Keep growing: Words of wisdom from BetterWorld Co-Founder, Colin Hunter

Nonprofits live in a constant tug-of-war between the need to grow and the reality of limited resources. It can feel impossible to do more with less. Yet sustainable growth is not only possible, it’s within reach.

In a recent webinar, BetterWorld Co-Founder Colin Hunter shared his perspective on what it takes to keep growing, even in challenging times.

Here, we’ll recap some of the top takeaways from the webinar and share insights into the new Accelerator Program, designed to help nonprofits flourish.

The value of time and why growth matters

Time is the scarcest resource for every nonprofit. Between managing programs and keeping the doors open, planning often slips to the bottom of the list. Yet as Hunter points out in the webinar, this is exactly where growth gets lost. “Nonprofits are constantly juggling the next thing and the next thing—and what gets lost is the plan,” he said.

That absence of strategy, Hunter believes, is what keeps organizations from scaling their impact. “You can’t control the economy. You can’t control politics. But you can control the ecosystem you’re building for your donors, and you can control how you nurture those relationships.”

Too often, nonprofits default to “we don’t have time to plan” or “this is how we’ve always done things.” The result is predictable: nearly half of nonprofits don’t have a strategic plan, or don’t know if one exists. As Hunter emphasized, “If you don’t know, then you don’t have one because a good strategic plan is communicated throughout the entire organization.”

Why nonprofits struggle with growth

Even with the best intentions, many nonprofits hit barriers that prevent them from scaling. Hunter called out two of the biggest culprits:

• Lack of vision
• Lack of resources

“Twenty-five percent of nonprofits say they don’t have a vision compelling enough to unify the board, staff, and donors,” Hunter noted. “If you don’t have that vision that can unify all of your major stakeholders, how can you possibly push to optimize your fundraising? Big vision equals big dollars—that’s something I learned from my dad at a very young age.”

The funding gap is just as pressing. According to Hunter, “47% of nonprofits report insufficient funds to deliver their programs or services.” And even when funding is in place, a person’s power is stretched thin. “Seventy-seven percent of nonprofits say their resources are strained by staffing shortages. Everyone has to wear multiple hats, and that’s hard.”

Unclear direction and limited resources leave many organizations stuck in survival mode, unable to invest in growth. As Hunter explained, “I’ve never met a nonprofit that feels like they have too much money or too many people.”

What is the Accelerator Program?

The Accelerator Program is BetterWorld’s new growth initiative designed to help nonprofits raise more money, keep more of what they raise, and build a clear plan for long-term success.

Hunter sums it up this way: “Think of it as rocket fuel for your fundraising meets the ultimate AppleCare protection plan.”

Here’s what the program offers:

• A strategic partner to review your current efforts and create a clear roadmap for growth.
• Data-driven insights from 100,000+ nonprofits to guide both small adjustments and major changes.
• A risk-free guarantee: if you don’t grow in three years, all program fees are refunded, and up to $10,000 is donated back to your nonprofit.
• Hands-on support, including a six-month fundraising plan, twice-yearly strategy reviews, ongoing training resources, and priority support.

Small tweaks, big impact

One of the most practical lessons Hunter shared in the webinar is that growth doesn’t always require a massive overhaul.

Sometimes, it’s the small, almost invisible changes that make the biggest difference. “Even tiny adjustments can shift your trajectory the way a one-degree turn changes the course of a ship. At first, you don’t notice it, but 600 miles later, you’re in a completely different place,” Hunter explained.

Examples from his experience show just how powerful those small tweaks can be:

• A fast food chain saved millions simply by reducing the size of napkins and pickles without customers noticing.
• A California nonprofit turned a donated $600 bicycle into a sweepstakes and raised $18,000 in just three days—on top of their planned auction revenue.
• Groups that added instant items (trips and experiences provided by BetterWorld) to their auctions raised 54% more than those that didn’t.

So, what’s next?

Most nonprofits already know that they are doing everything they can just to keep things running, but deep down, you wonder if you’ll ever have the time, people, or money to actually grow.

Colin Hunter doesn’t sugarcoat it. Those constraints are real. But his point was simple: growth isn’t about having more resources, it’s about using the ones you already have with a clear plan.

Like a garden, you can’t control the weather. You can’t stop every storm. But you can prepare the soil, plant the right seeds, and care for them to promote growth.

That’s what BetterWorld’s Accelerator Program is built on.

So the question isn’t whether the challenges will disappear. They won’t. The real question is: will you keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, or will you take the steps that make lasting growth possible? Join the program now!