--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: An Experimental Way to Finance Nonprofits" id: "42628" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-an-experimental-way-to-finance-nonprofits" published_at: "2018-05-16T23:48:02+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T21:57:24+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/16/wednesday-buzz-an-experimental-way-to-finance-nonprofits/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/16/wednesday-buzz-an-experimental-way-to-finance-nonprofits.md" excerpt: "A new approach to funding philanthropic organizations adds a layer of accountability. Also: Should you sell your education offering to corporate members?" taxonomy_category: - "Fundraising" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "donation" - "Fundraising" - "investment" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: An Experimental Way to Finance Nonprofits There’s a new nonprofit funding game in town. On Tuesday, [NPX (opens in a new tab)](https://npxadvisors.com) , a nonprofit funding company, announced the launch of an experimental financial program that connects donations and investments in philanthropic organizations to performance, [reports The New York Times (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/business/dealbook/a-new-model-for-financing-nonprofits.html) . “Here is how it works: A group of donors contributes to what is called a ‘donor fund.’ A separate group of investors—who expect to get their money back and more—buy into performance-based bonds,” explains Andrew Ross Sorkin. “The money raised from the bonds is used to finance the nonprofit. If the organization achieves a certain set of goals, the donor funds are then—and only then—used to pay off the bondholders.” What happens if the nonprofit fails to reach its target? The investors could lose their financial contribution, but the donors can redeploy any remaining funds to other nonprofits. TED also recently [announced a new nonprofit funding program](https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/ted-hits-audacious-new-way-funding-nonprofits/) called the Audacious Project. It injects huge amounts of funding into a nonprofit all at once, which helps to alleviate the grind of constant fundraising. ### Learning and Sharing https://twitter.com/WBT_Systems/status/996813817794441218 **In the hunt to maximize every dollar** that you put into your education programs? Perhaps it’s worth considering selling those programs to a corporate member. [In a new post on its blog (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wbtsystems.com/selling-online-education-corporate-members/) , WBT Systems describes the growing popularity of such programs, and points out that they can help build both revenue and future loyalty among those exposed to your organization’s way of thinking. “If you keep your corporate customers happy, you’ll enjoy increased recurring revenue in years to come,” the blog post states. “Your educational programs will be exposed to a larger audience—all of whom can spread their satisfaction with your programs through word-of-mouth marketing. When employees switch to new employers, they’ll take their loyalty to your programs with them.” ### Other Links of Note **Do good leaders need to be bold and brash?** *Fast Company* discusses the [power of “quiet” leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40570658/quiet-leadership-is-still-leadership-and-matters-more-than-you-think) . **Membership acquisition strategies often cost a lot of money.** WebScribble shares [five no-cost tactics to try (opens in a new tab)](https://www.webscribble.com/blog/5-ways-to-boost-association-membership) . **Infographic of the Day:** Make your [content more effective and compelling (opens in a new tab)](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/7-efficient-blogging-tips-that-will-boost-your-content-roi-infographic/521880/) by following these tips shared by *Social Media Today*. (Vitaliy_ph/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. 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