Key Insights with BetterUnite’s Leya Simmons

Five Questions with Leya Simmons

1. You work with nonprofits of all sizes. How would you characterize the state of the nonprofit industry?

Functionally GREAT. I think nonprofits function broadly as the 4th arm of government in that they fill very important gaps in government services. They are also consistent and not altered by political whims. The fact that there are relatively very few stories of mismanagement or even corruption is somewhat amazing. Those that do arise are typically squashed very quickly by boards and community efforts.

Organizationally GOOD. There are likely too many nonprofits. I think a strong M&A effort among NPOs would have a streamlining and collectively impactful effect on both large and small nonprofitsandon the people that work for these nonprofits.

Financially OK. Nonprofits need more funding. Period. Despite the fact that nonprofits do everything they can to raise money, issue awareness, and provide earned revenue opportunities, government and corporate entities NEED to take a stronger supporting role. Over 80% of all money given to nonprofits is from individual donors and the vast majority of those gifts come from smaller gifts. Foundations should move out of the role of tax havens and into the role of a true support network, encouraging high-net-worth individuals to increase their gifts. Government grants should prioritize strong local nonprofits and many of those should also come from municipal officials and state legislatures.

2. How are NPOs coping post-pandemic?

Very well… considering.

3. What are the biggest challenges fundraisers face today?

A shifting fundraising landscape: demographic changes among top donors that call for differentiated giving options among generations (due to technological innovation and acceptance), lack of corporate funding (as in dollars, not in-kind gifts or employee volunteer hours), to name a few. The preponderance of nonprofits makes competition for dollars very real - even though it is uncomfortable to talk about. The employee turnover rate is also a true problem for nonprofits as well - donor relations are about relationships and those are hard to cultivate when there is no information thread and there are new faces for the organization at every fundraising event.

4. Do you see any silver linings coming out of this period?

Definitely! Fundraising tech, at its best, makes life easier for nonprofits and offers opportunities for automation and less work. The biggest silver lining of COVID was tech and the acceptance by just about everyone that we saw technology's place in everything - meetings, donating online, auctions running online, and more. 

5. Where do you see new possibilities for innovation?

So many places! (Can I get everyone to sign an NDA? :) Event software still has a lot of holes to fill; grants and grant management tools are not where they need to be to truly serve grant writers; nonprofit communities and consolidation and communication - so far this is largely through Facebook which is now a communications dinosaur and LinkedIn for Nonprofits are there but we’re all still a bit fuzzy on what their intentions are, so we could make strides there. I could go on…

What else would you like the audience to know?

That if you work for a nonprofit, you need to practice what I call Exceptional Self Care. You can’t give what you don’t have, so fill up that bucket. And know that there are good people and good companies out there working to support you and your missions. We’re not all the way there yet, but we’re on it.

Leya Simmons is co-founder and CEO of BetterUnite, a first-of-its-kind software ecosystem that provides all of the tech tools that nonprofits require to raise money and manage organizations in one collaborative place.