Episode Overview

Podcast: Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast
Host: Brooke Richie-Babbage
Episode: Stop Waiting for Stability. You Have To Design It.
Release Date: January 6, 2026

In this episode, Brooke Richie-Babbage challenges the prevailing notion that stability in nonprofits is something that emerges naturally with time, resources, or team growth. Instead, she asserts that stability must be intentionally designed—early and proactively—or leaders and organizations will pay a high price for its absence. Drawing on her work with hundreds of nonprofit leaders, she exposes “design deficits,” shares strategies for creating organizational infrastructure, and provides listeners with practical tools and mindsets to move from chaos to true sustainability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of "Later" Stability

• Leaders' Dangerous Assumption:
  Many nonprofit leaders, overwhelmed by constant challenges, believe instability is temporary and will resolve itself after a grant, new hire, or an improved board.

  “The thing you're waiting for, it's not coming because chaos does not resolve itself. It compounds.” (02:20)

• Chaos as a Compounding Problem:
  Without deliberate system-building, every instance of growth—new funding, programs, or hires—increases friction instead of creating relief.
• Consequence:
  Instead of organizational systems bearing the weight, leaders become the "human buffer," juggling multiple roles and risking burnout.

2. Design Deficit vs. Capacity or People Problems

• Not a Personal Failure:
  The issue isn’t leadership ability or team size, but the lack of systems—what she calls a “design deficit.”

  “What you have is not a capacity issue... It's what I call a design deficit. And every design deficit has a price tag.” (04:55)

• Costs of Design Deficit:
  • Lost hours (repetitive work, fixing mistakes)
  • Staff burnout and turnover
  • Emotional exhaustion for leaders

  “You are already paying for not designing stability... in lost hours... staff burnout... emotional exhaustion.” (05:42)

3. "Later is a Lie"

• Urgency of Proactive Design:
  Delaying the intentional creation of systems is costly.

  “Later is a lie. Actually, when I get T-shirts that say that—later is a lie.” (08:08)

• Building for Now, Not Someday:
  Stability is not a reward for hard work or longevity; it is a leadership decision that needs to happen early, not after problems erupt.

4. The Stability Flywheel: The Three Pillars

Brooke introduces her foundational model for sustainable nonprofits, built on three interconnected pillars:

• Capital:
  • Not just having money, but predictable, reliable revenue streams.
  • Sprints and campaigns that exhaust the team don’t build stability.

  “You need a capital system, a revenue system... It has to be money you can count on.” (11:01)

• Capacity:
  • The right people, in the right roles, with clear workflows and ownership.
  • Enables leaders to lead strategically rather than micromanage.

  “This is the right people in the right roles... clear ownership and accountability lines...” (12:11)

• Clarity:
  • A shared North Star or vision, clear priorities, and usable metrics (KPIs, OKRs).
  • Ensures strategic alignment and enables faster, more effective team action.

  “This is both having a really clear North Star vision... setting priorities that are actually used to make decisions...” (13:16)

• Flywheel Metaphor:
  When these three elements work together, the organization generates its own momentum. Without them, the leader becomes the flywheel and risks burnout.

  “When these three things are working together, your clarity, your capacity, and your capital, your flywheel spins. And when they're not, you are the flywheel.” (15:00)

5. Pressure Testing: Where Would Things Break?

• Self-Assessment Challenge:
  Leaders should honestly assess:

  “What would break if your organization doubled in size tomorrow?” (16:10)

  • Examples to consider:
    • Onboarding processes
    • Board clarity
    • Team execution without direct supervision
    • Donor stewardship and support
  • Weak points are not failures, but signals indicating where system-building is needed.

    “The chaos... isn't temporary chaos. It's a signal about where to focus and what to fix next.” (18:32)

6. The Leadership Design Challenge

• Aspirations Beyond Firefighting:
  Leaders did not sign up to be constant "fixers" or bottlenecks. The goal is building resilient institutions with enduring impact and less reliance on heroics.

  “You and your team are trying to build something that lasts... that doesn’t constantly rely on heroic effort.” (20:00)

  • The future state is available if leaders stop bracing against chaos and proactively design systems for stability.

7. Practical Steps for Immediate Action

• Identify the Pain Point:
  Pick a single issue causing the most drain and ask:

  • What system, tool, or workflow could prevent this from recurring?
  • Who (if not the leader) should own this?
  • Should it be on anyone's plate at all?
  • Where am I still "the glue," and how can I replace myself in this process?

  “Instead of pushing through, ask yourself... what system, tool, or workflow could prevent this from draining me...” (22:38)

• Start Small, Act Intentionally:
  Brooke encourages progress over perfection:

  “You don't need to do everything this month. You just need to do one single thing with intentionality, one thing on purpose.” (24:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Stability is not something you earn later. It's something you design early or you will pay for it.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (00:12)
• “If your organization is feeling overwhelming, it's because you're still running a $1.7 million mission on a 750k structure.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (02:43)
• “Later is a lie.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (08:08)
• “Our job as leaders is to stop bracing against the chaos and start designing the systems.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (20:55)
• “You and your team are trying to build something that lasts... that doesn’t constantly rely on heroic effort. And that future is available to you.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (20:04)
• “If you doubled tomorrow, what would break? That’s your canary in the coal mine.”
  — Brooke Richie-Babbage (16:15)

Key Timestamps

• 00:12–02:45 – Addressing the myth that stability comes later; impact of design deficit.
• 04:55–05:42 – Naming the price of lacking designed stability (lost hours, burnout).
• 08:08 – The memorable “Later is a lie” moment.
• 10:40–15:00 – Introduction and explanation of the “Stability Flywheel” (capital, capacity, clarity).
• 16:10–18:32 – The “pressure test”: Where will the system fail if you double in size?
• 20:00–20:55 – Leadership aspirations beyond chaos and the call to proactive design.
• 22:38–24:05 – Practical steps: Pick one pain point, act with intention.

Actionable Takeaways

• Stop waiting for stability to arrive "after" the next milestone; design it proactively.
• Assess where your organization is vulnerable, using the “pressure test.”
• Focus on building systems around capital, capacity, and clarity.
• Commit to one practical change at a time; progress is achieved through intentional, focused actions.

Brooke closes by inviting leaders to take the first intentional step toward designing resilient organizations—emphasizing that real impact and ease come from intentional structure, not simply relentless effort.