𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧

3 Days to Build It Right — Before You Try to Fund It

Houston, TX

May 6–8, 2026

8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

HOSTED BY Jennifer Yarbrough

Nonprofit Strategist | Trainer | Grant & Fundraising Expert

Founder, Fundable By Design Podcast

REGISTER NOW! 👉🏾 bit.ly/fundablenonprofitsummit

I'm often asked, "What should we be doing before we get our first grant?" And the truth is, what happens before that first grant matters more than the grant itself.

If you're waiting on your first grant and wondering why it hasn't happened yet, this conversation will help you understand what needs to come first — and how to build it the right way.

Grants don't build organizations. Prepared organizations earn grants.

If you're paying for your nonprofit out of your own pocket, I want you to know something first: you're not alone.

I see this all the time. Passionate leaders quietly covering costs, filling gaps, and telling themselves it's just "for now." But the truth is, most nonprofit founders were never taught why this happens or how to stop it.

If you're tired of carrying the organization on your back and want to build something that can actually sustain itself, this conversation will help you understand what's missing and what to do next.

Your mission deserves support. So do you.

If you've ever applied for funding and received a rejection email… or a generic "we went in another direction"… or no response at all, then this conversation is for you.

In this video, I talk directly to nonprofit leaders who have done the work, submitted the applications, waited patiently, and still heard no.

I share what those rejections usually mean, what funders are really saying (even when they don't explain it), and why rejection is often about positioning and readiness, not worth or effort.

Let's talk about next steps.

If you've been learning, listening, and realizing that something needs to change in how your organization is set up, this video is about moving from awareness to action.

In this conversation, I walk you through how I think about positioning an organization to be fully funded within the next 90 days, not through wishful thinking, but through clarity, structure, and alignment.

I see this mistake over and over again: smart, passionate leaders working hard and still not getting the results they want.

And the problem usually isn't effort. It's understanding.

If you've felt like you're doing everything you're "supposed" to do but nothing is clicking, this conversation will help you identify where the misunderstanding started and how to realign.

You don't need to work harder. You need to understand better.

There are two hats you wear. You wear a program hat, and you wear an administrative entity hat.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything and still falling behind, this conversation will help you understand what's really happening and how to lead more effectively.

You don't need to do more. You need to lead differently.

I want to say this plainly, because I've seen the cost of it for decades: passion is not a plan.

If you care deeply about your mission but feel like you're working nonstop with little progress, this isn't a motivation problem. It's a planning problem, and that's fixable. Passion starts the work.

A plan is what makes it sustainable.

I hear nonprofit leaders say it all the time: "Once we're fully funded, everything will be fine."

But after nearly 40 years in the nonprofit space, I can tell you this: most people don't actually know what fully funded means.

In this episode, I break down what being fully funded really looks like from an operational and funder perspective, not just a hopeful one.

If you're bringing in some money but still feel stretched, overwhelmed, or uncertain, this conversation will help you understand what's missing, and what to build next.

Fully funded isn't a feeling. It's a system.

I've seen this over and over again in the nonprofit world: incredible missions, passionate leaders and organizations that still struggle.

Here's the truth I've learned after nearly 40 years in this space: Nonprofit success starts with operations.

In this episode, I explain why operations are what determine whether a nonprofit survives and grows.

If you've started your nonprofit but still feel overwhelmed, inconsistent, or unsure why funding hasn't followed, this conversation will help you understand what funders see and what you can fix.

Operations aren't the boring part. They're the foundation.