Build Up Companies

There are a lot of changes happening recently with grant making and federal policy, which can have major impacts for many nonprofits, especially smaller ones or those led by marginalized people, where funding has traditionally been challenging.   In the first webinar of 2025 as a part of BUI's Capacity Building Workshop Series, Ajani Husbands, led an interactive session on Navigating Policy Changes & Grant Compliance in 2025, outlining some of the areas to watch, and also highlighting strategies to de-risk their own activities. A few of the strategies are listed below.   1. Conduct a fiscal health assessment - Take time to examine your donor database as well as potential funding sources to see if any of these funders may change their own funding policies. 2. Revisit mission statements and key programs - Make sure the logistics of your work fully align with your end goals, and have comprehensive conversations about the risks involved. 3. Communicate early & often with your fiscal sponsor - Let your fiscal sponsor know of any changes to your fundraising plan, coordinate to de-risk outreach materials, and discuss upcoming programs in advance. 4. Collaborate with other nonprofits - Work together with like-minded organizations to share best practices.   What other strategies would you suggest?

Strategy Week is Here! At Build Up Companies, we believe that taking time to align, innovate, and reflect is essential to driving meaningful impact. From April 7 to April 10, our team will be fully offline for external engagements as we focus on strengthening our internal infrastructure and recharging for the work ahead. This week gives us the opportunity to reconnect with each other, tackle long-term projects, and create space to re-engage with purpose. We’ll be back online on April 14, ready to continue supporting our clients and partners with renewed energy. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Transitioning from Concept to Public Charity (Part I) Would it surprise you to know that we never just say, "Let's do it!" when someone comes to us to form a #charity? Or that we ask programmatic and strategy questions in addition to the "legal questions" you might expect? It is not simply a "transaction" to us. Today's Fast Build topic is about transitioning from concept to public charity. Nic shares the first of two key considerations for transitioning to public charity status. The first consideration, which is critical, is to determine if you should, in fact, be a charitable entity. If you skip this step and go straight to assuming you should be a #publiccharity simply because you want to have social impact, you will lose out on a lot of the vision and mission setting that is critical for building infrastructure and will likely be in an inappropriate entity, both of which will ultimately have an impact within the communities you serve. Taking the time and having the patience to put all of this together in a meaningful way, including the type of entity you will use to do your work, is how you start building out a strong infrastructure and framework for your organization. https://lnkd.in/dAkW4kVF

Key Elements of a Service Agreement Did you know that how you negotiate the provisions within your service agreements actually impacts the sustainability of your #nonprofit or #philanthropy? Today's Fast Build topic is about the key elements of a service agreement. Nic shares the top 3 considerations for nonprofits and philanthropies engaging service providers. Paying attention to a service agreement's payment terms, indemnification provisions, and confidentiality terms is critical. Losing sight of any one of them can ultimately impact your organization's bottom line, flexibility, and resilience. So, it is critical to your organizational infrastructure to understand and negotiate what you are signing, particularly when it comes to these terms. When was the last time you considered how a service agreement might impact your bottom line? Let us know in the comments! https://lnkd.in/eBPU3hdj

Holding Grant Makers Accountable for Equity and Inclusion (Part II) When something is important enough to you, they say you should "put your money where your mouth is." What happens when you don't? Today's Fast Build is about holding grant makers accountable for equity and inclusion. In it, Nic shares the second recommendation to hold grant makers accountable - ensure they "put their money where their mouth is." It is the second part of a two-part series. If the only time a grant maker's advisors or consultants are people of color is when it's sourcing for DEI consultants, it needs to be held accountable. If you believe in equity and justice, you should be searching for ways to be more inclusive by engaging groups that have historically been left out of the conversation, both in terms of your work and your operations. Do you think we can truly create grant making accountability standards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! https://lnkd.in/dBshAFyc

Holding Grant Makers Accountable for Equity and Inclusion (Part I) How do you hold grant makers accountable? Who's going to do it? We'll wait.... Today's Fast Build topic is holding grant makers accountable for equity and inclusion. In it, Nic shares the first of two recommendations for holding grant makers accountable by requiring them to share what they have done or are doing about equity in their grant making. It is the first part of a two part series. In particular, we should require every grant maker that publicly shared they were focused on equity and grant making, especially since 2020, to explain exactly what have they changed within their organization's infrastructure to make them more equitable and inclusive. If we, including grant makers, don't commit to holding grant makers accountable, how do we expect true systemic change? Comment below on your thinking about accountability in grant making. https://lnkd.in/e5rxY57N

Join Us at PEAK2025: Onward – Leading With Courage We’re thrilled to share that our very own Hayley Smith, Vice President of Strategic Impact and Principal, and Ajani Husbands, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Senior Counsel, will be speaking at PEAK2025: Onward – Leading With Courage, happening March 24–26, 2025, in New Orleans. This event, hosted by PEAK Grantmaking, is an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and explore bold leadership strategies that drive meaningful impact in the grantmaking space. Hayley and Ajani will bring their expertise to the conversation, sharing insights on navigating change, strengthening governance, and leading with intention. We’d love for you to join us! Stay tuned for more details on our LinkedIn page, where we’ll be sharing session highlights and key takeaways in the coming weeks. Let’s move forward together—onward! 

The Role of Membership in Governance Think fast: Is your nonprofit a membership corporation? Okay. What decision-making authority do your members have (and we don't mean board members)? We'll wait. :-) Did you know that knowing the answers to these questions can strengthen your infrastructure and impact? Today's Fast Build topic is the role of membership in governance. Nic explains what statutory membership is and why it is critical that you understand the role membership plays in governance within a nonprofit. When you are designing your governance structure, ignoring membership will impact the way you are building out your organization. We have to be thoughtful and deliberate about how we include membership into our governance structure and how we intend to work with or without a membership to ensure a nonprofit is building the way it should. How are you thinking about the role of membership in your organization's governance? Let us know in the comments! https://lnkd.in/esSXG694

Join Us at Practising Law Institute (PLI)- Advising Nonprofit Organizations 2025! We’re excited to share that our CEO, Founder, and Managing Attorney, A. Nicole Campbell, will be speaking at Advising Nonprofit Organizations 2025 on March 12, 2025, in New York, NY, with sessions televised nationally.   Nic will be part of the session "Intermediaries in the Nonprofit Sector," alongside expert panelists Tiffany N. Tam and Carrie Trowbridge. After this session, participants will be able to: -Review essential rules and recent developments impacting donor advised funds  -Identify different models of fiscal sponsorships  -Understand “Friends Of” organizations and similar fund structures  -Recognize key considerations and use cases for donors as well as charitable projects and organizations    If you’re working with or advising nonprofits, this is a session you won’t want to miss. Come and join us through this link https://lnkd.in/eYUvRDCu We would love for you to be part of the conversation! Looking forward to seeing you there.

Substantial Grant Award Considerations We've been hearing a lot recently about MacKenzie Scott's grant making, including to some organizations that were not expecting the millions they received. Do you think your #nonprofit is "ready" to receive $5M or $50M in unrestricted grant funding tomorrow? Today's Fast Build Friday topic is substantial grant award considerations. Nic shares two key considerations to help an organization prepare for and effectively use a substantial grant. Receiving a substantial grant award should not be the end of the story. You need technical assistance alongside substantial, unrestricted funding to help ensure an organization's effective use of the grant. And you also need to consider the ecosystem in which the organization sits when determining how you will use the grant. These considerations are critical to advancing your vision of the change you want to see in the world. What would you do with $5M? How would you prepare? Let us know in the comments! https://lnkd.in/dGd2f6y