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Are you a nonprofit leader who is looking for real insight into how to successfully startup, fundraise for, or successfully lead your nonprofit organization. If you answered yes, this podcast is for you.
In this podcast you will discover:
1. What a nonprofit really is;
2. Grant tips; and,
3. Ways to raise money for your nonprofit
I share with you how I have raised hundreds of millions of dollars stretching beyond traditional grants, and trained thousands of organizations across the globe.
Sign up for my newsletter.
Http://Bit.ly/jnnpodcastlist
In this podcast you will discover:
1. What a nonprofit really is;
2. Grant tips; and,
3. Ways to raise money for your nonprofit
I share with you how I have raised hundreds of millions of dollars stretching beyond traditional grants, and trained thousands of organizations across the globe.
Sign up for my newsletter.
Http://Bit.ly/jnnpodcastlist
97 Episodes
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When I say the word "infrastructure," it may not immediately resonate with you. And the reason is simple: when many nonprofit leaders start their organizations, no one ever talks to them about infrastructure. They talk about passion. They talk about programs. They talk about impact. But very few people explain the internal structure that allows a nonprofit to operate, grow, and sustain its work over time.
Today I want to talk about the visible and invisible work of running a nonprofit. People see the program. They see the events. They see the impact photos. But they don't see the systems, the compliance, the financial tracking, the reporting, the board management, the donor communication, the strategic planning — all the invisible work that keeps the organization alive. If you've ever felt like you're carrying more than people realize, you are. But here's the key: the invisible work isn't extra. It's essential. Impact is what the world sees. Operations are what make it possible.
If you're thinking about starting a nonprofit or you've just started one, I want you to pause and ask yourself one question: Are you building this for impact today, or sustainability tomorrow? Starting is easy. Sustaining is leadership. If you want your nonprofit to grow, last, and be trusted by funders, sustainability cannot be an afterthought. It must be part of the foundation. Build it to last. Not just to launch.
f you have passion for a cause, that's powerful. But passion alone will not make your nonprofit sustainable, and it will not make it fundable. So today, I want to walk you through what a 12-month roadmap looks like for turning your passion into a fundable nonprofit organization. This is not about rushing. It's about building correctly. If you've started with heart but want to move toward sustainability, this roadmap will help you think differently about your first year.
When I say "operate your nonprofit organization," I'm not just talking about delivering programs. I'm talking about operating everything inside the organization that ensures it has what it needs to continue doing the work — consistently and sustainably. Your programs are the expression of your mission. But your operations are what protect it. If you've been working hard but constantly feeling stretched, unstable, or reactive, this conversation will help you see what might be missing inside the structure.
Today, I want to talk about how to position your organization to receive grants, and not just apply for them. There's a difference. Many organizations submit grant applications before they are actually positioned to be approved. If you've been applying and hearing no (or not hearing anything at all), this conversation will help you step back and assess whether your organization is truly positioned for funding. Before you apply again, make sure you're built to be funded.
I want to challenge something I hear all the time: "We don't have funding." But here's the truth: not having funding is a symptom. When funding isn't coming in, it usually means something critical wasn't put together for the funder to see, receive, or understand before they were asked to give. If you've been saying, "We just need money," this conversation will help you pause and ask a better question: What haven't we positioned correctly? Because when you fix the foundation, the funding follows.
Today I want to talk about something nonprofit leaders are rarely taught: how funders calculate risk before they fund your organization. Funding decisions are not emotional. They are calculated. If you've ever wondered why you keep getting polite rejections or no response at all, this conversation will help you understand what's happening behind closed doors. Funders don't avoid good missions. They avoid unmanaged risk. And once you understand how risk is calculated, you can start positioning your nonprofit to feel safe, stable, and investable.
I hear nonprofit leaders say this all the time: "We just need to become more fundable." But when I ask what that actually means, most people can't clearly explain it. So today, I want to talk about what fundable really means — not from the nonprofit's perspective, but from the funder's. If you've been doing the work but still not seeing consistent funding, this conversation will help you identify the real gap. Fundable is not a label. It's a position you build into your organization. And once you understand that, everything shifts.
