Strategic planning should feel like problem-solving with someone who gets your world.

In this episode, I discuss why most strategic planning processes leave leaders more exhausted than energized. We talk about building decision-making frameworks instead of detailed action plans that become outdated the moment conditions change.

If you've been dreading your organization's planning process, this episode offers a different approach.

Strategic planning should make your job easier, not harder.

My Bored Room to Bold Leader intensive is a focused 45-minute session where we take one strategic area where you're feeling stuck and create the framework you need to move forward confidently.

• Bored Room to Bold Leader Intensive - https://tidycal.com/poppygrovellc/bored-room-to-bold-leader

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram - @lisathestrategist
• LinkedIn - Lisa Avila, MA

Nonprofits are praised for doing too much with too little. But there's nothing ethical about disorganization. And burnout isn't proof of commitment.

In this episode, I challenge the idea that business principles are incompatible with mission-driven work.

We cover:

• Why mission without infrastructure doesn't scale
• What nonprofits can borrow from business without losing their soul
• How to lead with both heart and operational clarity

If you're finished shrinking your leadership to look more "nonprofit-y" and ready to scale like an impactful business, listen in..

Ready to lead your organization with strategy and sustainability? Join me for a Momentum Virtual Strategy Retreat where we map out your 2026 priorities, messaging, and growth plan in two focused days.

• Virtual Momentum Strategy Retreats - https://poppygrovellc.com/virtual-momentum

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram - @lisathestrategist
• LinkedIn - Lisa Avila, MA

While you’re wondering why your funding applications keep getting rejected, another organization just secured its most significant grant yet.

In this episode, I break down the five strategic mistakes that keep nonprofit leaders stuck — while their competitors consistently win support.

We discuss why leading with need can make you appear like a charity case, how to reposition your messaging so funders view you as a strategic partner, and what it takes to shift from being overlooked to being the obvious choice.

If you're tired of being passed over while others with the same mission keep pulling ahead, this conversation will change how you approach every funder relationship from now on.

The gap between you and them isn’t passion or connections.

It’s strategy.

Ready to position your organization for serious investment?

Join me for Momentum Virtual Retreat, where we will map out your messaging, your funding model, and your board engagement strategy in just two days.

• Virtual Momentum Strategy Retreats - https://poppygrovellc.com/virtual-momentum
• The $10M Impact Legacy Intensive - https://poppygrovellc.com/legacy-intensive

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram - @lisathestrategist
• LinkedIn - Lisa Avila, MA

There are two types of nonprofit leaders in the fourth quarter (Q4).

Those who are clear, focused, and funded.

And those who are busy, reactive, and hoping it all works out.

In this episode, I highlight the mindset and habits that distinguish prepared leaders from those still trying to piece it together. If you're heading into year-end without a strong plan, this is your chance to course-correct before you're stuck trying to recover in December.

Leaders who win Q4 don’t wait.

They decide what they want and build the strategy to match.

If you’re ready to approach your funding conversations with confidence instead of pressure, Momentum Virtual Retreats is where we map your Q4 strategy in two focused days.

• Virtual Momentum Strategy Retreats - https://poppygrovellc.com/virtual-momentum

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram - @lisathestrategist
• LinkedIn - Lisa Avila, MA

You don't have to figure everything out alone. In fact, trying to do so is what's keeping you running in circles.

In this episode, I discuss why isolation is harming nonprofit leadership and the distinction between seeking advice and forming a genuine strategic partnership. We explore why nonprofit leaders resist investing in support and what it costs you to continue making strategic decisions in isolation.

If you're great at what you do but feel like you're hitting a wall in your growth, this episode explains why strategic partnership will help you get to your next level.

Great leaders don't go it alone. They build with strategic partners.

Ready for the strategic partnership that will accelerate your growth? Check out Momentum Strategy Retreats - we'll map out your strategic priorities, funding plan, and organizational structure so you can lead boldly and scale sustainably.

