Ep. 189: The Habit That Grows Your Nonprofit’s Funding (But Almost No Leaders Practice It)
EPISODE 189
The Habit That Grows Your Nonprofit’s Funding (But Almost No Leaders Practice It)
About the Episode:
If your nonprofit feels stuck at the same funding level year after year, the problem might not actually be your donors. It might be your calendar.
In this episode, I’m introducing a leadership habit I call CEO Time. It’s the protected time where nonprofit leaders step out of the constant reaction cycle and focus on the work that actually generates revenue.
Too often, nonprofit leaders spend their weeks managing operations, responding to emails, preparing board materials, and solving daily problems. All of that work matters, but none of it directly builds the funding pipeline that allows an organization to grow. CEO Time is different. It’s where leaders focus on donor conversations, relationship-building, partnerships, campaign strategy, and the work that drives real fundraising momentum.
I’m sharing why so many nonprofits plateau financially, even when their missions are powerful, how leadership time gets misallocated, and what happens when leaders begin to protect even a few hours each week for revenue-generating work. If you’ve ever ended the day exhausted but unsure whether you actually moved your organization forward, this episode will help you rethink how leadership time shapes your nonprofit’s future funding.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Why many nonprofits plateau financially despite strong missions
The concept of CEO Time and why it matters for nonprofit growth
How operational overload prevents leaders from focusing on revenue
The difference between busy work and revenue-generating leadership work
The burnout cycle caused by constant reaction and operational pressure
Strategic activities that actually build funding pipelines
Donor conversations and relationship-building as revenue drivers
Why courage and boundaries are essential leadership skills
How protecting strategic time can rebuild fundraising momentum
How the SPRINT Method™ supports focused fundraising campaigns
It’s not your stories—it’s how you’re telling them. If your amazing work isn’t getting the attention (and donations) it deserves, it’s time for a messaging shift. The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide guide gives you 10 done-for-you donor prompts to make your message impossible to ignore. Get it for free here! https://christinaedwards.krtra.com/t/xKuLs6tOiPZa
Christina’s Favorite Takeaways:
“The leader of the organization is spending almost none of their time in revenue-generating work.”
“Managing people doesn't drive revenue. Reports don't drive revenue.”
“CEO time is where the leader takes off every other hat, and they put on their revenue hat.”
“Funding momentum begins in relationships and in strategy.”
“When leaders start to protect their CEO time, the first shift we see is pipeline.”
“The structure matters less than the commitment.”
“Strong and courageous leadership requires boundaries.”
“Bringing in more funding requires courage. It isn't always comfy and cozy.”
FREE Resources from Splendid Consulting:
How to Work with Christina and Splendid Consulting:
$10K in 10 Days: The SPRINT Campaign™ to Fund Q1 - Fast, Online, and Without Events or Grants
Double Your Donations - Raise More From Your Laptop Without Chasing Grants or Galas
Easy Emails For Impact™ - Turn Your Inbox into an Income Stream
Donations on Demand: Build a $5K Email Campaign System in 30 min/week
The SPRINT Method™ - Fundraise Like a Pro, 5 Figures At a Time
Connect with Christina and Splendid Consulting:
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Christina Edwards 00:30
if your nonprofit, feels stuck at the same revenue level year after year, the problem might not actually be your donors. It might be your calendar. Most leaders are spending their week reacting to emails, requests, operational noise while work that actually grows the organization's revenue never gets protected time, and that's what we're digging into today. This concept of CEO time, the leadership habit almost no one talks about in our sector. So there's a leadership habit that determines whether or not a nonprofit grows or quietly plateaus or actually starts to dip in funding. And this concept is CEO time. It's something that I created as a re as an answer, a reaction, to this rampant problem in our sector. And if you're listening and thinking, I've never heard of that, what are you talking about? You're not alone. Or you may have an idea of like a CEO in a pantsuit, doing something, presenting to a chamber of commerce, that's not it either. So most nonprofits don't even realize that this is a huge part of their fundraising problem. And if they are aware, if you are having a sense of like, I think I know what she's talking about, you're still diagnosing the wrong issue. Because when revenue stalls, the assumption is we need more donors, we need better events, we need a bigger email list, we need to try harder, we need to do more. But the real issue is actually the real answer is actually much simpler. The leader of the organization is spending almost none of their time in revenue generating work, and I'm going to share with you what that looks like and what that doesn't look like today. This podcast was inspired by a recent coaching call I had with my sprinters inside the sprint method, and we teach a concept of CEO time. And one of the executive directors in there was like, I need some help with this. Here's what I'm running into, and it was one of my favorite coaching calls we've had in a while, because everyone was nodding along. And if I may go on a tangent and say that is really the magic of group coaching, because somebody says something, and it wasn't even something you were planning on getting coached on today, but simply by listening, you're like, I'm doing that immediately. I am taking that on immediately that's going to change my life. And so when somebody brings up something that might be a little bit scary or intimidating or vulnerable, and everyone else in the room is like, Yes, me too, I'm struggling with this, that's when the magic of group coaching really happens, and that's when you see that real change happen. So let's dig into what leadership looks like for most nonprofits, leadership looks like if you're the executive director, the CEO, meetings, staff management, reports, operation, approving decisions, getting the board packet ready, many times too, if you are a solo led organization, or if you are have a small team, you are an admin, I almost said admin health, you're in a lot of admin. There's a lot of admin happening, right? And all of this work is important, yes, but none of it actually drives revenue. Managing people doesn't drive revenue. Reports don't drive revenue. Looking backwards at data doesn't drive revenue, getting the board packet together doesn't drive revenue, ordering more printer ink doesn't drive raw revenue, calling the HVAC guy to come fix the heat doesn't drive more revenue. You with me? CEO time is different.
