National Nonprofit Research

What 57 nonprofit leaders made clear.

One year of listening. 57+ leaders across 26 states. Four patterns that show where clarity makes the biggest difference, and the practical steps that help a mission move forward.

Get the free Executive Brief or read the full Comprehensive Report, $97

Why this research exists

Three perspectives, one clear picture.

Executive directors, board members, and funders each hold part of the picture. AMPO Nonprofit Solutions brought all three into one body of research, through a year of design-thinking interviews and national discovery calls. The same four patterns surfaced again and again, across organizations that looked nothing alike. Naming them is the first step toward clarity.

What the research found

Four patterns worth knowing.

63%Pattern 01

The Marketing Mirage

Many leaders reached for better marketing first. The larger opportunity usually lived upstream, in strategy and focus. Naming the real question is where momentum starts.

75%Pattern 02

Board engagement, and the 75-25 rule

A few board members often carried most of the load. A clear model and simple expectations invite the rest to contribute with confidence.

67%Pattern 03

Operational gaps

When the work lives in a few people’s heads, growth adds strain. Light, well-placed systems turn that same growth into stability.

79%Pattern 04

Donor stewardship

Stewardship is where relationships compound. Consistent, genuine follow-through turns a single gift into a lasting partnership.

From inside the work, the root cause is hard to see, so better marketing stands in for the strategy that brings everything into focus. Clarity first. Confidence follows.

Start here, free

The Executive Brief

Free

See the four patterns, the core insight, and the quotes nonprofit leaders recognize from their own organizations. Enough to feel supported, and to know where to look next.

The four patterns, with the numbers behind them
The quotes leaders shared in confidence
The core insight that reframes the work

Go deeper

The Comprehensive Report

$97

You walk away knowing where to focus next, and exactly how to move. The Comprehensive Report turns a year of national research into your organization’s next decisions: which pattern is costing you the most, why, and the playbook to close it.

Know which pattern is quietly costing your organization the most, and what it costs
A step-by-step playbook to close it, ready to run with your staff and board
The language to get your board and funders seeing the same picture
A benchmark against 57 leaders in 26 states, so you can make the case with confidence

Who led the research

More than 20 years helping nonprofits turn intention into follow-through.

I am Amy Pokela, founder of AMPO Nonprofit Solutions. I have been the executive director running on fumes, and I have also sat at the leadership table of a national organization with big tools and big strategy. AMPO is my way of closing that gap, so nonprofits of every size have access to the same strategy, systems, and confidence.

This research grew from that same conviction. The answer to a question I kept returning to is in these pages, and I hope it leaves you feeling supported, and a good deal more clear.

Amy Pokela

AMPO equips nonprofits with strategy, tools, and confidence to turn bold ideas into lasting impact.