Co-Founder, Social Impact Solutions | Accelerating Fundraising + Social Impact for Nonprofits & Mission-Driven Companies

Driven by a mission to help the impact sector thrive, we started Social Impact Solutions to empower nonprofits and mission-driven companies to measure and market their social impact.
We offer strategic guidance through tailored sessions focused on social impact measurement, funder acquisition, and growth strategy. 

Our goal? To equip organizations with the tools they need to not only make a measurable difference but to communicate their impact effectively.

If you want to learn insider tips and strategies for impact measurement and growth, join The Nonprofit Post.

Go here => https://mailchi.mp/socialimpactsolutions/nonprofit-post

If you want free tips on how to measure and market your impact, take our fundraising quiz. 

Go here => https://www.fundraisingquiz.org/

John Vanderpool

Outputs tell us what happened.
Outcomes explain what changed and why it mattered.

Effective nonprofit impact communication focuses on both, but prioritizes change.

I hope this helps!

💡 Follow me for more tips on nonprofit impact measurement and communication.

#SocialImpactSolutions #ImpactMeasurement #DataForGood #NonprofitLeadership

John Mark Vanderpool

Co-Founder | Social Impact Solutions | Helping Impact-Driven Organizations Thrive

Why Outputs Alone Don’t Explain Impact

Volunteers don’t stay engaged because of tasks, they stay engaged when they feel valued.

Small incentives and intentional appreciation can dramatically increase volunteer engagement.

We shared these insights in our recent webinar to help nonprofits strengthen their volunteer culture and retention.

I hope this helps!

💡 Follow me for more tips on nonprofit impact measurement and communication.

#SocialImpactSolutions #ImpactMeasurement #DataForGood #NonprofitLeadership

Clear impact reporting builds informed, confident supporters, not passive donors. If you want long-standing partners, show your donors the impact they create when they give.

I hope this helps!

💡 Follow me for more tips on nonprofit impact measurement and communication.

#SocialImpactSolutions #ImpactMeasurement #DataForGood #NonprofitLeadership

What Donors Learn From Clear Impact Reporting

Data doesn’t replace storytelling, it reinforces it.

Together, they create impact communication donors can believe in.

I hope this helps!

💡 Follow me for more tips on nonprofit impact measurement and communication.

#SocialImpactSolutions #ImpactMeasurement #DataForGood #NonprofitLeadership

How Data Strengthens Credible Storytelling

Data literacy empowers teams to use information, not just collect it.

Stronger understanding leads to stronger impact communication.

I hope this helps!

💡 Follow me for more tips on nonprofit impact measurement and communication.

#SocialImpactSolutions #ImpactMeasurement #DataForGood #NonprofitLeadership

Signs Your Organization Needs Better Data Literacy

𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱.

Only one in 1,000 nonprofits will grow beyond a small business. Even in the United States — where philanthropic foundations have more than a trillion dollars in the bank — 88% of nonprofits struggle on less than $500,000 annually.

Many of you feel like you don’t have the time, team, or tools to succeed in fundraising. Making matters tougher, most Executive Directors were not trained in business and leadership.

So you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed and uncertain.

To break this nonprofit starvation cycle, we must tackle the problem differently. If your income has stalled, stop chasing donations. Gather your leadership team and do this instead:

𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.™

Here's the secret. ⤵

Being fundable and findable™ is your brand. Your brand consists of your theory of change, strategic plan, positioning strategy, and marketing communications. And your brand — not just more fundraising — can fix your fundraising.

Brand first, funding second.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲?

I’m a social entrepreneur too.

I’m an Acumen East Africa Fellow, alongside hundreds of nonprofit peers. I’ve started or turned around four businesses. One that scaled to international acquisition, one that failed, and two solid successes.

Our own organization Mighty Ally is a thriving nonprofit hybrid funded by grantmakers like Cartier Philanthropy. And we’ve implemented this same Fundable/Findable Framework™ with 400 partners in 54 countries so far.

I’m also on the advisory board of two institutional donors: Roddenberry Foundation in the U.S. and Greenwood Place in the UK. 

Finally, this work is my personal purpose. I’m the proud father of three girls from China and Uganda, born into the orphan crisis. I’ve prioritized living and working in three different economic contexts on three continents — growing up in the States (high-income), moving to Uganda (low-income) for four years, and spending the past five years in South Africa, Mauritius, and Malaysia (middle-income).

And I’m motivated by an urgent vision where nobody faces poverty and injustice like my daughters once did.

𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
fundablefindable.org

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹
kevinlbrown.substack.com

💪🏽💛

© 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 "𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚" 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚.

Kevin L. Brown

Philanthropy lost its meaning.

Because money stole the story.

The word 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙮 means love (𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡) of humanity (𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨). Not love of grantmaking. And people in many ‘poorer’ Global South countries give more than ‘rich’ Global North nations.

Just look at the World Giving Index. ⤵

🇮🇩 Indonesia tops the list seven straight years.
↳ Based on donating, volunteering, and helping strangers.

Low- & mid-income countries are half the top 20:
🇰🇪 Kenya
🇱🇷 Liberia
🇳🇬 Nigeria
🇬🇳 Guinea
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇹🇭 Thailand
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇲🇲 Myanmar
🇬🇲 The Gambia

Africa also boasts in the top 45:
🇱🇾 Libya
🇹🇩 Chad
🇬🇭 Ghana
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇸🇳 Senegal
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

🇺🇸 Yet, USA is the sole ‘Western power’ in the top 10.

🇪🇺 Europe has only three in the top 15, fewer than Africa.

🇬🇧 The UK ranks just 22nd most generous (and trending downward).

👍🏾 Across the globe, immigrants are more likely to give than nationals.


Why does this matter?

Once again, we must shatter the illusion of Global South donor dependency.

“Sixteen years in the field have shown me that actual philanthropists … are much more prevalent among the regular population and are only rarely found inside the field’s formal institutions,” says Edgar Villanueva. 

In other words, many of us already practice real 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭-𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴.

Helping out a stranger.
Sending remittances.
Donating small gifts.
Volunteering time.

All #philanthropy.

Because generosity isn’t a VIP club.
Cash isn’t the only ticket in.

So if we monetize the story of giving, we bankrupt its very soul.

💪🏽💛

To get nonprofit funding, be fundable & findable.™ 💪🏽💛

Philanthropy redefined — The world’s most generous people — Kevin L. Brown

USAID cuts $60 billion: 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

Global South gives $590 billion: 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱.

When aid budgets are being slashed around the world, the damaging mentality of some Westerners — “first they should help themselves” — is just wrong. Because the Global South already 𝘪𝘴 helping themselves.

Through remittances. 

These silent giants of giving donate more to families and communities than all other international aid.

Combined.

🏦 Like official development assistance: $180B
💷 Or cross-border philanthropy: $70B
💰 And private capital: $400M

To put this data in sharper focus, the Global South diaspora is (by far) the world’s top philanthropist. For itself.

But the Global North gets all the donor credit.

“This is one of the most under-reported and unexamined issues in global development,” says Gillian Marcelle, PhD.

It’s a wake-up call.

“It challenges the notion that we are beggars — even though aid plays a key role in our development, we are playing a much bigger role,” says Willson Chivhanga. “This knowledge allows us to reclaim and own our developmental agenda.”

Remittances are an unsung hero. 

Let’s make them a headliner in our narratives.

💪🏽💛

Remittances vs. Philanthropy

30 conferences for your 2026 fundraising. 👇🏽

The event circuit begins next week.

And events are a great way to be findable, as a five-minute hallway conversation with a funder can beat six months of Zoom.

But you cannot shortcut 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

So if all you’re amplifying is a confusing message, no amount of conference handshakes, lanyards, or donor happy hours will rescue you.

Make yourself fundable.
Then go be findable.

Write the story.
Then take the room.

💪🏽💛

top 30 events for nonprofit fundraising infographic

Data is worthless without a story.

If donors don’t get it, they won’t give.

It reminds me of opening a LEGO box as a kid and dumping the pieces on the table. All the parts are there, the potential is obvious, but nothing means anything yet.

And your #fundraising data is no different.

Too many nonprofits stop at how many people you reach or a percentage improvement. Yet “numbers numb, stories stimulate,” says Jeff Brooks.

Which makes me ask this every time I review a pitch now:

Have we built a complete picture?
Or, are we just handing donors a pile of parts?

One house beats a thousand bricks, every time.

💪🏽💛

data storytelling infographic nonprofit fundraising advice — Kevin L. Brown

I’ve never seen so many leaders scared.

Aid cuts. Funding fears.

2026 could be a repeat of last year. But the top 100 UK foundations have more than £72 billion sitting in the bank.

So use this new wishlist for your #fundraising.

Then repost ♻️ for someone in need.

Be fundable.
Be findable.
Be unstoppable.

💪🏽💛

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Kevin L. Brown

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The Battle

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