Each month, this newsletter holds a new theme from the sector. July's is funding, and I want to start with the part that touches everyone in the building, not just the development team or the one who writes the grants.
Every nonprofit runs on a funding mix. Some lean on one or two large streams. Others hold a dozen smaller ones together. You may never choose that mix, but you feel it. It shapes which programs launch, which roles get funded, and how fast your team can move when something in the community shifts.
Money is not only a finance question. It is a shape. A grant pays for one program and not another. A gift arrives because someone believes in the work. A contract covers certain costs and waits on the rest. Each dollar carries instructions, and those instructions quietly steer the work you do every day.
Some of us do not have a seat at the table to map out where our organization’s money comes from. Others may not have the time. And, a select few may be navigating transparency between board, staff, and the public.
The good news is that reading the mix is a skill, and it belongs to every seat, not just the executive ones. The fundraiser feels it first. So does the program lead watching a service stretch to fit a new grant. So does the coordinator who is new to the work and wondering why one idea moves and another waits.
When you can read the money, you can serve the mission more clearly. You start asking a better question of every opportunity. Does this dollar move the mission, or just the budget? You notice when a program is bending to fit a funder, and you name it early and kindly. You keep the work that matters most as the reference point.
That is the theme for July. Funding is the system that pays for the mission. Learning to read it is one of the most practical forms of leadership there is, and you can practice it, no matter your role within the organization.
— Aubrey
Coming Up
COMMUNITY MEETING
Date: July 9th, 2026
Location: Tarrant Area Food Bank
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
We’ll talk about where money comes from, what an organizational mix typically looks like and how it shapes the work, and what you can start to notice in patterns, even when you aren't the one writing the budget.
CONNECTION CIRCLE
Date: July 16th, 2026
Location: The Cause Agency
Time: 8:00 am - 9:30 am
We'll explore the full landscape of how nonprofits are funded, from grants and individual giving to government contracts, and talk about how each funding type shapes what organizations can and can't do. We'll also dig into mission drift, looking at how programming alignment and strategy play an important role throughout strategic development.
CONNECTION CIRCLE
Date: July 23rd, 2026
Location: Tarrant Area Food Bank
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
We will talk about the strings attached to the money, what restricted and unrestricted dollars shape how programs run, and what you can notice in those constraints even if you aren't the one negotiating the grant terms.
CONNECTION CIRCLE
Date: August 4th, 2026
Location: Tarrant Area Food Bank
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
This discussion is a grounded in the information that’s often handed to fundraisers by the development team, what gets lost in translation between programs and development, and how to start building a bridge between the two sides of your organization.
Sector News
Charitable giving hit a record in 2025.
Americans gave U.S. charities an estimated $617 billion in 2025, an inflation-adjusted 3 percent increase over the prior year. Individuals are still the largest single source at roughly 64 percent of the total, even though that share has slipped from about 80 percent four decades ago as foundations, corporations, and bequests grow. The headline for practitioners holds steady. The people who believe in your work remain the steadiest part of the picture. Giving USA is researched by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and is the longest-running report of its kind.
Government funding is more common in the mix than many assume.
If you have ever wondered how widespread government funding really is, the Urban Institute has a clear answer. In their most recent national data, two-thirds of nonprofits received at least one government grant or contract, and the average organization generated about a quarter of its revenue from government sources. It is a useful reminder that a funding mix is wider and more varied than any single stream, and that reading where public dollars sit in your own mix is part of seeing the whole picture.
One Thing to Try
Take a Funding Walk
Pick one podcast episode about how nonprofits get funded, and take it with you on a walk, a drive, or a workout. No notebook, no agenda. Listen the way you would to anything you enjoy.
A great fit for this month is The Nonprofit Visibility Gap from The Nonprofit Podcast. It digs into how donors and funders evaluate organizations, how Candid profiles and Seals of Transparency work as real credibility signals, and why small teams can take meaningful action without a big time commitment.
You will come back with language and ideas you did not have before, picked up from people who discuss funding for a living. That is professional development that happens to feel like a break.
From the Community
Community Connection is where we encourage you to share what you need and what you have to offer within the categories we currently support. Open roles. Board seats. Volunteer opportunities. Events worth showing up for.
It is a shared space that connects the organizations doing the work with the professionals ready to join it, strengthen it, and grow alongside it.
Strategy & Learning Sessions
☕ Free Nonprofit Strategy Session with BizBrainstorm
This free, two-hour strategy session brings together volunteer experts from across industries to work alongside nonprofit leadership teams on your most pressing opportunities and obstacles. The format is hands-on and collaborative, designed to generate real clarity and momentum rather than general advice.
Organizations that participate also receive a small donation and often walk away with a group of engaged champions who stay invested in their work long after the session ends. BizBrainstorm hosts one to two nonprofits per month, and the application process is open now.
Note: Participating organizations must be on the list of Fidelity Investments’ Donor Advised Funds. No cost involved.
📖 Learning Resources with AFP Fort Worth
Have you heard about AFP Fort Worth and want to learn more? Did you know that AFP Fort Worth now has Free Monthly webinars for members and $10 for non-members?
Reach out to Olivia Jane Barhorst, MNLM, CFRE, for questions about membership, scholarships, and more. Olivia is on the AFP Fort Worth Board of Directors as Director of Education and also serves as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) International Ambassador and can answer professional development questions.
🤝 Bold For Gold Tour 3K Walk & Community Celebration | Jacob Way Organization Saturday, December 5, 2026 | Bob Cooke Park, Arlington, TX
This December, Jacob Way Organization is making history, launching the national Bold For Gold Tour right here in Arlington. This is more than a walk. It is a community celebration built to shine a light on childhood cancer while spreading holiday cheer, presented in partnership with Arlington Parks and Recreation at the East Recreation Center.
The morning turns Bob Cooke Park gold with a scenic 3K walk, a Community Resource Fair, music, and plenty of philanthropy. Here is what to look forward to:
The 3K Community Walk is a safe, paved 1.8-mile course through Bob Cooke Park, and strollers, walkers, and joggers are all welcome. Along the way, the Stuff the Sleigh Drive invites you to bring new socks, board games, or tech accessories to fill a vehicle parked at the starting line, with 100% of items going to local pediatric cancer patients. The Community Resource Fair, before and after the walk in the East Rec Center Hall, connects you with local businesses, free samples, and vital community services. And the Celebration keeps the morning going with a hot cocoa station, a live DJ, and a signature line dance to close it out.
There are two easy ways to show up. You can join the Roots to Leadership team and walk alongside us, or build your own team and bring your people together for the cause. Either way, you are part of a day built around hope, community, and the families this work supports.
What's Happening in Our Community
There is a fresh look to the Roots to Leadership website, and with it comes something new the community can put to use right away. Under the Community Board, you will now find Community Events, a running calendar of nonprofit events happening across the area throughout the year.
This calendar is being built alongside our friends at Fundraising Fanatics, a local virtual meetup for development and fundraising professionals. Their work makes this resource possible, and we are glad to be building it together.
A few ways to put it to work:
See what your partners and contacts are up to. The calendar makes it easier to stay close to the work happening across the sector in any given month, without chasing down every individual invite.
Plan your own events with the bigger picture in view. When too many galas, fundraisers, or community gatherings land on the same date, partners and funders are forced to choose between them. A quick check before locking in your event saves your team, and the community around it, real headaches.
A Final Note
Funding will always shift. Keeping every dollar tied to a goal you already set is how the mission keeps its footing.
Until next time,
Founder & Executive Director
Empowering nonprofit leaders to grow and lead with purpose.
