When you work in nonprofit leadership, you spend a lot of time focused on the here and now: raising enough to meet this year’s goals, delivering on today’s promises, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
But at some point, maybe during a board meeting, a donor conversation, or even a late-night budget review, a new kind of question pops up:
What would it look like to create something more permanent?
An endowment can feel like the answer to that question. It’s a tool that helps organizations plan beyond the next campaign or fiscal year and instead invest in their mission for the long haul. But for many nonprofits, especially small and midsized ones, the idea of starting an endowment can feel confusing, intimidating, or just… out of reach.
In this post, we’re not here to tell you whether you should start one today. Instead, we want to help you think through whether an endowment belongs in your organization’s long-term strategy, and what to consider before you begin.
Because here’s what we want every nonprofit leader to know: an endowment is not just for the biggest, best-funded organizations. With the right mindset and a clear approach, any nonprofit, regardless of size or budget, can begin building the foundation for long-term sustainability. You don’t have to count yourself out.