Nonprofit Nook

What if the answer to a tight budget isn't another ask, but a better partner?

Bradley Harris has spent more than 13 years working across nonprofit leadership, government, economic development, and corporate philanthropy. He's the founder of Bradley Harris Strategic Advisory, president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Foundation, and a board member who somehow always ends up on the development committee. He's also sat on the other side of the table, running a multimillion-dollar philanthropic budget for a major water utility for five and a half years.

From where he sits, the math has changed. Families are paying more at the gas pump and giving less to their local nonprofits, and grant funding is pulling back. His answer: collaboration is the new currency. When two organizations are chasing the same outcomes with separate programs, separate staff time, and separate email lists, partnering lets everybody do a little so nobody has to do a lot. And it shouldn't matter who gets the credit.

Bradley also shares the advice from his years in political consulting that stuck with him most: if you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice. People invest in what they've helped shape, and he's watched it happen more times than you'd think.

In this episode of Nonprofit Nook, Bradley joins Wendy to talk about how to figure out who belongs at the table, why relationship mapping beats a cold ask, and what a real corporate partnership looks like beyond a logo on a banner. He shares how his utility funded bottle filling stations at the YMCA, why every one of his subcontractors stepped up when he asked them to support the United Way, and why the most common reason people give for not donating is that no one ever asked.

Underneath all of it, this is a conversation about relationships: listening to what funders actually care about, staying curious when their priorities shift, and taking care of donors long before you need something from them.

If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a reminder that you don't have to reach your biggest goals alone, and that right now, while 2027 budgets are being set, is a good time to start the conversation.

In This Episode

You'll hear Wendy and Bradley talk about:

• Why collaboration has become the new currency, and how sharing staff, social channels, and email lists with a partner stretches every dollar
• Why "if you want money, ask for advice" works, and how it changes donor conversations
• How to decide who actually needs to be at the table for a big goal
• What relationship mapping looks like, and why board members should make introductions instead of asks
• How funder priorities shift with new leadership, and why no renewal is guaranteed
• What a branded corporate partnership looks like beyond a logo, including in-kind help from vendors and subcontractors
• Why the fourth quarter is the time to reach out, since most 2027 budgets are being set now
• Why funders should say no kindly instead of ghosting

Resources + Links

Connect with Bradley Harris Strategic Advisory

Website

https://thebradleyharris.com

Bradley Harris on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-harris-a4649360

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thebradleyharris

Connect with Wendy + Nonprofit Nook

Nonprofit Nook

https://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Events

https://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engaged

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Table

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

Mentioned in this episode:

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What would it mean for a child to tell the hardest story of their life just once, and then be surrounded by people working together to help them heal?

That's the work happening every day at Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County. Kara Shrum is the Senior Donor Relations Manager there, and she's spent most of the last decade connecting donors, corporate partners, and volunteers to a mission she describes simply: safety, healing, and justice for children and families affected by abuse and neglect.

The Center traces back to the 1980s, when a district attorney in Alabama realized children were being asked to retell their abuse to police, then to caseworkers, then to therapists, over and over again. The Junior League of Plano brought that idea to Collin County, and in 1992 the Center opened with a staff of three and the capacity to serve about 10 percent of the children who needed it.

Today, law enforcement, Child Protective Services, forensic interviewers, family advocates, and therapists all work under one roof. More than 200 professionals make it possible, including 66 on the Center's own staff, across two campuses in Plano and McKinney. A child tells their story once, in a single forensic interview conducted without a single leading question, and that interview becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

And the need keeps growing. Last year the Center served more than 4,600 children and family members, a 3 percent increase over the year before, with a 6 percent increase in services. Every one of those services, including therapy and counseling for life, is free to the families who need it.

In this episode of Nonprofit Nook, Kara joins Wendy to share how the Center's model works, why its leaders built the McKinney campus before Collin County's growth caught up with them, and the many ways the community can help kids and families heal.

Underneath the numbers, this is a conversation about hope. Kara is honest about how dark this work can be, and just as clear that abuse doesn't get the final word when a community shows up for kids.

If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a reminder that the right structure, the right partners, and the right people can change the entire direction of a life.

