Beyond the Grant: Building a Nonprofit Ready for Growth

ABOUT THIS SESSION

Many small nonprofits want to grow—serve more people, secure larger grants, attract major donors, expand programs, or increase their community impact. But growth brings new demands, and securing additional funding is only one part of being ready to scale.

This session will help nonprofit leaders look beyond fundraising and consider the organizational capacity needed to successfully manage growth. If your organization received a major gift or large grant tomorrow, would you have the staff, systems, and infrastructure to put those resources to work effectively? Do you have enough employees—and the right expertise—to manage expanded programs and increased reporting requirements? Is your volunteer base large and dependable enough to support growth without exhausting the people who are already involved?

Participants will explore the key areas nonprofits should evaluate before pursuing significant expansion, including staffing and leadership capacity, volunteer recruitment and retention, financial management, board readiness, technology and operational systems, policies and procedures, program evaluation, communications, and fundraising infrastructure.

The session will also address an often-overlooked question: What happens after you get the funding? A $100,000 grant can create tremendous opportunity, but it can also expose weaknesses in an organization that does not yet have the capacity to administer the grant, deliver the promised outcomes, track results, and sustain the work after the funding ends.

Rather than treating growth as simply “doing more,” this training will help organizations think about what they need to build before they grow. Participants will leave with practical questions and tools they can use to assess their organization’s current capacity, identify gaps, determine what investments should come first, and develop a realistic plan for sustainable growth.

Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Location: Richwood Bank, 2454 N. Limestone St., Springfield, OH

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Ara Beal (she/her/hers) is a theatre practitioner, former executive director, and nonprofit coach. With degrees from Wittenberg University and Miami University, she has worked in Dayton, Southern California, Maryland, and Cleveland, Ohio. Among her successes is the founding of YS Giving Tuesday, a collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign in Yellow Springs that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for dozens of nonprofits over the last five years. She founded Greene River Consulting, focused on coaching organizations on finance and funding, through accounting, one-on-one coaching, and grant writing. She also has a special interest in supporting first-time Executive Directors, building on her experience taking over two organizations from their founders. She is a member of the National Grants Management Association and a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional with BDO.

ABOUT GSAFP

The Greater Springfield AFP Rise & Thrive series provides nonprofit professionals with practical, actionable learning opportunities designed to strengthen organizations and advance philanthropy throughout our community.

Whether you're an executive director, development professional, finance leader, or board member, you'll leave with practical ideas to help your organization build a stronger, more diversified financial future.