What if the nonprofit that supports your park or agency did more than peddle firewood? What if its fundraising revenue had a few extra zeroes?

That's exactly what's possible with a few small mindset shifts. The Great Outdoors Foundation is proof.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Hannah Inman, Executive Director of the Great Outdoors Foundation, the nonprofit partner to Polk County Conservation that has grown from a scrappy, volunteer-led support group into one of the most impactful conservation philanthropies in the Midwest. To date, the organization has deployed over $250 million toward conservation, water quality, and outdoor recreation, including over $100 million raised for the ICON Water Trails project alone.

Hannah shares the three critical inflection points that transformed the foundation, the mindset shift that made it all possible, and what parks and conservation professionals at every level can learn about building donor relationships, scaling a nonprofit, and removing the barriers that keep great conservation projects stuck on a shelf.

The conversation also gets practical, with specific advice for foundations at three different stages: just getting started, stagnant and in need of new life, and ready to launch.

This episode is the recording of a live virtual call with members of the Next Level Leadership Community in attendance. Be a part of future conversations by joining the community at ParksandRestoration.com.

Key topics:

• The three inflection points that turned a volunteer-led friends group into a $250 million organization
• Why "a 501c3 is a tax status, not a business plan" and what that means for how you operate
• The Conservation Acceleration Fund: $9 million deployed, $44 million in leveraged funds
• How to think about fundraising as relationship alignment, not sales
• How to approach corporate donors when you have no existing relationship
• Recommendations for foundations at three stages: starting, stagnant, and ready to scale
• Why the biggest pitfall right now might be being too risk-averse
• How AI could actually help a small foundation leap ahead faster than ever before

Resources mentioned:

• Great Outdoors Foundation
• Happy Disruptors Podcast
• ICON Water Trails
• Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

About Parks and Restoration Podcast

The Parks and Restoration Podcast is for parks and conservation professionals who want to become better leaders, because better leadership creates better ecosystems, stronger teams, and more meaningful impact. Learn more at: ParksandRestoration.com