In This Episode

You'll hear Wendy and Kara talk about:

• How the Children's Advocacy Center model lets a child tell their story once instead of over and over
• What happens from the moment a child walks in, from the activity center to the forensic interview to the teddy bear room
• Why family advocacy and free, lifelong therapy matter as much as the interview itself
• How a Junior League initiative grew from three staff members into two campuses serving more than 4,600 people a year
• Why the Center's leadership planned for Collin County's growth a decade ahead
• What Kara loves about development work and the "puzzle pieces" of connecting the right people and resources
• Practical ways to help, from volunteering and in-kind drives to the Holiday Shop, the Rainbow Room, and adopting a family
• Why every adult in Texas is a mandated reporter, and why prevention starts with difficult conversations

Resources + Links

Connect with Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County

Website

https://www.caccollincounty.org

34th Annual Teddy Bear Ride (October 25, 2026)

https://www.caccollincounty.org/tbr/

Upcoming Events and Ways to Give

https://www.caccollincounty.org/events/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/childrensadvocacycenter

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/caccollincounty/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/children's-advocacy-center-of-collin-county/

Back to School Fair

https://www.caccollincounty.org/backtoschoolfair/

Kara Shrum on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kfshrum

Connect with Wendy + Nonprofit Nook

Nonprofit Nook

https://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Events

https://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engaged

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Table

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

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What happens when the big check finally arrives and your organization isn't ready to hold it?

Sharmon Lebby has seen it up close. She's the Founder and CEO of Blessed Designs Consulting, a nonprofit strategist with more than 20 years of experience, and she's currently serving as an interim executive director while running her own business. Ask her why more money doesn't automatically make an organization healthier and her answer is direct: most often, everything just sort of falls apart.

Sharmon is also a former neuroscience research associate, so she thinks a lot about how our brains work. She points to research showing that when we want to make something better, our instinct is to add. More money means more people served, more programs, more of everything. We pile it on without asking whether the foundation we built can carry the weight.

Money is a tool, and a tool only helps when you know what you're going to do with it. A hammer is great for hanging a picture. Use it for everything and you'll end up tearing down some walls.

In this episode of Nonprofit Nook, Sharmon joins Wendy to share the signs that an organization is growing faster than its infrastructure can support. Everything depends on one or two people. Nobody can take a week of vacation without things slipping. The team is already worn out. There's no reliable way to track what's coming in and going out. Larger funding also brings more compliance, and the IRS and your state will want more from you.

They also talk about what ready looks like. Your processes are written down, including how you do things and why you make the decisions you make. Your board can talk about the organization with confidence and clarity. Everybody is rowing in the same direction. And you could leave on vacation tomorrow and come back to an organization that's still going strong.

From there the conversation turns to governance. Wendy and Sharmon dig into why the strategic plan should drive the fundraising, what happens when the person or donor who brings in the money starts steering the mission, and why saying no to funding is sometimes the right call. Sharmon also has a lot of empathy for development directors, who by one estimate she heard last an average of 18 months, often because they're asked to raise money nobody has explained to them.

Beyond the checklists, this is a conversation about moving out of a scarcity mindset. It's hard to hear "money is just a tool" when you're trying to survive. Sharmon's encouragement is to build slow and build solid, and to start with whatever made you cringe a little while you were listening.

If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a reminder that the work you put into your foundation is what lets the next dollar do its job.

In This Episode

You'll hear Wendy and Sharmon talk about:

Resources + Links

Connect with Sharmon Lebby + Blessed Designs Consulting

Websitehttps://blesseddesignsco.com

Nonprofit Launch Academyhttps://blesseddesignsco.com/nonprofitlaunchacademy

Free resources from Sharmonhttps://blesseddesignsco.com/friends

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/blesseddesignsco/

Sharmon Lebby on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmon-lebby/

Register for Your Financials Tell a Story, September 24A Nonprofit Nook workshop on how reporting your financials tells your nonprofit's story.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-financials-tell-a-story-tickets-1998973064246?aff=oddtdtcreator

Connect with Wendy + Nonprofit Nook

Nonprofit Nookhttps://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Eventshttps://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engagedhttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Tablehttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

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What happens when a victim of abuse finally makes the call, gets accepted into a shelter, and then can't get there?

Sarah Nejdl asked herself that question in 2014. She was working a corporate job in technology and currency trading, scrolling social media one night, when she landed on a national survey showing that more than 14,000 victims were turned away from emergency shelters on a single day because the shelters were full. In Texas alone, that number was more than 1,000 unmet requests in one day.

