In our work with early-stage nonprofits, we see the same pattern again and again. Founders are committed and capable. The work is real. Progress is real, yet things feel harder than they should.
What usually isn’t missing is vision or effort. It’s bandwidth.
Bandwidth is the breathing room to make sound decisions about what matters most. Without it, organizations get stuck reacting rather than building, making growth harder to sustain.
That’s why, in 2026, we’re centering our work around what we’re calling a Culture of Bandwidth.
By that, we don’t mean self-care as a personal responsibility or productivity systems designed to squeeze more out of already overstretched leaders. We mean something more structural. A Culture of Bandwidth shows up in how work is designed and how capacity is built over time. It’s about creating conditions where mission-driven work can last.
When bandwidth is scarce, it’s rarely because someone isn’t working hard enough. More often, it’s because too much is being carried by too few people, or too many priorities are being pursued at the same time.
None of this means you’re doing it wrong. It usually means you’re doing too much of it yourself, or too much of it all at once.
One of the most reliable ways to think about bandwidth starts with mission, not capacity. What is your organization actually trying to accomplish? Not everything that aligns with your values, but the core change you exist to make. From there, what is the most effective way to advance that mission at your current size and stage? And what parts of that work can’t (and shouldn’t) be carried alone?
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re applying this same lens to our own work at Greater Sum. Across dozens of founders and organizations, we see consistent points where bandwidth is constrained: fundraising, communications, and impact tracking. We’re asking ourselves whether our programs and processes actually help founders reclaim capacity for what matters most. This is ongoing refinement, and feedback is welcome and valued.
Our incubator is designed to help founders sharpen their vision and make clearer decisions about where to focus, including how and when to ask for support. As organizations move into our alumni community, we aim to offer right-fit support when it can genuinely reduce load rather than add to it.
What constraints are most pressing to you these days? How might changing one thing create more room to decide and act with intention?
