Scarcity Is Not a Strategy—Build a Nonprofit Revenue Engine Instead

What does it take for a nonprofit to grow from “we’re getting by” to “we’re building a real engine for impact”? In this energizing conversation, Julia Patrick sits down with Sherry Quam Taylor of Quam Taylor to talk about what nonprofit leaders should truly focus on in 2026 if they want sustainable, strategic revenue growth.

Sherry starts with a bold challenge: stop letting scarcity run the organization. Not as a motivational poster idea, but as a practical leadership decision. Her favorite starting place is a deceptively simple exercise: take the strategic plan and price it out honestly. Not the “squeak by” version. The real version. Reserves. Living wage salaries. The marketing role you never replaced. Staff development. The tech you keep postponing. When leaders finally put the full need on paper, something shifts from fear to possibility, because the organization can now align revenue goals to an actual plan.

From there, Sherry calls out one of the biggest growth blockers in the sector: trying random tactics instead of committing to a planned strategy. As she puts it, “If we align our hours to dollars… there’s actually a math equation that gets to that.” That’s the business of nonprofits in one sentence: staffing, activities, and fundraising effort must match the revenue destination.

Then she brings it home with a refreshing reminder that modern fundraising still wins through relationships. Not stiff, over engineered emails and performative professionalism, but real human connection. Sherry has a simple mantra her clients keep on sticky notes: “Talk like a human.” She explains that both funders and nonprofits want the same thing a genuine conversation with the people behind the work. In a world where messages all start to sound the same, authenticity becomes a competitive advantage.

Finally, she makes a case for something too many organizations avoid: asking for help and budgeting for it. Growth requires investment in expertise, capacity, and support systems, and boards should be champions of that, not roadblocks.

If your nonprofit is ready to fund the plan you actually want, not the one you can barely afford, this episode will leave you with momentum and a smarter path forward.

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