What Is NGO Joe?
Welcome to NGO Joe
In 2015 I agreed to help my good friend start an international nonprofit from the ground up. How hard could it be? After all, I had been leading in the church world for over 20 years and I thought my pastoral background prepared me for the work ahead. And in many ways, it did. I knew how to work with people, navigate board dynamics, communicate vision, and lead through change.
But I was not ready for everything else.
I didn't understand donor development beyond making Sunday morning announcements to people who would directly benefit from their donations.
I had never managed a government relationship or partnership outside my own culture.
I wasn't up to speed on effective nonprofit governance or strategy.
What even is a 990 anyway?
I learned the hard way. Through mistakes, late nights, failed experiments, and a lot of humble conversations with people who had walked this road before me.
Fast forward 11 years later, I lead The Hope Effect—a nonprofit working hard to get children out of orphanages and into the loving arms of families. We revolutionize the government's care of orphaned and vulnerable children in Mexico, we reunite biological families with their children who have been living in private orphanages, and we redefine the standard of care of children in the hearts and minds of generous donors in the United States.
Over the last decade we've grown from survival mode to stability. We've built systems, diversified our funding, navigated government partnerships, and learned what it means to do more good, better.
And along the way, I realized something: the lessons I was learning were too valuable to keep to myself.
Why NGO Joe Exists
Most nonprofit founders and leaders are just like I was—deeply committed to their mission but under-resourced when it comes to the business side of doing good. You care deeply about the people you serve. You work long hours. You wear multiple hats. And you're trying to figure it all out as you go.
The problem is, good intentions aren't enough. You need practical wisdom. You need systems. You need to know what works and what doesn't—and you need to hear it from someone who has actually done it, not just someone who studied it.
That's what NGO Joe is about.
I'm here to share the behind-the-scenes reality of nonprofit leadership so you can do more good, better. Not theory. Not buzzwords. Just honest, practical lessons from the trenches—stories of what worked, what failed, and what I wish someone had told me years ago.
What You'll Find Here
This site is your resource for navigating the real challenges of nonprofit leadership. I write about five core areas:
Vision & Strategy
How to stay focused on your mission without drifting, how to plan for growth, and how to know when it's time to evolve.
Leadership & People
Building teams, managing transitions, working with your board, and taking care of yourself in the process.
Fundraising & Finance
Moving from scarcity to sustainability, building donor partnerships (not just transactions), and creating financial systems that actually work.
Programs & Systems
Building infrastructure that scales, working with government partners, and creating processes that don't depend on heroic effort.
Communication & Influence
Telling better stories, messaging with clarity, and leading change without losing people along the way.
Every post is grounded in real experience. I'll share the wins and the losses. The breakthroughs and the setbacks. The moments of clarity and the seasons of doubt. My hope is that by being honest about the journey, I can help you navigate yours with a little more wisdom and a lot less trial and error.
What to Expect from the Newsletter
If you sign up for email updates, you'll hear from me with:
One focused insight or story
A lesson I'm learning in real time or a framework that's working for us at The Hope Effect.
Practical application
What you can do with this information. I'll never leave you with just a nice idea—you'll always walk away with something actionable.
A curated resource
If I have found a book, article, podcast, tool, or person worth paying attention to then I’ll share it. I would love to hear what you are learning along the way as well. Be sure to add resources in the comments.
Encouragement
Running a nonprofit is hard. You need someone in your corner reminding you that what you're doing matters. I'm cheering for you.
The newsletter goes out roughly twice a month. It's designed to be read in five minutes over coffee and to leave you with something you can use right away. Give it a try. I’ll do my best to provide meaningful and helpful content.
Who This Is For
It’s not for everyone. NGO Joe is for nonprofit founders and leaders running organizations with budgets under or near $1 million annually. There are a lot of us out there. Roughly 90% of nonprofits are under this annual threshold.
Does this sound like you?
You're past the startup phase but not yet at the place where you can afford a full operations team. You're still figuring things out.
You're still wearing multiple hats. And you're looking for wisdom from someone who understands what it's like to lead in that space.
You've read the books or been to the conference (you have the t-shirt to prove it) led by large nonprofit org, but those amazing people are light years ahead of where you are. Good stuff, but not really helpful at this stage in the game.
Whether you're in year one or year ten, whether you're in the U.S. or working internationally, whether your cause is education, foster care, community development, or something else entirely—if you're committed to doing more good and doing it better, you're in the right place.
What Happens Next
If you're new here, start by browsing the blog. If something lands, sign up for the newsletter so we can stay connected.
If you've been following along on LinkedIn, welcome to the home base. This is where I'll be going deeper on the topics we've been exploring together. All the best content will live here, and the newsletter will make sure you don't miss it.
And if you ever want to reach out—to ask a question, share your story, or talk through a challenge you're facing—drop me a line. joe@ngojoe.com is a great place to reach me.
I'm here to help you do more good, better. Let's build something meaningful together.
I'm cheering for you.