Lovett and Sons

Strategy + Storytelling Rooted in Community

Tag: nonprofit

  • Planning for What’s Next Starts with Who’s Already Here

    Planning for What’s Next Starts with Who’s Already Here

    We talk a lot about building capacity. But in practice, that conversation often skips past the people doing the work every day.

    The local activist finding time between shifts and school pickup. The nonprofit staffer juggling operations, outreach, and storytelling — with little time to rest. The neighborhood-based group solving real problems long before funding ever arrived.

    This is where capacity building has to begin. Not in theory — in real time, with the people who are already doing the work. 

    Trust comes first

    Before we talk about tools or timelines, we need trust — the kind built through listening, consistency, and shared experience.

    Capacity isn’t always about hiring more people or applying for bigger grants. Sometimes, it’s about creating space to collaborate across neighborhoods and sectors. It’s about making room to reflect, not just react.

    When that kind of alignment is in place, the right tools become easier to introduce. One of those tools we’re paying close attention to is AI.

    Let tools support the people

    We’ve seen the headlines, but here’s what matters: AI can support capacity when used with intention. For community-rooted organizations short on time, it can help with things like drafting content, organizing records, or summarizing years of data that’s hard to wrangle.

    It’s not about replacing anyone. It’s about making more room for focus, clarity, and the human work that tech can’t do — like building trust, shaping vision, and showing up.

    Strategy that reflects real life

    A five-year strategic plan written without community input is just another document. But a shared vision shaped by real conversations? That can lead to something lasting.

    Strategy should feel lived-in — something people can use, not just review. At Lovett and Sons, that’s the kind of planning we help build.

    What we’ve learned

    We work with nonprofits, community leaders, and philanthropic partners who are ready to:

    • Align their vision with how they work
    • Use storytelling to connect more deeply
    • Build strategy that honors lived experience

    But at the core, it’s always the same belief The people already doing the work deserve support that matches their vision.

    The future starts with us — all of us

    If we want capacity that lasts, we have to:

    • Start by trusting local leaders
    • Strengthen relationships that already exist
    • Use tools like AI with care and clarity
    • Plan together — not for performance, but for real momentum

    The next phase of community work won’t be built alone. It will take conversation, creativity, and planning that feels personal. If you’re looking for a partner to support that process — we’re ready to build it with you. 

  • Beyond the Grant — Rethinking Fundraising in Real-Time

    Beyond the Grant — Rethinking Fundraising in Real-Time

    If you’re leading a nonprofit right now, you already know the rhythm: apply, report, wait, repeat. You’ve done the work. You’ve written the grants. And you’ve kept going even when the funding didn’t.

    Philanthropy, in many ways, has carried the sector through seasons of growth and hardship. And for that, we hold deep respect. But relying solely on grant cycles in 2025 is like building a house on sand. The foundation needs to shift.

    There is more funding available than most organizations realize — not always through new grants, but through existing relationships, overlooked opportunities, and untold stories. One of those places is Donor-Advised Funds.

    According to the 2024 Donor-Advised Fund Report by the National Philanthropic Trust, charitable assets held in donor-advised funds (DAFs) totaled $251.52 billion at the end of 2023.

    That same year, $54.77 billion was granted from DAFs to nonprofits, making it one of the highest annual totals on record — even with a drop in new contributions.

    While DAF contributions and grants shifted with economic trends, the payout rate remained steady at nearly 24%. This consistency shows that many donors are still giving — especially when they feel connected to the mission

    This is the time to step back and reflect. Not on what’s missing — but on what’s already present. What connections haven’t been nurtured? What stories haven’t been told? What relationships could deepen if you slowed down long enough to ask different questions?

    We often find that the clarity nonprofits are looking for doesn’t come from bigger goals — it comes from more grounded ones. The moment you shift from “How do we raise money?” to “Who have we already moved?” everything starts to change. It’s not just about funding. It’s about positioning. And that positioning must come from the inside out — your values, your voice, your community.

    At Lovett and Sons, we help nonprofits realign with what’s already working and build the tools to strengthen it. That includes creating a message donors can trust, a structure that doesn’t rely on a single revenue stream, and a storytelling strategy that feels like you — not like a grant proposal in disguise.

    If you’re ready to shift the way you fundraise — not just tactically but holistically — we’re prepared to walk with you. This moment doesn’t need more hustle. It requires more honesty. And your story deserves to be told with intention.

    🧡 Let’s build it together.

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  • Board Leadership Across Generations: Capacity, Commitment, and Community

    Board Leadership Across Generations: Capacity, Commitment, and Community

    For years, I’ve heard the same question echo through rooms filled with urgency and vision: “How do we prepare the next generation for board leadership?” It’s the right question, but how we frame it might be part of the problem.

    Millennials are often talked about like they’re new to the workforce or just learning to lead. In reality, most are in their mid-thirties to early forties, juggling full-time careers, caregiving responsibilities, and economic uncertainty. And Gen Z? They are in adulthood in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one their parents prepared them for. Before we ask how we prepare them, we must ask if we’ve even made space for them to serve. Gen Xers and Boomers have long carried the weight of board leadership, but without intentional succession planning and shared power, their legacy risks being unsustainable.

    Right now, capacity is a conversation we usually reserve for nonprofits—how under-resourced they are and how stretched their staff can be. But what about the people we want to serve on their boards? What about the 30-year-old trying to buy a house, care for elders, raise children, and maintain their mental health in a system that wasn’t built for balance?

    Serving on a board requires time, emotional labor, and sometimes money. It’s not unusual to see the same people in Lorain County on five or six boards at once. I know—I’m currently on four myself, all in leadership roles. That’s not a flex. That’s an example of what happens when our pool of leaders appears to be shallow, not because people don’t care—but because they don’t have the capacity to do more. Also, you may not have access to the right side of the pool.

    And that’s why Lovett & Sons exists—to help reimagine systems that don’t just rely on tradition but genuinely serve today’s realities. We need new models of leadership development that account for economic realities, burnout, and shifting values. Because if we don’t adapt, we risk building boards that look diverse on paper but still operate in ways that exclude working-class voices, single parents, young leaders, and those who move through the world differently.

    It’s not enough to invite someone to the table—we need to ensure they can afford to sit there.

    Three Questions to Consider:

    1. What barriers—visible or invisible—might be preventing emerging leaders from joining your board?
    2. How are you compensating or supporting board members who give their time and their lived experience?
    3. Is your board built for sustainability—or just for survival?