Sarah is not a survivor herself. She's a Texan, a pilot, and, in her words, a Virgo who doesn't respond well to "you can't." So when an FAA examiner told her she couldn't fly victims to safety unless it was on behalf of a nonprofit, she walked outside, called a friend who is now her board chair, and started one. She took a layoff package, spent six months telling anyone who would listen about the gap she'd found, and opened services in October 2015, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, on purpose.

Families to Freedom does one specific thing that nobody else in Texas was doing: it gives victims of domestic abuse, family violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking a free, confidential ride to safety. Sometimes that's across town to a shelter. Sometimes it's a five-day drive to a sister's house on the other side of the country. About half of the adults they transport have children with them, and they transport pets too, because leaving a pet behind is a real barrier to leaving at all.

In this episode of Nonprofit Nook, Sarah and Eric join Wendy to share how the organization works, who it serves, and how a volunteer model built on "choose your own adventure" road trips keeps drivers coming back. Eric, known around North Texas as the Connector, found Families to Freedom through his own family's wake-up call and now spends his days building the partnerships and volunteer base the mission runs on.

The two of them are also clear about measurement. Families to Freedom publishes its metrics on its website in real time: how many people were transported, how many children, how many pets, and exactly what was spent on bus tickets, flights, fuel cards, and hotels. And Eric points to one number that matters most: the Texas Council on Family Violence publishes an annual report of Texans killed by intimate partners, and none of Families to Freedom's clients have ever been on that list.

Beyond the logistics, this is a conversation about paying attention to the problem in front of you instead of looking away, about founders who build with their eventual successor in mind, and about what it means to treat a scared kid in the back seat like this is just a normal ride.

If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a reminder that the most valuable thing you can build is the one nobody else is building.

In This Episode

You'll hear Wendy, Sarah, and Eric talk about:

Resources + Links

Connect with Families to Freedom

Websitehttps://www.familiestofreedom.org

Hotline: 833-903-SAFE (7233)

Volunteerhttps://www.familiestofreedom.org/volunteer.php

Donatehttps://www.familiestofreedom.org/donate.php

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/FamiliestoFreedom

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/familiestofreedom/

LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/families-to-freedom

Sarah Nejdl on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnejdl/

Give on North Texas Giving Day, September 17https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/familiestofreedom

Register for Your Financials Tell a Story, September 24A Nonprofit Nook workshop on how reporting your financials tells your nonprofit's story.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-financials-tell-a-story-tickets-1998973064246?aff=oddtdtcreator

Connect with Wendy + Nonprofit Nook

Nonprofit Nookhttps://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Eventshttps://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engagedhttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Tablehttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

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What happens when a conversation among friends uncovers a need in your community that’s far bigger than anyone realized?

For Angela Poen, Chair of Community Garden Kitchen, that moment came in 2014. Angela and a group of friends were talking about hunger when they learned just how many children and families in Collin County were experiencing food insecurity. They also discovered a gap: while food pantries were doing important work, there were people who couldn’t access them during operating hours or didn’t have a place to store and prepare food.

Their response was ambitious: build a place where anyone who needs a meal can sit down and enjoy one with dignity — no questions asked.

In this episode of The Nonprofit Nook, Angela joins Wendy to share how that idea became Community Garden Kitchen, a nonprofit that describes itself not as a soup kitchen, but as a free meal restaurant.

Angela takes us behind the scenes of the organization’s journey — from securing land and raising the money for a permanent building to navigating the pandemic before they could even open their doors. When Community Garden Kitchen finally opened in 2022, they did so debt-free.

Today, the organization has served approximately 160,000 meals through its dining room and sack lunch program, supported by an incredible volunteer community of roughly 180 volunteers each week.

But the heart of this conversation goes beyond the number of meals served. Angela and Wendy talk about what it means to build dignity into the way you serve, why volunteers are essential to Community Garden Kitchen’s model, and how nonprofits can stay focused on the people behind the numbers.

If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that sometimes meaningful change starts when a few people recognize a need and decide, We can do something about this.

