Good Work for Nonprofits

Run your mission like it matters—without running your people into the ground.

Your Challenge

Nonprofits are asked to do heroic work on fragile infrastructure. Leaders juggle funder demands, program growth, and thin margins while trying to protect staff from burnout.

I built the Good Work Agenda for organizations like yours: mission-driven, resource-constrained, and serious about treating people fairly while delivering reliable impact.

Group of volunteers smiling and talking inside a warehouse, some wearing blue and green volunteer shirts, surrounded by shelves and supplies.
Silhouette of a man sitting at a desk in front of a computer, with his head bowed and hands on his head, in a dimly lit room with large windows showing an evening sky.

The Pressure Nonprofits Are Under

You’re not imagining it—this is what most nonprofit leaders describe:

  • Ever-expanding program and grant commitments on the same small team

  • Unstable funding and restrictive overhead limits that starve internal capacity

  • Talented staff burning out or leaving just as they hit their stride

  • A constant sense that the mission is bigger than the operating system underneath it

You can’t fix that by working harder. You fix it by changing how the work is set up and run.

How the Good Work Agenda Helps Nonprofits

For nonprofits, the Good Work Agenda is a way to align mission, people, and money so that programs are sustainable rather than fragile.

We focus on:

  • Fair Work Basics – Clear roles, humane workloads, brave conversations about what’s realistic, and conditions where staff and key volunteers can flag risks early.

  • Capacity Before Commitments – Matching grant, campaign, and program promises to real staff hours and cash; creating a habit of “stop/slow/start” decisions instead of piling on.

  • Good Work Routines – Simple rhythms (weekly operating meetings, launch/debrief practices) that keep programs on track and make learning from experience part of the job.

  • People & Systems Budgeting – Treating staff development, systems, and reserves as core to mission, not optional “overhead.”

A group of people wearing colorful sweaters is stacking their hands together in a show of unity.

What We Work On Together

Depending on where you are, our work might include:

  • Clarifying organizational priorities so staff know what truly comes first

  • Resetting workload norms and expectations across teams

  • Designing a weekly operating cadence that connects programs, development, and finance

  • Building a more honest picture of true program costs and capacity

  • Supporting managers to give clearer direction and better feedback

When the Good Work Agenda is in place, nonprofits typically see:

  • Fewer dropped balls and scramble moments around grants and campaigns

  • Staff who speak up earlier about risks and capacity, instead of silently burning out

  • Program plans that match the people and budget you actually have

  • Clearer stories for funders about what it really takes to deliver your mission

If you’re tired of succeeding on fumes, let’s talk about what a Good Work Agenda could look like for your organization.

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