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There once was a little girl whose grandfather took her fishing. She loved being out on the lake. He patiently taught her how to bait, cast and reel them in. But the little girl noticed that her grandfather threw all the large fish back into the lake, and he only kept the smaller ones.

When she asked him why, he laughed and said, “I can’t seem to find my large frying pan. The one I have is only 7 inches, and so I can only fit the small fish in there.”

Do you ever feel like your non-profit has only 7-inch frying pans? Do you throw out some of the big ideas before you even get to try them on?

We raised $5.7 million.

OR

We raised $5.7 million!

Why does one character change that statement so much?

Anticipation is at its peak, the play is about to happen, and the whistle blows. The referee’s voice echoes across the stadium: False start.

Five-yard penalty. The opportunity to move the ball is hampered. This might even lead to a turnover. 

False starts are common in many sports. In football, they are the top cause of penalties. And guess what? False starts happen in nonprofits too.

Organizational false starts might not be in adrenaline-pumping moments. But they can cost your nonprofit significant time, lost motivation, and wasted staff and volunteer energy. 

We’re proud of the work we do to help nonprofits thrive. But we’re REALLY proud of the work our clients do to improve life for others.

Every day we are inspired by their vision, leadership and commitment to making the world a better place.

Here’s one of those stories.