Risk Management with Allison Wagstrom of Propel Nonprofits

Allison Wagstrom is the Senior Loan Officer for Propel Nonprofits, whose mission "fuels the impact and effectiveness of nonprofits with guidance, expertise, and capital."

Allison joins host Steve Boland to talk about the risks nonprofits face in 2025, and steps and tools they can use to manage that risk. Allison encourages charities to think in terms of revenue mix, program costs, infrastructure, and capital. She and Steve talk about examples in such areas of the emotional labor of program costs (because that is really people in most cases), the new risks in 2025 where government funding is no longer as secure as it used to be, and how a cashflow projection may not ameliorate all fears but provides a way to examine fears on paper. Allison discusses the role of the board in these times, and both of them caution that 2025 is still a year to consider building cash reserves, because 2026 and 2027 may have even more risk on the horizon. Sunsetting, mergers, and acquisitions may be on the table in order to preserve mission impact. Propel Nonprofits manages a Resource Library for charities to use in learning about their own options.