Christina Edwards 05:02
CEO time is any activity that actually creates future revenue. And that future revenue, by the way, could be today. It's not like future revenue three years from now, future revenue, like in a minute. It can be either okay if it doesn't move the pipeline, expand relationships or generate funding momentum. It's not CEO time. If it's tinkering with a Canva graphic, it's not CEO time. And the problem is that most leaders are spending 90% of the week doing everything except this CEO time. And it's not your fault. It's systemic. It is because many organizations are doing the job of multiple people, right? Your role could easily be filled by two other staffers, right? And so there is truly a lot on your plate, and CEO time gives you the your power back, your autonomy back, and helps you be a more decisive and courageous leader and a more well funded organization. So let's talk about the trap like, why are we in this cycle? We're in this cycle because the nonprofit leader is drowning in inputs. Your inbox is fuller than ever. Your slack or tech text messages or WhatsApp threads are constant. Your to do list grows faster than you can clear it, so reacting becomes the default you sit at your desk and you're like, what do we got today? And before you can even go look at your to do list and take that thing off the list, 10 things happen, and you're in reaction mode. That reaction mode becomes the default answer, the email review the design, get back to the board, President, approve the brochure. That responsiveness feels productive, but that responsiveness doesn't drive revenue forward, and that's the trap. That's the cycle that you're stuck in, and so many leaders are stuck in. You can work incredibly hard all day and still do nothing that grows the revenue, and that, my friend, is where the burnout comes in, is because you hang your hat on the day you are absolutely zapped done, and your to do list is the same. You still need to call that funder, you still need to have that donor meeting. You still have that group of 20 laps donors from last year on your to do list, call lapsed donors, right? None of that has moved.
Christina Edwards 07:54
the real issue isn't laziness or lack of motivation. It's this misallocated attention and this cycle, this cycle is now part of the culture of the organization that leaders are spending the majority of their time reacting to operational needs. Your program manager needs you that you know somebody called and you have to respond right away. Somebody is having trouble with their credit card. You are admin, you are Director of Operations, you are director of programs, or all of the things. So you're sending donation receipts at answering emails, reviewing those marketing materials, troubleshooting operational issues. And those needs feel urgent, right? They feel urgent, but they're not growing the revenue. Meanwhile, let's talk about what what activities do grow the revenue, what happens during that? CEO time, courage, focus, decisiveness, boundaries, strategic thinking. And these are a lot easier to postpone. These are a lot easier to put off so that cycle repeats, react, respond, react again.
Christina Edwards 09:26
the pipeline slowly dries up. And the real cost here is that avoiding CEO time doesn't just slow growth, it introduces that burnout, right? It doesn't feel good to feel like you're not moving the needle for your impact, right for your organization. I had a webinar recently, and one of the questions that I asked attendees was this idea of like, do you wish? Do you believe your mission is meant for more could impact so many, so many more people than it could right now? And the chat was flooded with yeses, yeah. Says and generating more revenue, bringing in more donations, helps to make that happen. It's an important driver of whether or not that's happening for your organization, whether or not you can expand or add a new program. So let's talk about the plateaus. Revenue stops growing. Momentum slows. The leader starts to feel exhausted. Your team starts to feel exhausted. Your volunteers might feel exhausted. That constant working cycle is happening, but nothing actually feels like you're moving forward. I always picture being in a swimming pool, treading water. You are like, burning calories, you are moving your body, your muscles are tiring, and you haven't moved an inch. Eventually, one of two things happened, especially for founder led organizations, this is a big one, and it bums me out so hard they give up, they stall out. You never really. They kind of go quietly into the night. I find this very rampant with newer like under 10 year old, founder led nonprofits, you just give up, and it's no wonder. Of course you give up. Or I see this happen a lot too. We see leaders leave the sector. They'll do one of two things. They'll just move to another job. They'll move to another nonprofit, maybe one that has a little bit more systems in place, a little more a little more processes, a little more support. Or worse, the part that bums me out too. They leave the sector. They leave social impact. They go to the other side, they go to corporate, they go to for profit sector, right? And it's like, we need you. We need the talent here, and I don't want that to happen to you. So we're going to talk about what to do instead. CEO time is where the leader takes off every other hat that I have outlined, and they put on their revenue hat. And let me tell you, this hat has a lot of bravery. It has to it's like your brave, courageous, like it's, it's that spicy hat, right? It's that side of you, this protected time is where you focus on what creates the future of the organization. So here are some of those activities, donor conversations, relationship building, partnership, development, campaign strategy, building your next sprint campaign, creating the story, the messaging, bringing in your peer partners, your