About Us
The Nonprofit Financial Commons (NFC) is a shared resource built by and for nonprofit professionals navigating complex financial decisions. Rooted in the concept of the “commons”—a resource collectively created, managed, and sustained for shared benefit— NFC brings together sector leaders to strengthen financial practice across organizations of all sizes.
NFC is a knowledge hub and a peer community. It offers practical tools, real-world insights, and space for exchange, helping nonprofits move beyond isolated decisions to more strategic, more resilient financial models.
Whether you’re evaluating growth, managing financial uncertainty, or rethinking your organization’s model, NFC provides:
- Practical tools and frameworks you can apply immediately
- Peer insights and real-world examples from nonprofit finance leaders
- A space to ask questions and test ideas with others facing similar challenges
- Access to timely conversations and learning opportunities through webinars, courses, discussions, and shared resources
NFC goes beyond answering day-to-day financial questions. It supports a broader shift toward strategic financial leadership in the sector, where finance is not just about compliance or survival, but about enabling mission, growth, and long-term sustainability.
Get involved
- Explore tools and resources to support your current financial decisions
- Join the conversation and learn from peers across the sector
- Attend upcoming events and deepen your financial leadership practice
Through shared learning, open dialogue, and peer connection, NFC helps nonprofit leaders make more informed, confident decisions in an increasingly complex environment.
Mission
The Nonprofit Financial Commons is a national, peer-led network that equips nonprofit finance leaders and their partners to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. It fosters a collaborative community that strengthens financial leadership while supporting collective advocacy on the issues shaping the sector.
Values
In the Nonprofit Financial Commons, every voice matters. We intentionally center the perspectives of nonprofit leaders and organizations that have been historically unheard or pushed to the margins, recognizing that a stronger, more inclusive sector is essential to a healthy democracy.
We believe in learning through practice. The Commons is a space for active exchange, where ideas are tested, refined, and applied in real time. This requires thoughtful curation, a willingness to challenge assumptions, and, at times, a sense of urgency. Together, we work to identify emerging practices, question existing norms, and shape more effective approaches to nonprofit finance.
Our community is committed to advancing both practice and systems. We engage across lived experience and research to improve financial management, influence policy and regulatory environments, and strengthen funding practices that better support nonprofit sustainability.
We value democratic participation, reflective practice, and knowledge that is both rigorous and grounded in the realities nonprofit leaders face every day. In the Commons, each participant is both a contributor and a learner, helping to build a shared body of knowledge that is practical, relevant, and evolving.
Putting our mission into practice
Nonprofit GPS is a national initiative of the Nonprofit Financial Commons, developed in partnership with BDO to help nonprofit leaders navigate uncertainty and strengthen their organizations for the future.
Building on the Commons’ commitment to shared learning and practical support, GPS brings together tools, webinars, guidance, and direct assistance to help leaders evaluate options, make informed decisions, and move forward with greater confidence.
Key Personnel
The Leadership Team
Ruth McCambridge
Co-founder and Director of Content
rmccambridge@nonprofitfinancials.org
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Melissa Fuller
Director of Operations
mfuller@nonprofitfinancials.org
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Amanda Nelson
Director of Engagement and Communications
anelson@nonprofitfinancials.org
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Critical Partners
Staff
- Tania Hernandez – Network and Community
- Ryan Carillo – Sponsorship
- Jason Schneiderman – Website Editor
Content & Learning Team
Founding Advisors
- Dana Britto – NFC Moderator; Founder and Principal of Cultivar Consulting
- Steve Zimmerman – NFC Lead Instructor; Founding Principal of Spectrum Nonprofit Services
- Jon Pratt – NFC Researcher and Co-Chair of Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
- Kate Barr – Former President and CEO, Propel Nonprofits
- Joel Toner – Former President and Publisher, Nonprofit Quarterly
- Hilda Polanco – Market Managing Principal, Nonprofit and Grantmaker Advisory, BDO
- Deborah Linnell – Principal, Linnell Associates
Governance Board
Lissette Rodríguez
NFC Board Chair; Managing Director, Portfolio Strategy & Management, Blue Meridian
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David Renz
Director Emeritus of Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC
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Vernetta Walker
CEO and Chief Governance Gladiator, Vernetta Walker & Associates Consulting
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