The INS Group

09/03/2026

Did you know that nonprofit employees make up the third-largest workforce in the United States?

Despite employing nearly 10% of all private-sector workers, nonprofit staff often remain invisible, obscured by the lingering myth that organizations are run entirely by volunteers. When the public and funders overlook the highly trained professionals driving these operations, it directly impacts salary support, staff retention, and community outcomes.

Nonprofit staff are skilled practitioners, organizers, and leaders whose expertise enables mission delivery. To build resilient organizations, we must shift the narrative and invest directly in the human infrastructure behind the cause.

Read the insightful Candid article here to explore why elevating the profile of nonprofit workers matters now more than ever: https://candid.org/blogs/nonprofit-workers-workforce-visibility/

Candid insights | Nonprofit workers make up the third largest U.S. workforce, yet most people don't see them. Here's why raising the profile of nonprofit workers matters more than ever right now.

09/01/2026

What happens when life-saving family support programs are locked behind a language barrier?

True community safety requires total inclusion. When CAPS & Maple City launched their peer-led Nurturing Care Groups, high demand from Spanish-speaking families meant curriculum translation could not wait.

By partnering with The INS Group for rapid, culturally nuanced translation and typesetting, CAPS ensured families could participate from day one. Today, Spanish-speaking participants represent the largest demographic in the program.

Language access is more than literal translation. It is about creating true human connection, honoring cultural nuance, and wrapping support around the entire family unit.

Read our Client Spotlight to learn how accessible curriculum is helping build safer, stronger communities: https://theinsgroup.com/healing-through-connection-language-access-transforms-child-abuse-prevention/

Ready to break language barriers in your own community? The INS Group offers comprehensive language translation and interpretation services to help your organization expand its reach and connect authentically. Contact us today to get started.

Child Abuse Prevention Services is redefining child protection, and to close the language gap, The INS Group translated critical curriculum and community materials.

08/27/2026

What if the biggest barrier to donor acquisition isn't your ask, it's your visibility?

A new survey of over 2,000 donors found that 69% didn't give because they were asked. They gave because they noticed a nonprofit doing work that mattered to them and decided to get involved on their own.

That doesn't mean appeals don't matter. They do. But it does mean visibility has to come first. More than 43% of donors said they found a new organization to support simply by encountering it in their own community, and nearly 90% do at least some research on a nonprofit before giving, mostly by checking the website.

The takeaway: show up where people already are, and make it easy for them to trust you once they find you. Neon One breaks down all four data-backed tips.

Read the full article: https://neonone.com/resources/blog/donor-acquisition-tips/

These data-backed donor acquisition tips for nonprofits are based on survey responses from more than 2,000 donors.

08/25/2026

Is your organization's rebrand coming from mission or from fear?

That's the question at the heart of our blog post. Right now, nonprofits across the country are rethinking their names, their messaging, their whole public identity, and a lot of that change is happening under real financial pressure. One in three nonprofits reported a funding disruption in just the first half of 2025 alone.

But here's the thing: not all rebrands are created equal. Some organizations are making bold, intentional shifts that deepen trust and expand who they reach. Others are making quiet, anxious tweaks that seem protective but ultimately cost them the very donor confidence they're trying to hold on to.

We dig into what separates the two, including how Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) built a rebrand around genuine community feedback rather than panic, and how Nourishing Hope in Chicago turned a name change into their biggest year of impact in over five decades.

If you're weighing a rebrand of your own, this one's worth a read.
https://theinsgroup.com/rebranding-with-intention-a-strategic-pivot-vs-a-reactive-one/

Across the nonprofit sector right now, organizations are taking a hard look at who they are, how they describe their work, and whether their brand still reflects the communities they serve.

08/20/2026

How can your nonprofit turn passionate supporters into active, high-impact fundraisers for your mission?

Peer-to-peer fundraising remains one of the most powerful strategies for reaching first-time donors and expanding organizational reach. Recent data shows that the top campaigns thrive by making causes personal, empowering supporters with clear tools, and building a genuine sense of community.

