accordingly.
3. Blooming Season 🌸
Things feel…good. Your programs are running smoothly, you have a rhythm with fundraising, and your team feels more confident in their roles. You’re no longer building the basics, you’re strengthening what’s working.
How to know you’re here:
- Your programs are consistent and clearly making an impact
- Your board and/or staff are stable and supportive
- You have repeat donors, partners, or volunteers
- Your systems mostly run without crisis-mode energy
What to focus on now:
- Plan for sustainability: This is a great moment to revisit or refresh your strategic plan and look 1–5 years ahead.
- Support your leaders: Invest in leadership development or succession planning to keep the mission strong, even through transitions.
- Stay visible: Keep nurturing community partnerships so your mission doesn’t fade into the background.
💡 Tip: To get ready for the new year, schedule one short planning session with your team to look ahead. Ask: What needs to stay the same and what needs to evolve for us to keep blooming as we move into a new year?
4. Pruning Season 🍂
Just like a healthy tree still needs a little trimming, even a well-established nonprofit reaches moments when it must reassess, refine, or release what isn’t working anymore.
How to know you’re here:
- Your programs run smoothly, but growth has slowed
- The team feels stretched or stuck in old routines
- Community needs are shifting
- You sense that “what got us here won’t get us there.”
What to focus on now:
- Trim what’s no longer effective: Review programs, systems, or commitments that drain time without creating impact.
- Make room for new ideas: Explore fresh approaches, updated tools, and emerging trends (such as AI or new fundraising methods).
- Listen closely to the community: Their feedback is critical to point you toward the next version of your mission.
Just like in nature, seasons shift. Your nonprofit may move in and out of these phases many times. Each one simply tells you what your organization needs at this moment — focus, growth, clarity, or renewal.
🎥 Want to explore the full nonprofit life cycle?
These four are just the beginning. I break down all seven stages in this video.
Watch the episode: The Nonprofit Life Cycle: What Stage Are You?
Try it this week 🚀
With a warm drink in hand, ask yourself: What season does my nonprofit feel like it’s in right now? Then jot down one small action you can take this month to support that season. Maybe it’s clarifying a process, checking in with a volunteer, or pausing to evaluate a program. Small steps now can make the next season a little smoother.
Hit Reply
Which season does your nonprofit feel like it’s in today? Hit reply and share your thoughts! It’s always inspiring to hear where you are on your journey.
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- Due by December 31: Walmart Foundation's Spark Good Local Grants support local organizations that meet the unique needs of the communities where Walmart operates. Each year, Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs and Distribution Centers award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5000.
- Due by December 31: Earth Rising Foundation seeks to amplify existing and emerging voices demanding a future based on cooperation and care for each other and the planet. Grants of up to $20,000 are available to nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored individuals and groups based in the U.S. for efforts around the globe.
- Ongoing: The Pollination Project runs a Daily Grant program, making microgrants of up to $500 each each day to help kickstart a volunteer’s or grassroots organization’s work. All qualified applicants in any funding area are considered within the guidelines of this program.
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Join me in Sacramento in March 2026! I'll be hanging out with fellow changemakers at the 2026 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement, March 18–20, at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova. Hundreds of volunteer engagement professionals from across the country are coming together for three days of connection, learning, and inspiration. The Summit brings together practitioners, thought leaders, and partners who are shaping the future of volunteerism. Register by the early bird deadline (January 15) to access discounted flights, housing, and Early Bird pricing.
Keep an eye out for future workshops and events open to the public! In the mean time, need an event speaker or workshop trainer? Learn more about my workshops and other services.
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Enjoy this week's newsletter? You might find this video helpful, too.
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3 more ways I can help you
- I have lots of free content for you! Check out my library of 400+ educational videos on nonprofits, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, and more on my YouTube channel. If you like what I'm trying to do, help me reach more people like you by subscribing to the channel and sharing it with a changemaker friend! 😁
- Need extra support to build or grow a nonprofit or social enterprise? Check out my Changemaker Accelerator membership. Learn more and join.
- Need a speaker or training workshop for your social impact event? I'm currently booking 2026 speaking engagements -- check out my speaking and workshop opportunities to learn how I can help you make your event inspiring and actionable!
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Hey, Changemaker!
I'm Amber, writer of the Changemaker Mondays newsletter! I'm a nonprofit founder, speaker, and social entrepreneur on a mission to equip you with the tools you need to create positive change where ever you live -- whether you're starting a nonprofit or socially-conscious business, looking for a social impact job, or leading a volunteer project in your city. Don't hesitate to connect (socials below), or reply to this email if you ever have any feedback on how we can make Changemaker Mondays the best newsletter for supporting changemakers in the world!
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