In This Episode

You’ll hear Wendy and Angela talk about:

• How Angela and her friends first discovered the extent of food insecurity in their own community
• The important difference between hunger and food insecurity
• Why traditional food resources don’t always work for people experiencing housing or financial instability
• How Community Garden Kitchen went from an idea in 2014 to opening its doors in 2022
• Why the organization intentionally created a restaurant-style experience centered on dignity
• How Community Garden Kitchen opened its new building debt-free
• The role hundreds of volunteers play in making the organization’s work possible
• What other nonprofit leaders can learn from Community Garden Kitchen’s persistence, community support, and service-first approach

Resources + Links

Connect with Community Garden Kitchen

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/community-garden-kitchen/?viewAsMember=true

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/COMMUNITY_GARDEN_KITCHEN/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/communitygardenkitchenofcollincounty/

Volunteer with Community Garden Kitchen:

https://bit.ly/CGKVolunteerApp

Register for Your Financials Tell a Story — September 24

Join Wendy and Melanie for Your Financials Tell a Story, where they’ll continue the conversation around understanding and using your nonprofit’s financials.

Register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-financials-tell-a-story-tickets-1998973064246?aff=oddtdtcreator

Connect with Wendy + The Nonprofit Nook

The Nonprofit Nook:

https://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Events:

https://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engaged:

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Table:

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

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AI can save your nonprofit time—but where do you start without sacrificing the human relationships at the heart of your mission?

In this episode of The Nonprofit Nook, Wendy Kidd sits down with Rachael Leventhal Garnett of EAAS AI to make AI feel practical, approachable, and useful for nonprofit leaders.

They unpack the difference between AI and automation, how to identify repetitive tasks worth streamlining, and why your organization needs clear AI guardrails—even if you haven't officially adopted AI yet.

You'll also hear why Rachael believes the best AI strategy starts with people, not technology, and how keeping a human in the loop can help your organization use AI responsibly while creating more capacity for mission-driven work.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The difference between AI and automation
• How to spot repetitive workflows that could be automated
• Why AI should support your people rather than replace them
• What AI governance means and why your nonprofit needs guardrails
• How "shadow AI" can create risks for your organization
• Why human review is still essential when using AI
• How to start small instead of trying to transform everything at once

RESOURCES + LINKS

Connect with Wendy + The Nonprofit Nook

The Nonprofit Nook:

https://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Events:

https://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

Connect with Rachael + EAAS AI

Rachael Leventhal Garnett on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-garnett-eaas/

EAAS AI on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/eaas-ai/?viewAsMember=true

AI Policy Resource:

https://lp.eaaservice.com/ai-policy

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engaged:

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Table:

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

Mentioned in This Episode

McKinsey Health Institute:

https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/overview

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Is your nonprofit truly financially sustainable—or does everything just look okay because there’s still money in the bank?

For a lot of nonprofit leaders and board members, financial reports can feel confusing, overwhelming, or like something to quickly review before moving on to the “real” work. But your financials are actually telling you a story about the health of your organization—and learning how to read that story can help you make better decisions before problems become crises.

In this episode of The Nonprofit Nook, Wendy sits down with Melanie Kirton, founder of Financial Affairs, an accounting firm dedicated exclusively to nonprofits. Melanie helps mission-driven leaders move beyond basic bookkeeping and use their financial information to make strategic decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Wendy and Melanie dig into what nonprofit leaders and boards should actually be looking for in their numbers, including the true cost of running programs, whether your revenue is diversified enough, how much cash you should have in reserve, and the warning signs that your organization may be heading toward financial trouble.

They also talk about an important reality: a program can be deeply connected to your history without necessarily being the best use of your resources today. Understanding what each program truly costs—and the impact it creates—can help your organization make thoughtful decisions about where to invest its time, people, and money.

If you’ve ever sat in a board meeting while everyone glossed over the financial reports, wondered whether your nonprofit has enough money in reserve, or worried that your organization is too dependent on one funding source, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why strong financial reporting matters for both nonprofit leaders and boards
• What your board should actually be paying attention to in financial reports
• How to calculate and evaluate the true cost of your programs
• Why revenue diversification is critical to long-term sustainability
• The risks of relying too heavily on one grant, funder, donor, or revenue source
• How to think about cash reserves and what’s appropriate for your organization
• Financial red flags—including recurring deficits—that leaders shouldn’t ignore
• Why your budget, strategic plan, and financial reporting should work together
• How better financial understanding can lead to better mission-driven decisions

