People sometimes ask me why I haven’t just started my own nonprofit. For someone who has dedicated her career to strengthening the social sector, it’s a fair question. But the answer is simple: I can do exponentially more good by doing exactly what I do now.
I started in human services, working directly with people. At one point, I was responsible for 1,200 households. Even with that kind of caseload, I felt the limits—working one-on-one was meaningful, but it wasn’t enough. Later, even in leadership roles inside large organizations, I found myself consulting with other nonprofits on the side. I was searching for ways to multiply impact, not just add to it.
Running a single nonprofit isn’t the answer for me. You can’t put “solve all the social problems” in a mission statement. It’s too broad, too complex, and impossible to measure. But what I can do—and what I love most—is help dozens of nonprofits sustain and grow their work. Every organization I touch is able to do more, better for the people they serve. That multiplication effect is where my mission lives.
Last week reminded me of that truth in the best way possible. Over two days, I had conversations with more than 200 do-gooders from across the region I call home. Every single one of them is doing good work—feeding families, teaching kids, strengthening communities. Some were old friends, leaders from organizations I’ve already had the privilege of working alongside. Others were brand-new connections who walked away with fresh ideas and practical tools. I know several of those conversations will grow into meaningful partnerships. And it was humbling to be reminded of just how many local nonprofits KFA has already impacted.
As if that weren’t energizing enough—while I was busy staffing our conference booth, my phone was blowing up. A big round of Appalachian Regional Commission grant award notices were hitting inboxes last week. I got to exercise my signature “Wahoo!” alongside executive directors absolutely ecstatic to receive their very first federal grant awards. Our work this past spring has delivered another $200,000 invested directly in figuring out how best to serve two communities in need. That’s two more nonprofits equipped to do more, better. That’s two more places where lives will change because an organization has the resources and strategy to meet its mission.
Over the years, our work has taken me from Sacramento, California to Washington, D.C., from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Mobile, Alabama. And everywhere in between, I’ve seen the same thing: good people trying to solve big problems with limited resources. Being part of their story, equipping them with what they need to succeed—that’s the privilege of my work.
If you trace my mission back far enough, it probably started with a little girl who sat with giant headphones, listening to John Lennon’s Imagine on repeat. That song planted a seed of both simplicity and complexity: the dream of a better world, and the lifelong drive to help make it real.
I may not run a nonprofit of my own. But through consulting, teaching, and multiplying impact, I get to help dozens—hundreds—of nonprofits run stronger every year. And that, for me, is exactly the right mission.