Anna Taylor
The Power of Monthly Giving

If you're looking for the most effective way to support nonprofits, especially those just getting started, monthly giving is a game-changer. It's not just about convenience; it's about creating sustained, meaningful impact for organizations working hard to grow with limited resources.

Why Monthly Giving Matters for Nonprofits

Monthly donations provide predictable income, allowing nonprofits to plan ahead, budget wisely, and invest in programs that create real change. For early-stage nonprofits, that kind of stability can be transformational. Many of these organizations are led by passionate founders doing the work themselves, often without dedicated fundraising staff. They’re juggling service delivery, operations, and growth, so every dollar that doesn’t have to be spent on fundraising counts.

That’s where monthly donors come in.

Anna Taylor
Fueling Nonprofit Growth: Highlights from the ...

The need for bold, innovative solutions has never been greater. We’re constantly inspired by the nonprofit leaders we support—big thinkers tackling big challenges in education, healthcare, social justice, and more.

Our programs give early-stage nonprofits the funding, mentorship, and expert connections they need to grow. While pitch competitions and matching gifts make a splash, alumni gain significant strategic support from the incubator and alumni programs.

founder story, spotlight
Mindy Ong
Cultivating a Healing Movement Through ...

Heroic Gardens is a nonprofit that provides free gardening services to U.S. veterans in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs of Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware and South Jersey. It also operates a virtual program in 24 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Founder Collie Turner shares her story behind its creation and the lessons learned along the way.

The seeds for Heroic Gardens were planted many years ago, somewhat unexpectedly. While caring for her grandmother, Collie discovered that her grandfather’s military death benefits had never been claimed. After a frustrating three-year journey of navigating the VA system, she met a local veteran who took time out of her regular role helping veterans secure housing, to help get her grandmother’s application reviewed and approved. This woman’s kindness sparked a question in Collie’s mind: How can I give back?

Cultivating a Healing Movement Through Horticulture
Anna Taylor
Dr. Kristin Joys on Nonprofit Internships

In her role as the Director of Social Impact & Sustainability at UF’s Warrington College of Business, Dr. Kristin Joys has connected us with MANY of Greater Sum’s most cherished interns. When we gathered to discuss internships earlier this summer, she shared some tips for successful, meaningful experiences with interns. Dr. Joys has given permission for us to share them more broadly here.

Virtual Volunteers: High Impact, Low Risk

COVID-19 changed the way many of us live and work, AND volunteer. Virtual volunteering opportunities are becoming more plentiful as nonprofits adjust to pandemic-related restrictions on their operations. The benefits and drawbacks will be familiar to many who are also adjusting to working from home. There’s no commute, you can fit volunteering into your schedule, you can volunteer in locations you couldn’t get to in person. But many virtual volunteers are missing the socialization opportunities of a communal project or a welcoming volunteer workplace.

Greater Sum’s Executive Director, Anna Taylor, recently spoke with Liz Hack of the Small Shop Fundraising podcast about virtual volunteerism. This is new territory for many, but Greater Sum connects skills-based volunteers virtually with nonprofits across the country. We’ve learned a few things about successful remote volunteer activities, and are happy to share!

If you are looking for a new virtual volunteer opportunity, Greater Sum is gearing up for our Fall pitch competition and we will need volunteers to serve as pitch coaches and evaluators. Fill out a volunteer interest form if you’d like to know more!

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Grant Partner Spotlight: Cures within Reach for Cancer

Cures Within Reach for Cancer is a nonprofit startup creating new and affordable cancer treatments using artificial intelligence (AI) to repurpose non-cancer generic drugs. We’re happy to spotlight their work, and to have them as a member of The Greater Sum’s 2020 Nonprofit Cohort.

Like many organizations, CWR4C has been influenced by COVID-19. Cancer patients are a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to COVID-19 infection. Many of the treatments being evaluated for COVID-19 are repurposed generic drugs, and some also have documented effects on cancer. CWR4C is deploying their evidence synthesis technology to understand how COVID-19 drugs affect cancer. Their findings will help cancer patients who also have COVID-19 make critical treatment decisions. Follow them at @CWR4C for updates!

Grant Partner Spotlight: SafeBAE

We're proud to have SafeBAE as a member of TGS' 2020 Nonprofit Cohort, and happy to share with you their work to end sexual assault among middle and high school students.

