Helping TechSoup Serve Hundreds of Thousands of Organizations
Peter Brach’s Second Best Story of Leveraging Impact:
Initially, the concept of increasing technologies for nonprofits didn’t excite me. However, what has consistently driven me is the pursuit of exceptional opportunities to leverage extraordinary progress with relatively modest grants. It may surprise some that my greatest success came from breaking from traditional wisdom; by not confining myself to specific causes or geographical areas, I’ve discovered a wealth of opportunities that would have otherwise remained hidden.
I discovered that TechSoup (TS) embarked on a capital campaign overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They were tasked with securing the remaining $3.5 million of a daunting $11.5 million target with a non-negotiable seven-month deadline: September 21, 2021. The stakes were high. If they succeeded, they anticipated increasing their facilitation of services and products by billions of dollars to hundreds of thousands of nonprofits in 236 countries globally. If not, after three years of working on this campaign, they would have to start over.
I reached out to the TS team, committing to a modest grant. This support would enable the organization to hire an assistant, freeing up approximately 15 hours weekly for a senior development staff member. Borrowing from the venture capitalist’s playbook, I understood the reality: many endeavors may stumble, but the ones that soar can deliver enormous returns. In this case, the magnitude of potential success justified the manageable potential losses I might incur.
The summer months felt long. As June rolled into July and July into August, those of us involved in the campaign were on edge. Early to mid-September brought us a mixture of hope and anxiety. September 20 looked dismal. In the morning, TS was $700,000 short. At my last count, I braced myself for disappointment: the campaign was still behind by $400,000. On the morning of September 21, I went to TechSoup’s website and was thrilled with amazement. They did it! They crossed the finish line! They now had extensive funding to provide additional help to hundreds of thousands of nonprofits and civil society organizations across the globe.
TS didn’t boost its facilitation in the billions of dollars by 2023 as I had expected. However, they did facilitate an additional $67 million within 15 months with much anticipate future growth as it invests the capital it raised. It is often challenging to draw a direct line from cause to effect. However, in this instance, I can confidently say that the success of the $11.5 million campaign would not have been possible without freeing up 15 hours a week of the senior development person’s time.
Why am I filled with gratification? Because I am participating in combatting an unprecedented polycrisis, a situation significantly worsened because most likely a million nonprofits worldwide function far below their potential. Countless organizations combating global warming, addressing threats to democracy, and the rapid erosion of civil societies are operating at half-throttle. The same applies to organizations striving to bolster diversity and inclusion, social justice, and efforts to alleviate childhood hunger. Too many organizations in the Global South lack the most basic resources like computers. Even those with computers frequently struggle with inconsistent internet access, cloud security, or access to essential programs like Microsoft Word. I am immensely satisfied with my collaboration with TechSoup, which empowers many organizations to dedicate far more time and resources to tackling pressing issues. All this became possible with an investment of just $70,000.
I am also grateful to have this story to share. These kinds of accounts can inspire other funders with hope. My repeated experience suggests that under the right circumstances, even modest grants can propel significant change. Ironically, sometimes the most effective leverage points are hidden in plain sight: Enabling those most competent and talented with infusions of additional time to propel their missions forward.