Inspiring Conversations with Amber Wynn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Wynn.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years. I stumbled into it. When I graduated from Loyola Marymount University, I anticipated going into the corporate world, but I couldn’t land a job. My student loans were coming due, so I was desperate and through a friend, was referred to a nonprofit. I’ve done everything from emptying the trash to developing programs, to grant writing (largest award, and serving as Executive Director and a funder. I’ve raised over $10 million for clients over the years. During the pandemic, I transitioned into a consulting role, leveraging my experience to support nonprofit Founders and Executive Directors in funding their organizations for long-term sustainability.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In 2004 I finally landed my dream job as Executive Director of Girls Inc., L.A. when SoCal was hit with fires and then rain/floods. I was about a year away from shifting the organization from being 80% dependent on grants to diversifying our funding streams when the bottom fell out from underneath me. Funders re-directed promised grants and I had to make the hard decision of whether to stay on as Executive Director or lay off my entire staff. I decided to step down so my staff could support their families. I took a temporary job as an executive assistant at DaVita, a Fortune 500 healthcare company where I would rise up the ranks over my 5-year tenure there. In January 2011, my aunt passed from COPD, two weeks late my mom passed from breast cancer. Three months later, my boyfriend passed suddenly from lung cancer and then I was placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) despite only receiving stellar reviews my entire time at the company. (Backstory: I had helped to take down a SVP who had targeted one of my direct reports; so these efforts to get rid of me were retaliation) Not able to grieve and no longer possessing the drive I needed to navigate corporate America and the full attack, I walked away from the role, the company, and what had defined me for half a decade.

I grieved for two years and a lump in my left breast shook me into reality. Unemployed, I got tested at a free clinic. During the week it took for them to tell my results I did a deep reflective look at my life and decided if I was leaving this earth, I wanted to leave with no regrets. So, I published my first novel, “A Soft Place to Fall” on Amazon. The results were negative, but that scare started me on my new path of self-discovery. I traveled to Canada, Mexico, and Thailand and when I returned back stateside decided to leverage my 30 years of nonprofit experience to give nonprofit Founders/Executive Directors what I wished I’d had–support. It’s been a grueling five years: knowing the nonprofit sector like the back of my hand is not the same as running a business. There was/is so much I didn’t/don’t know. I’ve invested hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to build out my consulting firm and it has come with its bumps and bruises, but I’m stronger and better equipped to leverage that knowledge to help nonprofit leaders in the same situation I was over 20 years ago.

As you know, we’re big fans of Amber Wynn, Philanthrepreneur Nonprofit Consulting Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Amber Wynn, Philanthrepreneur Nonprofit Consulting Services provides nonprofit management and technical assistance services to nonprofit Founders and Executive Directors. I specialize in supporting the most Amazing people on the planet by helping them transition their organizations from struggling to thriving. Most founders start their organizations with passion and dedication to their community without understanding that a nonprofit is a business. It’s just a business with a philanthropic purpose. Leading a successful nonprofit requires the same, if not more, skills, knowledge, and experience than a for-profit because most funders do not want to cover the Overhead of the organization. So, it requires more work to generate unrestricted revenue. But most founders start their organizations with misinformation–believing the purpose of Funders IS to cover the costs of starting and running a nonprofit.

This disconnect between the founder and funder is what keeps more than 60% of nonprofits in struggle mode . . . self-funding their organizations. Because they are usually passionate people, not business professionals, they don’t know how to transition from volunteer to paid staff. I didn’t know it at the time but my stint in corporate America helped me to develop my competitive advantage as a consultant. My title is Philanthrepreneur because I take the passion and dedication of philanthropy and fuse it with proven business practices to provide executive-level nonprofit management training and development services to struggling nonprofits. I took the knowledge I gained during my time as a corporate trainer to enhance the training curriculum I deliver to nonprofit organizations that would otherwise not be able to afford this top-tier level of training. What sets me apart from other nonprofit consultants is my breadth and depth of experience. I’ve held practically every role in the nonprofit: program coordinator and programs administrator to grant writer and executive director; from board member and grant reviewer to Funder, giving out over $7 million annually in grants.

I share insider knowledge and trade secrets to my clients, giving them a competitive advantage over other nonprofits competing for the same resources. I help them to understand the ‘why’ behind requests. Knowing the why changes how a leader responds to requests. It powerfully positions them for success. During the pandemic, I helped transform over a dozen fledgling nonprofits on the brink of closing their doors. One organization’s board voted to shut down the organization. But the Executive Director was committed to providing her clients (youth from the foster care and low-income communities) with bright futures by getting them into 4-year universities and then ensuring they graduate debt-free. One year after working with me she went from $80,000 in annual revenue to being awarded a $975,000 grant. Her budget is almost at $1 million dollars. She’s hired staff and is no longer dipping into her retirement to support the organization’s programs. That is why I do what I do. I am able to transform communities across the country by strengthening nonprofits that provide vital services to the most vulnerable communities. I specialize in providing culturally-responsive, asset-based training to nonprofit leaders from marginalized communities.

Having been an Executive Director and Funder, I know both sides of the coin and I leverage that experience to powerfully position my nonprofit leaders for success. I specialize in helping nonprofit leaders stop self-funding their organizations. Most founders think all they need is a good grant writer and a string of grants to get their organizations on track. But that could be further from the truth. The most giving comes from individuals (69%) grants should only make up 35% of a nonprofit’s budget. But you don’t know what you don’t know. There’s so much misinformation out there about nonprofits and grants until founders are overwhelmed and mislead about what it really takes to get an organization to thrive. I break it all down. I walk them through. And if they are willing to do the work (to unlearn and unbelieve the lies) to build out solid infrastructures, develop diversified fund streams, and build out a seasoned board of directors, then they will see what the majority of my clients see–nearly quadruple the amount of revenue than before working with me. There is a formula. There is a roadmap. It’s not a guessing game.

What does success mean to you?
Success for me is when I transform a nonprofit from being self-funded to generating consistent, outside funding. It’s when the Executive Director is receiving market-rate salary every month and can take care of their families. Success is paying staff their value and programs functioning at optimal levels. Because when all of these things are in place THEN we see transformation in communities!

That is my ultimate goal, to transform the most underserved, underresourced communities across the country. I want them to receive the highest level of support. I want those services to be uninterrupted, delivered by the most talented professionals, and I want the organizations delivering them to be sustainable.

Pricing:

• Nonprofit Training Course (90 days): $1997
• 1:1 Coaching (90 days): $3,500
• DIY Toolkits: $249 – $1,500
• Nonprofit Workbooks: $24 – $149
• Tons of Free Resources on my website!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amberwynn.net
• Instagram: @amberwynnphilanthrepreneur
• Facebook: facebook.com/amberwynnphilanthrepreneur
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-wynn-mspa-0863985
• Twitter: @AmberWynnDotNet
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC162FlPq6URE561TUiaUZDw