RESOURCES + LINKS

Register for Your Financials Tell a Story — September 24

Join Wendy and Melanie for Your Financials Tell a Story, where they’ll continue the conversation around understanding and using your nonprofit’s financials.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-financials-tell-a-story-tickets-1998973064246?aff=oddtdtcreator

Connect with Melanie + Financial Affairs

Financial Affairs: https://www.thefinancialaffairs.com/

Financial Affairs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-financial-affairs-us/?viewAsMember=true

Connect with Wendy + The Nonprofit Nook

The Nonprofit Nook: https://nonprofitnook.com

Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Events: https://www.nonprofitnook.com/events

Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

More from Boss Level Engaged

Boss Level Engaged: https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Boss Table: https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable

Mentioned in this episode:

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What does it look like when a food pantry becomes more than a place to pick up groceries—and instead becomes a place where people feel seen, supported, and treated with dignity?

In this Community Spotlight episode of Nonprofit Nook, Wendy sits down with Melody Krill, Executive Director of the Community Food Pantry of McKinney, to talk about the growing reality of food insecurity in North Texas and the incredible work happening right here in the McKinney community.

The Community Food Pantry of McKinney has been serving its neighbors for decades, but the need has grown dramatically. Melody shares how the pantry has grown from serving around 100 individuals a day when she started in 2024 to more than 600 a day, including more than 10,000 individuals in a month.

But this isn't your traditional food pantry. As a choice pantry, the organization gives neighbors a grocery-store-style experience where they can use a shopping cart, walk the aisles, and choose the food their families actually need. Through food rescue partnerships with local grocery stores, the pantry is also helping reduce food waste while getting fresh food into the hands of families who need it.

Melody also shares the deeply personal path that brought her to this work. After she and her husband both experienced job loss, Melody found herself needing assistance for her own family. That experience changed the way she thought about food insecurity—and about the importance of helping people without sacrificing their dignity.

Wendy and Melody also dig into what it really takes to keep a rapidly growing nonprofit running: volunteers, community partnerships, grant funding, unrestricted donations, leadership, collaboration, and a willingness to keep finding creative ways to meet the need.

This conversation is an important reminder that food insecurity doesn't always look the way we imagine it does. Sometimes it's a working family trying to make the numbers add up. Sometimes it's a single mom facing a crisis. Sometimes it's someone choosing between groceries, rent, and an electric bill.

And sometimes, a little help at exactly the right moment can make an enormous difference.

• How the Community Food Pantry of McKinney serves local families through a choice-pantry model
• Why dignity is such an important part of addressing food insecurity
• The dramatic increase in the number of neighbors needing assistance
• Melody's personal experience with food insecurity and how it shaped her leadership
• How food rescue partnerships help the pantry provide fresh food while reducing waste
• Why volunteers, donors, grants, and community partnerships are essential to keeping the pantry operating
• How local businesses and community members can get involved and support the pantry

Community Food Pantry of McKinney

• Website: https://www.mckinneyfoodpantry.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckinneyfoodpantry307/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McKinneyPantry
• Melody Krill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-krill-336a5b89/

Gather on the Square

• Learn More / Purchase: https://www.gatheronthesquare.com/offers/DzbQy6HG/checkout

Connect with Wendy Kidd

• Nonprofit Nook: https://nonprofitnook.com
• Boss Level Engaged: https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/
• Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

Mentioned in this episode:

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If social media feels like one more thing on your never-ending nonprofit to-do list, this episode is for you.

I’m joined by Sheena Kalso, founder of Behind Your Scenes, a social media and video skills education company that helps established professionals show up on Instagram the way they already show up in real life. And Sheena understands the struggle firsthand: even while working as a social media manager for other people, she once went an entire year without posting on her own Instagram.

So if you’ve ever thought, I’m just not good at social media, you are definitely not alone.

Sheena breaks down how nonprofit leaders can stop overcomplicating content and start using social media for what it’s really good at: building human connection.

We talk about what to do when you hate being on camera, including Sheena’s surprisingly simple advice to start with B-roll. Instead of jumping straight into talking-head videos, film yourself doing the work you’re already doing—typing at your desk, preparing for an event, working with your team, or simply going about your day. You can pair that footage with a strong text hook that teaches your audience something or grabs their attention.

We also get into one of the biggest mistakes nonprofits make on social media: treating their feeds like bulletin boards filled with event announcements, donation requests, and organizational updates.

