Vannessa Lindsey tells nonprofit leaders to stop chasing grants until they pass a 30-second test: can someone quickly explain what you do, who you serve, and why it matters. Fix your mission clarity first.
But here's where most nonprofits get stuck. They skip straight to the funding, and we've seen them. You know, we've done that. I know I've done it. It's like, okay, what am I supposed to do? It's like, get your 501, or there's a grant coming out, go apply for it. Okay, so you don't want to just skip straight to the funding, and that's what we do. We skip straight to the funding. We apply for grants. We ask for donations without fixing visibility first. Now let me give you something practical. I want you to think about something. If someone looked at your nonprofit today in 30 seconds, Could they explain what you do, who you serve, and why it matters? And if the answer is no, this is the first place you want to fix. Don't go chasing no more grants.
