Sarah Hope Marshall – Profound Hope Industries

Lead with Clarity: Why Your Strategic Plan Doesn’t Require Certainty

Sarah Hope Marshall — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:47:31 +0000

Leadership requires navigating through a wide range of circumstances. You will navigate days where you experience unexpected wins or open doors, projects that outperform expectations, and appreciation from places you did not expect. On the other hand, you will also have weeks where nothing seems to go right, times when a critical employee unexpectedly resigns, or face external circumstances that…

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Process Creates Change for People: The Case for Strategic Community Engagement

Sarah Hope Marshall — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:35:35 +0000

Let’s examine a real-world example of why your organization’s community engagement plan is not just a ‘feel-good’ effort. In 2025, GoFundMe Pro, intending to move more non-profits on to their platform, launched 1.4 million nonprofit donation pages. The problem? These pages were unauthorized. The non-profits did not ask for them. In most cases, they did not even know they had them until they heard…

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The Community Knows Who Shows Up: What Silicon Valley Teaches Us About Authentic Engagement

Sarah Hope Marshall — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:15:42 +0000

The reality and challenges of making an impact in today’s professional environment arise from unexpected places and projects. In 2025, I worked on a strategic project for a client headquartered in Silicon Valley, home to large well-known companies with incredibly large balance sheets and global influence. During the course of the project, I had conversations with multiple community leaders – many…

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When Corporate Infrastructure Meets Start-Up Struggle: Why New Community Impact Initiatives Fail to Meet Expectations

Sarah Hope Marshall — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 23:02:04 +0000

If you are an executive leader starting a new program, mismanaged expectations may be setting you up for failure. When you build a program designed for legacy or impact, you do not get to bypass the start-up phase just because it is housed within an existing organization with infrastructure. As brand values and mission alignment have become more important to consumers…

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Strategic Planning for Social Impact: The Mid-Year Reality Check-in Guide

Sarah Hope Marshall — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:56:06 +0000

Summer is time for vacation – and for your organization’s mid-year impact check-in! Your organization likely had a strategic planning session about six months ago. Ideally, your organization has a deliberate plan for creating social change just like it has a strategic plan to guide its overall growth goals. Now is the time to sit down and adjust based on situations that have occurred since…

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How to Start A Non-Profit: First Ask, Is This the Best Way to Create Social Change?

Sarah Hope Marshall — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 19:39:47 +0000

Non-profit organizations start because someone cares enough about a problem to do something about it. You likely are one of those people. You may have stumbled across this article because you found an unaddressed need and are considering starting one yourself. Getting involved is the first and most crucial step in changing a challenging situation. People who care enough about a problem to do…

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Write Winning Community Developments Grants in 2024: The Three Elements Your Proposal Must Have

Sarah Hope Marshall — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 21:13:24 +0000

Question: What is one of the key misconceptions about grant writing, especially in the early stages of pursuing funds? Answer: Because grants are funds that do not need to be repaid, being awarded a grant is just a matter of applying. Reality: There is no correlation between the fact that grants do not need to be repaid and the chances of winning. Once awarded, grants have reporting and…

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Unlocking Grant Potential: Why Strategic Funding is Key to Your Organization’s Success

Sarah Hope Marshall — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 21:18:56 +0000

A Strategy for Community-Based Organizations: Maximizing Mission Impact Through Strategic Grant Planning According to Indiana University, foundations gave a combined $103 billion in 2024. The figure does not include individual charitable giving or state, municipal, or federal funding sources. Grant funding for organizations doing high-quality work is plentiful, and strong community-based…

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Avoid Costly Mistakes: 5 Essential Tips for Hiring a Grant Writer

Sarah Hope Marshall — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 17:45:29 +0000

Qualified organizations doing great work need grant writers for a variety of reasons. The reasons include: There is no wrong reason or time to hire a grant writer. A good grant writer can act as a coach, and help refine your organizational approaches and strategy with objective eyes. A grant writer can also make recommendations based on what they know to work based on past…

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Unlocking Grant Success: How Organizational Culture Can Make or Break Your Application

Sarah Hope Marshall — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:02:52 +0000

Leadership development is the number one most overlooked aspect of a successful grant application. In this context, leadership development means developing yourself as a self-aware leader who is intentional about building a healthy working environment. In fact, organizational culture may be the number one most overlooked element of building a strong and healthy organization. Who has time for…

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