audience amplifiers for visibility and outreach, pipeline development. This is where funding momentum actually begins. It's not in the inbox, it's not in operations. It's not buying more toner for your printer. It's in relationships and in strategy. And let me tell you, this takes a lot of guts, because it is a lot easier in the courage department, not in the time department, in the courage department, to tinker with emails, to tinker with Canva graphics, to apply for another grant, to work on your whatever admin something, than it is to do these activities. These, take guts, these, take courage, these, take commitment. And that is why we focus on CEO time. It's its own module inside the sprint method, so that when organizations join sprint, they come to me, and one of the biggest challenges they name isn't the strategy, it's this overwhelm. It's this cycle. They don't really have a name for it, and I'm like, CEO time, go to that module I got you. And it requires that self accountability. It requires, you know, blocking CEO time, which sounds simple, blocking CEO time. Sure, I'm going to do that, but simple doesn't mean easy. It actually requires a lot of boundaries. Requires telling people I'm not available right now, I can't do that right now. That's going to have to have to wait. It requires resistance the urge to jump into operational problems. Huge one, because you are in a cycle, a wear, well worn habit. Imagine if all of a sudden, I was like, from now on, you're going to brush your teeth in the middle of the day at 12 o'clock, like that would be a whole new habit. Even though it's technically pretty simple, it's just like everybody knows how to brush their teeth. Now I'm worried to brush it in the middle of the day, you're going to fail. You're going to not want to do it. It is not familiar. It's going to seem out of context. And that's about what this feels like, too. Where you're like, Oh, I'd rather just do this other stuff, right? So it requires resisting that urge, it stretches you. But when leaders start to protect their CEO time, the first shift we see is pipeline. It's so good. Conversations start happening. Partnerships begin forming. Funding starts coming in, momentum starts building. One question that I commonly hear is, how much CEO time should should I have, how much do I need? Some leaders protect a few hours a week. Some block multiple sessions. Some have an entire CEO day. There is no one size fits all. I say this because, is there a one size fits all? Marketing book, one size fits all. Fundraising book, No, we all have different lives. We have sprinters. Members who do this part time, who have full time other jobs. We have sprinters who are doing this full time, and they're they have different needs, right? And so you get to decide what works for you inside sprint, we actually support multiple tracks, because leaders can operate in those different realities, right? Some are caretaking, some are not. Some are traveling, some are not. So you get to decide the structure matters less than the commitment. Hear me on that. What matters is that the time exists number one, and that is protected, that you hold yourself to that protected time. Sometimes we need to treat it like a doctor's appointment. Like, would you just, like, make a doctor's appointment and then just not show up? No, because they're gonna call you and they're going to say, here's a bill, right? We're treating it with that level of protection.
Christina Edwards 15:50
Now, if you're saying, Christina, this is great and all, but I'm too busy, or it's just never going to work for me, or people are always interrupting me and calling me, or I have to put these fires out. I hear you. That's why CEO time matters, because if you're constantly stuck in that reaction cycle, you will never build the revenue pipeline that reduces that pressure. Can we please hire somebody to help you with this admin stuff? Yes, but what do we need to hire? We need money. We need money to hire. Or if you say, I feel guilty or mean for blocking time or telling people No, that leadership strong, courageous leadership, requires boundaries. The 10 year CEO version of you leading a multi million dollar organization is absolutely having these boundaries and having these conversations. Because remember, if everything is urgent, nothing is strategic. If everything is on fire, nothing is on fire. If you're thinking, This feels uncomfortable, yeah, it is. That is a sign we're moving in the right direction. Bringing in more funding requires courage. It isn't always comfy and cozy. So that discomfort is a signal you're moving in the right direction, you're going towards the CEO work that is so so important. Organizations don't plateau because the mission stopped mattering, or because the mission people stopped caring. They plateau because leadership moved away from breaking in funding, doing this courageous, deep work. And they plateau because they thought I'm being responsive. It feels productive. My Week is jam packed full of stuff, but that stuff didn't create revenue, so you need to protect your CEO time. You can use our system. We have an entire system. You can come get coaching and say, Okay, I tried it. Here's what I'm running into. That's why we love coaching so much. This is what we teach and support you in inside the sprint method. And if you're listening and saying, how do I actually do it? Like I need more, I'm teaching a free class in just a few weeks. It's called 10k in 10 days. So I will show you how to create a sprint campaign that is fast, online, without events, without grants, without anything extra. This is perfect for the solo LED or small shop organization, you can go to splendid courses.com, forward slash, 10k to sign up for free. All right, CEO hat, put it on. You're putting it on while you're listening to this podcast. That's for sure. I'm cheering you on. I'll see you in the next one.