Sheena encourages nonprofits to put people back into their content. Show the humans behind your mission—from your executive director to your intern—and let your audience get to know your organization's “cast of characters.” As Sheena explains, people want to know who is behind the work they’re supporting.

And then we get into one of my favorite parts of the conversation: Instagram Stories and DMs.

Instead of seeing Instagram solely as a place to broadcast your message, Sheena suggests thinking of it like a networking room. Stories can help you stay top-of-mind with people you’ve recently met, while genuine DMs can turn online connections into real relationships. The key? Stop pitching and start acting like a human.

We also talk about why nonprofit leaders shouldn’t completely hand their voice over to someone else—or an AI-generated version of themselves. Your team can absolutely support your content, but the people who care about your organization want to hear from the real humans behind it.

Most importantly, Sheena reminds us that you don't need to become amazing at video overnight. Being visible is a skill you build through practice. Start small, post the imperfect thing, and keep going.

Because when it comes to social media, done really can be better than perfect.

1. How to start creating video when you hate being on camera
2. Why simple B-roll can become great nonprofit content
3. How to create stronger hooks that stop the scroll
4. Why nonprofits need to show more human faces in their feeds
5. How to build a “cast of characters” from your staff
6. Why Instagram Stories are an underrated networking tool
7. How to use DMs to build genuine relationships instead of pitching
8. Why nonprofit leaders shouldn't completely outsource their voice
9. The problem with AI-generated people and overly manufactured content
10. How to stop assuming your everyday nonprofit work is “too boring” to share
11. Why consistency and practice matter more than perfection

RESOURCES

Nonprofit Nook:

https://nonprofitnook.com

Boss Level Engaged:

https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/

Connect with Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/behindyourscenes/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/behindyourscenes.co

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/sheenakalsocreates

First Impressions Audit:

https://behindyourscenes.hbportal.co/public/bysaudit

Join the Reely Fun Club:

https://behindyourscenes.thrivecart.com/reely-fun-club/

Talking Head Interview Questions:

https://behindyourscenes.myflodesk.com/interviewquestions

Free Nonprofit Nook Resource from Sheena:

https://behindyourscenes.myflodesk.com/nookfreebie

Milwaukee Public Library:

https://www.instagram.com/milwaukeepubliclibrary/

Trevor Crump:

https://www.instagram.com/thetrevorcrump

Mentioned in this episode:

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From One Chapter to 400: Luke Mickelson on Scaling a Mission

How do you grow a nonprofit from one local project into an international movement without losing the heart behind the mission?

In this episode of The Nonprofit Nook, Wendy Kidd welcomes back Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to scale a nonprofit.

What started as one person building beds for children who didn't have one has grown into more than 400 chapters across 47 states and four countries, serving hundreds of thousands of children. But rapid growth brings new challenges—leadership, culture, delegation, and protecting your mission.

Luke shares the behind-the-scenes story of SHP's explosive growth, including the unexpected national attention that changed everything, the difficult leadership decisions that came with expansion, and why every growing nonprofit must guard its mission above all else.

Whether you're leading a small nonprofit that's ready to grow or you're managing multiple locations already, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for building an organization that scales without sacrificing its heart.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Sleep in Heavenly Peace grew from one chapter to more than 400
• The story behind Mike Rowe's Returning the Favor and how national exposure changed everything
• Why growth requires letting go of control—and how to do it well
• The biggest leadership challenges that come with scaling a nonprofit
• How to protect your organization's culture while expanding
• The importance of keeping your mission crystal clear for every volunteer and leader
• Why "humans helping humans" remains the foundation of SHP's success
• Practical leadership lessons for founders experiencing rapid growth
• How to avoid mission drift as your nonprofit grows

Memorable Quote

"The first and foremost, most important thing when you grow is making sure everybody knows one thing that's crystal clear: What is our mission? We will not add to it or take away from it."

Resources

Connect with Luke Mickelson

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shpluke/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukemickelson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SHPLuke
• Founder's Syndrome Survival Course: https://lukemickelson.com/fss-course
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace: https://shpbeds.org

Connect with Wendy Kidd

• Nonprofit Nook: https://nonprofitnook.com
• Boss Level Engaged: https://www.bosslevelengaged.com/
• Wendy Kidd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/

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