• Virtual Momentum Strategy Retreats
• The Rich Nonprofit Newsletter

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram - @lisathestrategist
• LinkedIn - Lisa Avila, MA

Your board is already thinking about next year. Decisions are being shaped, priorities weighed, energy sorted. If you walk into January without a clear plan, you'll spend Q1 chasing conversations that could have been decided in the fall.

In this episode, I explain what your board really wants from you (hint: it's not a 50-page document) and why October is your final window to commit to getting strategic before the year ends. We discuss the three questions every board needs answered, why perfectionism hinders clarity, and what happens when you try to lead from exhaustion rather than intention.

If you're tired of starting every year behind and ready to walk into 2026 with a board that's aligned and energized, this episode shows you exactly how to get there.

Your board doesn't want another plan. They want clarity you can deliver on.

Want help getting your board-approved strategy locked in before the year ends? Download my free strategic guide, "Your Shortcut to a Board-Approved Strategy (Before Year-End)". It walks you through the framework I use with clients to achieve clarity quickly.

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Too many nonprofit leaders walk into Q4 with apologetic energy, and it costs them. While they say, “We’re grateful for anything,” decisions are already being made about who gets serious support and who gets scraps.

Q4 isn’t just busy season, it’s decision season. In this episode, I discuss why you can’t afford to play small with funders, boards, or partners, and how to position your organization as the obvious choice.

If you’re done with scraping by and ready for real strategy, join me for a Momentum Virtual Retreat. Two half-days. Eight hours. A Board-ready action plan that sets you up before Q4 gets by you.

• Virtual Momentum Strategy Retreats
• The Rich Nonprofit Newsletter

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram
• LinkedIn

You care deeply about your mission, but passion alone isn't a funding plan.

In this episode, I get honest about what happens when women in nonprofit leadership build their organizations on personal sacrifice, guilt, and urgency instead of strategy and sustainability. I talk about how over-giving is rewarded in this sector and why it's quietly sabotaging your growth.

If you've been praised for how much you care but still can't pay yourself what you're worth, you'll want to listen in.

This is the mindset shift that must happen before your fundraising strategy can work.

Ready to start 2026 with a leadership plan that protects your energy and scales your mission? Check out Momentum Strategy Retreats - we'll get your leadership role defined, funding priorities set, and program structures built so you're not pulled in a hundred directions

• Momentum Strategy Retreats
• The Rich Nonprofit Newsletter

Connect with Lisa: 

• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Money isn't the problem. Scarcity is.

In this episode, I call out the biggest reason nonprofits stay broke: the internalized belief that wanting more funding makes you less mission-driven. If you're still trying to contort your organization around limited funding instead of building funding around your organization's needs, this episode will challenge you.

You'll learn what fully-funded leadership looks like, why shrinking isn't serving your community, and how to stop treating money like it's dirty.

This isn't about being greedy. This is about being ready for your next level.

Ready to stop designing your mission around scarcity? Check out Momentum Strategy Retreats - we'll rebuild your funding model, board alignment, and leadership structure in two focused days so you can step into 2026 resourced and strategic.

Momentum Strategy Retreats

The Rich Nonprofit Newsletter

Connect with Lisa: 

Instagram

LinkedIn

You're not underfunded because you're not working hard enough.

You're underfunded because you're still treating grant writing like a strategy instead of a tool.

In this episode, I talk about what too many leaders have been told to normalize: the feast-or-famine cycle of funding that's built on hope and hustle, not clarity. We talk about what strategic funding looks like and the six revenue streams I help clients build when they are ready to stop spinning and start scaling.

If you're finished pouring your energy into proposals with a 10% chance of success and ready to build a sustainable strategy, this episode is for you.

You don't need another grant calendar. You need strategy that works for these unprecedented times.

The Rich Nonprofit Newsletter

Connect with Lisa: 

Instagram

LinkedIn