In this honest note, CEO Greg Petersen explores the challenges and the opportunities facing nonprofits in 2025, from navigating leadership transitions to forging bold partnerships.

Understanding the core purpose of your organization—the "why"—is fundamental to its success, as it helps align your team, guides decision-making, and fosters a deeper connection to the mission. Read our actionable overview of how to develop your organization’s “why.”

2024 has been a year defined by dynamic collaborations and transformative impact. We leaned into collaboration as a powerful strategy to help nonprofits strike a balance between their mission and strategic business solutions, achieving sustainable impact.

A strong organizational culture helps ensure that your mission, values, and vision are shared and embraced by all stakeholders. Here’s a framework that addresses both staff and board roles in fostering a cohesive, aligned, strong organizational culture.

Having a robust partnership and merger strategy is essential not only for growing your organization's impact but also for addressing uncertainties, changing funding environments, a shifting political landscape, and regulatory challenges. Here are our tips for developing your partnership and merger strategy.

Maintaining the financial health of a nonprofit organization can be challenging due to fluctuating funding sources, burdensome regulatory requirements, and continual economic uncertainties. Understanding and regularly assessing these key financial health metrics is crucial for ensuring your organization’s long-term ability to execute its mission.

With the right mindset and approach, you can transform the daunting task of risk management into an opportunity for growth and innovation, ensuring your nonprofit remains resilient and focused on its mission.

Effective collaboration can drive meaningful change, maximize impact, and foster innovation. Here are some key insights on how to cultivate collaborative leadership at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the nonprofit sector, resilience building has emerged as a crucial trend to watch in FY 2025. Here are three ways to build resilience and examples of Illinois nonprofits leading the way.

Explore the key drivers propelling nonprofits towards digital transformation and provide real-world examples of organizations that have successfully navigated this digital shift.

Nonprofits are increasingly recognizing the value of collaboration to amplify their impact, extend their reach, and optimize resources. This can manifest as shared services, joint programming, or even mergers. Read on to understand what’s driving this trend.

Structuring strategic partnerships requires careful planning and consideration – logistically and emotionally. Here are what we’ve learned should be key considerations for smooth transitions in a strategic partnership.

Partnership feasibility assessments are a pivotal part of the collaboration process. Learn more about the role of a feasibility assessment and what areas of consideration can be included in one.

Embarking on a partnership journey requires a well-defined path. Our 6-step Collaboration Process guides organizations through the intricate landscape of forming strategic partnerships, not only ensuring compatibility and strategic fit but also paving the way for successful and sustainable collaborations.

When leaders face challenges within their organizations, understanding the full scope of these issues is crucial. That’s where Mission + Strategy comes in. Learn more about how our discovery process can illuminate your path forward.

Navigating the complexities of the digital landscape presents unique challenges for nonprofits striving to fulfill their missions effectively. In this article, we'll explore the top five nonprofit IT roadblocks and strategies to overcome them.

How can your financial approach work for you instead of constantly chasing resources? Here are the strategies we recommend all leaders consider as they review and design their organization’s finances.

As you engage in strategic planning, you need to ask yourself and your stakeholders some essential questions that will help you define your impact, strengths, priorities, and measures of success.

As a nonprofit leader, you have a passion for making a difference in the world. You have a vision of how you want to improve the lives of your beneficiaries and the community. But how do you turn your vision into reality? That’s where strategic planning comes in.

Organizational values are your ethical and moral compass and the foundation of your decision-making process. Understand what values are and the role they play, plus get our four tips for defining your organization’s core values.