I’m a data consultant for nonprofits. But lately I’ve spent most of my time telling them not to hire me. Here’s why:
Most of the orgs that reach out are raising under $500k. They’re not ready for data infrastructure yet. They need awareness. They need donors. So I point them toward people who can actually help them at their stage.
My focus is charities in the $5M to $25M range.
What happens at this size
The scrappy energy that got them here starts to stall. Growth flattens. The team is working harder than ever, but the numbers aren’t moving the way they used to.
Usually it’s the same story. They’ve scaled their fundraising but not their operations. The systems that worked at $1M are buckling at $10M. Leadership is making decisions based on what worked three years ago because nobody has time to figure out what’s working now.
When you’re raising $10M, it doesn’t feel like anything is broken. The money is coming in. The campaigns are running. The donors are giving.
But there’s a gap between where you are and where you could be. Most orgs at this stage can’t see it, because they’re not measuring the right things. They’re leaving impact on the table without realizing it.
They don’t have a fundraising problem. They have a visibility problem. They can’t see clearly enough into their own organization to know where the leverage is.
The org raising $10M that figures this out becomes the org raising $25M. But it’s more than just the numbers raised. It’s about what that unlocks. More families fed. More orphans sponsored. More communities reached.
The impact scales when the visibility does.
That’s the gap we work in at Datstra Analytics. Helping $5M to $25M charities see clearly so they can make the next jump.
If you’re in that $5M to $25M range and feeling stuck, I’d love to hear what you’re working through. But honestly, I just like talking to people doing this work, whatever stage you’re at. Always down to chat.
