How Newly Formed Nonprofits Can Build Their Capacity and Scale Impact

Resilia’s core mission is to help nonprofits build platforms that will allow them to secure support from grantors and scale impact as much as possible. Oxfam’s Joi Owens, Esq. and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Adam Liebling have spent their careers helping organizations execute programs, develop their internal capacity, and secure funding. In this conversation, they discuss how nonprofits can work more collaboratively, develop actionable plans, and build a narrative around their successes.

For our most recent Office Hours, Resilia’s Alaysia Brown sat down with two leading experts on nonprofit formation and development: Joi Owens, Esq., Senior Policy Adviser at Oxfam, and Adam Liebling, Director of Grants Management at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Joi and Adam discussed the necessity of collaboration for scaling impact, how nonprofits can build their capacity and develop practical plans for the implementation of their programs, and the creation of data-driven narratives that will appeal to grantors (as well as the communities they serve) and increase the possibility of receiving financial support. These are the ways newly formed nonprofits can build a solid foundation for the future. 

• Think collaboratively instead of competitively. While nonprofits sometimes have to compete for grants and other resources, it has never been more important for grantors and the organizations they support to identify areas where they can pool resources and work toward collective impact. As Adam explains, “I see the future of philanthropy as funds using their wealth and power to strengthen networks.” Joi echoes this point: “When nonprofits are competitive and territorial, it inhibits what the sector is capable of being. It all intersects – we’re more effective when we’re united.” 

• Develop a plan as early as possible. Rigorous planning is essential for many of a nonprofit’s core functions, from fundraising to accountability. For example, before an organization can track and report its impact (which is becoming increasingly vital to grantors), it needs to establish concrete outcomes and metrics for achieving them. Adam points out that formal plans make the leaders of organizations “think about your mission, how you go about operationalizing your work, and how your values come in.” Joi observes that planning is critical for bringing in the right people – particularly those who can fundraise: “Expertise and knowledge is really important. You want someone who’s able to go into a room and advocate on your behalf to get resources. Your ability to carry out your day-to-day operations is dependent on receiving funding, so you need people who are able to secure it.”

• Figure out how to tell your story. Joi and Adam both emphasize the importance of crafting and sharing a narrative about the impact an organization is having in the community. As Joi puts it, “There are so many nonprofits doing amazing work, but they’re not known.” This is why she urges nonprofits to “Document, document, document. Be on social media, have a blog, provide reports – there needs to be a link that can lead people to what you’re doing.” Joi explains that the ability to collect and share data is a crucial part of storytelling, but she also notes that organizations have to be capable of managing expectations: “Be realistic with your goals. I say ‘realistic’ very intentionally – they can still be very ambitious, but you have to be clear on what counts as a policy win … Define goals on the front end so funders know what you’re attempting to do and what a win looks like.” Adam reiterated this point: “Educate the funder that some of what you’re trying to accomplish is long-term – it’s movement building, it’s community power.”

The nonprofit sector has been through one of its most difficult years in a long time – organizations that were already operating on thin margins saw revenues plummet, while demand for their services surged as we navigated the effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic. However, 2020 has also been a reminder that nonprofits provide the vital infrastructure of support for communities across the country. This is why nonprofits, grantors, and community stakeholders should listen closely to experts like Joi and Adam, who understand what it takes for organizations to build a solid foundation that will help them scale impact for years to come.