In this insightful article from Donorbox, learn the five key trends that top-performing peer-to-peer campaigns are using to drive engagement and long-term donor retention.

Read the full article here: https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/peer-to-peer-fundraising-trends

Find out what the top peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns have in common, with helpful examples, trends, and tips along the way.

08/18/2026

Is your nonprofit board using generational diversity to spur innovation, or is it getting stuck in friction?

When Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers unite around a single board table, differing perspectives can feel challenging to navigate. However, with intentional governance and clear structure, that multi-generational dynamic becomes your organization's greatest asset for long-term sustainability and equity.

In our blog post, "From Friction to Fuel: How Intergenerational Boards Transform Nonprofits," we share practical strategies to help mission-driven organizations bridge generational divides and build stronger governance.

Read the full post here: https://theinsgroup.com/from-friction-to-fuel-how-intergenerational-boards-transform-nonprofits/

When Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers unite on boards, structure turns friction into fuel for innovation, equity and long-term sustainability.

08/13/2026

Adding a "donate monthly" button to your website is the easy part. Building a program donors actually want to stay in? That takes more intention.

GoFundMe Pro just released a new playbook on exactly that, a five-step framework for turning one-time monthly gifts into long-term donor relationships. It walks through everything from checking the health of your current program to figuring out who your best recurring donors might be, and how to build trust before you even make the ask.

The idea at the heart of it: your most committed supporters deserve a donor experience that matches that commitment. Small, consistent touchpoints after someone says "yes" are often what determine whether they stick around.

If your team is thinking about recurring giving, the playbook is free to download here: https://pro.gofundme.com/c/resources/recurring-giving-playbook/

Discover the five steps top nonprofits are taking to grow recurring giving in GoFundMe Pro's latest playbook.

08/11/2026

It's Black Philanthropy Month, and we are happy to share an update. Our President, Ruth Peebles, recently had lunch with Stacy Nyaga, scholarship recipient of the Loomis, Rose and Ruth Peebles Endowment. Now in her third year, Stacy is proof of what that support can grow into.

A Dean's List student at UNC, Stacy serves as Biomedical Committee Co-chair of the Red Cross Club, mentors first-year students through Heel Guide, and volunteers as a CNA at the UNC Mobile Health Clinic. She's deepened her faith through InterVarsity Black Campus Ministry, attending the Urbana 25 Conference and a Bible study retreat, and will step into a discipleship leadership role this fall.

This summer, she studied environmental health inequities in Afro-Brazilian communities through UNC's Burch Brazil Program, learning directly from Brazilian researchers and the community of Ilha de Maré. Now she's headed into her third year at UNC as she begins nursing school.

Investing in students like Stacy is exactly what Black Philanthropy Month is about. Join us in congratulating her remarkable achievements in the comments below!

08/06/2026

Have you ever stared at a grant application budget template and had no idea where to start?

This guide from Blue Avocado walks through exactly how nonprofit CFOs can put together a proposal budget that tells your project's story clearly and accurately, without over-explaining or under-selling it.

Bonus: it comes with a downloadable sample budget and sample budget narrative, so you can see exactly what a strong one looks like before you build your own.

Read it here: https://blueavocado.org/finance/grant-budgeting/

Is your organization’s CFO ready to put together a grant proposal budget that will make an impact with potential funders?

08/04/2026

What do a food rescue app, a philanthropic foundation, and a cash-transfer nonprofit have in common?

They all figured out how to turn a challenge into an opportunity, and they didn't need to reinvent the wheel to do it.
Our blog looks at six nonprofits redefining what's possible, from 412 Food Rescue's pandemic-era pivot (now powering the rescue of 150+ million pounds of food) to GiveDirectly's radical trust in the people it serves.

The common thread? Bold thinking, deep listening, and the guts to try something new.

Check it out and let us know which example resonates most with your work: https://theinsgroup.com/adaptive-nonprofits-turn-challenges-into-opportunities/

Nonprofits face tighter budgets, shifting needs, and global curveballs that demand constant adaptation. Standing still isn't an option.