I hear this question constantly: "Where is the money?" Because from your side, it can feel like funding has dried up, donors have disappeared, and grants are harder than ever to secure. But I can tell you this clearly that the money didn't disappear. Funding doesn't move randomly. It moves toward clarity, structure, and reduced risk. If you've been working hard but still wondering why the money isn't reaching your organization, this conversation will help you see what funders see — and what needs to shift. The money is there. The question is whether you're positioned for it.
Today I want to talk about something that might challenge you a little bit. Funders do care about your story. They care about the people you serve. They care about impact. But they invest in systems. After nearly 40 years in the nonprofit space, I've watched organizations tell powerful, emotional stories — and still walk away without funding. Not because the story wasn't strong. But because the structure behind it wasn't. If you've been leading with story but struggling with sustainability, this conversation will help you understand what funders are actually evaluating. Stories open hearts. Systems open checkbooks. And if you want funding to be consistent, you have to build what makes you safe to invest in.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧 3 Days to Build It Right — Before You Try to Fund It Houston, TX May 6–8, 2026 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM HOSTED BY Jennifer Yarbrough Nonprofit Strategist | Trainer | Grant & Fundraising Expert Founder, Fundable By Design Podcast REGISTER NOW! 👉🏾 bit.ly/fundablenonprofitsummit
I'm often asked, "What should we be doing before we get our first grant?" And the truth is, what happens before that first grant matters more than the grant itself. If you're waiting on your first grant and wondering why it hasn't happened yet, this conversation will help you understand what needs to come first — and how to build it the right way. Grants don't build organizations. Prepared organizations earn grants.
If you're paying for your nonprofit out of your own pocket, I want you to know something first: you're not alone. I see this all the time. Passionate leaders quietly covering costs, filling gaps, and telling themselves it's just "for now." But the truth is, most nonprofit founders were never taught why this happens or how to stop it. If you're tired of carrying the organization on your back and want to build something that can actually sustain itself, this conversation will help you understand what's missing and what to do next. Your mission deserves support. So do you.
If you've ever applied for funding and received a rejection email… or a generic "we went in another direction"… or no response at all, then this conversation is for you. In this video, I talk directly to nonprofit leaders who have done the work, submitted the applications, waited patiently, and still heard no. I share what those rejections usually mean, what funders are really saying (even when they don't explain it), and why rejection is often about positioning and readiness, not worth or effort.
Let's talk about next steps. If you've been learning, listening, and realizing that something needs to change in how your organization is set up, this video is about moving from awareness to action. In this conversation, I walk you through how I think about positioning an organization to be fully funded within the next 90 days, not through wishful thinking, but through clarity, structure, and alignment.
I see this mistake over and over again: smart, passionate leaders working hard and still not getting the results they want. And the problem usually isn't effort. It's understanding. If you've felt like you're doing everything you're "supposed" to do but nothing is clicking, this conversation will help you identify where the misunderstanding started and how to realign. You don't need to work harder. You need to understand better.
There are two hats you wear. You wear a program hat, and you wear an administrative entity hat. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything and still falling behind, this conversation will help you understand what's really happening and how to lead more effectively. You don't need to do more. You need to lead differently.
I want to say this plainly, because I've seen the cost of it for decades: passion is not a plan. If you care deeply about your mission but feel like you're working nonstop with little progress, this isn't a motivation problem. It's a planning problem, and that's fixable. Passion starts the work. A plan is what makes it sustainable.
I hear nonprofit leaders say it all the time: "Once we're fully funded, everything will be fine." But after nearly 40 years in the nonprofit space, I can tell you this: most people don't actually know what fully funded means. In this episode, I break down what being fully funded really looks like from an operational and funder perspective, not just a hopeful one. If you're bringing in some money but still feel stretched, overwhelmed, or uncertain, this conversation will help you understand what's missing, and what to build next. Fully funded isn't a feeling. It's a system.
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