SafeBAE continues to support teens during our current period of physical distancing. They are transforming their May 2020 Summits into virtual events, providing important tools for online safety, and exploring what red flags for dating violence looks like in our current state of isolation. Follow them @safebae for important updates during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Going Virtual: NonProfit Events Redefined for COVID-19

Connecting with donors and offering them a compelling experience for their contribution is essential to all nonprofit organizations. That’s why EVENTS have dominated fundraising for 85% of nonprofits. But fundraising events are more than just the donations. They’re about building relationships for your nonprofit and its cause. More important than the amount of money you raise in a single day are the long-term donations, awareness, and loyalty you develop for your nonprofit.

So how do you continue to build these relationships during a crisis when all events are cancelled?

Sight Visit: Digital Harbor Foundation

Hi! I’m Serena Hawtin, Communications Specialist for The Greater Sum Foundation. I recently visited Digital Harbor, a member of our 2018 Nonprofit Cohort, to learn how some of their makerspace innovations could be implemented by after-school programs in other communities. Come along with me on a Greater Sum Sight Visit - a look at how Digital Harbor introduces students to high tech, high demand career skills in a fun, engaging makerspace after school.

Founder Story: MilkCrate

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Morgan Berman combined her professional experience working in nonprofits, design education, and love of tech to create MilkCrate, a company that creates gamified apps for nonprofits. These apps help nonprofits track outcomes and engagement at a reasonable price point, making MilkCrate a great “representative that business can be a force for good in the world.” We sat down with Morgan to talk about how MilkCrate came to be, their work with nonprofit and foundation clients, and how she navigates self care as a start-up founder.

LISTEN to our interview with Morgan

READ a transcript

Interested in connecting with MIlkCrate? They’re hosting a Syposium on Foundation and Nonprofit Impact Tracking in Philadelphia this Friday, February 6th. Click here to learn more!

Founder Stories: Reflecting on 25 Years of Scholarships, Mentors, and Hope with Take Stock in Children Founder Don Pemberton

Twenty-five years ago, Florida’s low-income, academically qualified youth were given a unique chance to break the cycle of poverty and earn college degrees. It all started with a nonprofit program of mentoring and scholarship launched in 1995 by a former school guidance counselor. Called Take Stock in Children, the program, built on the experience of one counselor in one Florida county, had blanketed the state within six months. Founder Don Pemberton cites three key factors to explain the program’s breathtaking success…

Founder Story: Heroic Gardens

Collie Turner, a daughter and granddaughter of US military veterans, founded Heroic Gardens to provide US Veterans and Active Duty members on a fixed income access to free gardening services at home or within their communities. The Philadelphia-based organization is in its second year of operation, and Collie took time to chat with us about the experience of starting a nonprofit, lessons learned, and plans for growth.

The Five Operational Support Resources Every Nonprofit Needs

Many nonprofit founders start their organizations because they see an unmet need and have the skills or resources to fill it.  The process of securing 501(c)(3) status is tedious, and many people assume THAT’S the big barrier they’ll face in starting a nonprofit. But consider the  paperwork, red tape, and frustration still to come! (Sorry. You’ll also encounter lots of inspiration, camaraderie, and celebration -- I promise!)

Five  operational support resources will help you succeed -- some you might have within your own skill set, others you might find among friends and family, and some you will have to outsource.  But don’t launch a nonprofit without thinking through how you’ll handle each of the following…

Charting a Course toward Impact: Measuring Costs and Prioritizing Goals

In Part 2 of blog contributor Ian Harvey’s three-part series, Charting a Course toward Impact, Ian walks us through quantifying the costs of achieving our goals and then prioritizing them. 

At this point, you have given some thought to your Values and started formulating your Goals.  The next piece requires you understand how much the goals will cost, and in which order they should be completed.  

Charting a Course toward Impact: Values and SMART Goals

As one of the most driven up-and-coming financial planner professionals in the profession today, TGS blog contributor Ian Harvey helps clients change their perspective on what is financially possible. Having a deep understanding in behavioral finance and investment management, Ian couples the two to create a strategic approach that is catered to the unique needs of every client and their financial goals. In this three-part blog series, Ian applies this approach to nonprofit management. We’re excited to hear from Ian, and hope this series will help you align your goals and financial planning with your vision for organizational impact.

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