Live online class · 2–3 hours · 25 organizations per class
Funders don't give money to ideas. Here's what they actually fund.
- A defined program
- A real budget
- Evidence the need exists
- Leadership that can carry it
Most founders skip straight to filing — then spend a year wondering why no one funds them.
In one afternoon, turn the calling you've had for years into a defined program, a real budget, and a 90-day plan — something worth putting in front of a funder — before you spend another dollar on paperwork or another month chasing grants.
We cap every class at 25 organizations so everyone gets worked with live.
Who this is for
You're in the right room if…
- You've had this vision for years and still can't explain it in one sentence
- Someone told you to "just file a 501(c)(3)" and you weren't sure that was right
- You already filed — and nothing has happened since
- You're paying for supplies, gas, and food out of your own account
- You keep hearing "write a grant," but you don't have a program to fund yet
- You don't want to spend two more years building the wrong thing
If your organization is already running and funded, this isn't your class. This one is for the beginning.
The cost of another year
What "not yet" actually costs you
You'll cover it out of pocket again this month. You'll explain the vision at another dinner and watch people nod politely. You'll see someone launch a smaller version of your idea — with less heart and better structure — and get funded for it.
And the people you were called to serve will wait one more year.
None of that is because the vision is wrong. It's because a vision can't hold money. A program can.
The truth nobody tells you
Filing paperwork doesn't make you an organization.
A meaningful vision doesn't automatically require a new nonprofit. And the paperwork doesn't make one viable. Most people do it backwards — file first, then try to figure out the program, the board, the budget, and the money afterward. Three years later they're frustrated and no closer.
Viable starts with six things:
You can build all six. You've just never been shown how.
What we'll work through
Four moves. One session.
You do the work live.
This isn't a lecture you sit through. You'll be writing, deciding, and building your own plan the whole time.
Vision
Get clear on who you serve, what problem you solve, and what result you're promising. Broad callings don't get funded. Focused ones do.
Validation
Prove the need is real, with evidence instead of assumption. This is the step that separates a good idea from a fundable one.
Vehicle
Decide what you actually need to build. A nonprofit isn't the only option, and for some of you it isn't the right one. We'll walk the choices honestly.
Viability
Build one focused pilot program, a startup budget, and a 90-day roadmap you can follow on Monday.
What you walk out with
You leave with a plan. Not a notebook full of notes.
You'll finish the Vision to Viable Launch Kit live, in the room:
- Your mission in one sentence you can say out loud without stumbling
- Documented proof the need exists — the part funders check first
- A decision on what to build, made deliberately instead of by default
- One pilot program defined well enough to put in front of someone
- The board and leadership you actually need, named
- A startup and first-year budget in real numbers
- A 90-day roadmap with dates and owners
- A straight answer to one question: is this ready, and what comes first?
The investment
Compare that to what you're spending now.
A consultant charges thousands to write your program plan and first-year budget. Filing wrong costs you the fees plus a year of your life. And the out-of-pocket spending you're already doing will quietly pass $197 before the season ends.
Here's my promise
If you leave this class and decide the honest answer is not yet — or not a nonprofit — you'll have saved yourself the filing fees and a year of building the wrong thing.
That's a win, and you'll leave knowing exactly what has to come first.
Who's teaching
Led by Jackie Pruitt
Jackie Pruitt is the founder of FaithWorks Collaborative. She's helped faith-based and community organizations secure more than $4 million in grants and funding, and she's spent 20+ years across corporate, nonprofit, and ministry leadership.
She's also watched too many good visions die in the gap between the calling and the structure. That gap is what this class closes.
"Don't build an organization because you have an idea. Build one capable of carrying the impact you were called to create."
The details
- What
- Vision to ViableLive class
- How long
- 2–3 hours
- Where
- Live and online
- Class size
- 25 organizations
- Includes
- Live instructionThe Launch Kit workbook, and live feedback on your own plan
- Investment
- $197Regular $297
You'll get the date, time, and access link as soon as you register.
Questions
Straight answers
I already have my 501(c)(3). Is this still for me?
Yes — especially if it's been sitting dormant. Plenty of people file and then stall. This builds the program, budget, board, and plan that should have come first.
I haven't filed anything yet. Am I too early?
This is exactly the right time. Coming here before you file is far cheaper than fixing it after.
Will this help me get funding?
It builds what funders look at before they'll consider you — a defined program, real numbers, documented need, and leadership. Funding is never guaranteed, and nobody can promise you an award. But no one funds something that hasn't been defined yet.
Do you file my paperwork or handle the legal and tax side?
No. Those go to a licensed professional. We'll tell you what's needed and when, so you walk in knowing what to ask for.
Do you write my grants in this class?
No. This is the foundation the grants sit on.
Will you tell me to build a nonprofit just because I paid?
No. If the honest answer is "not yet," you'll hear it — and you'll leave with what has to happen first.
Is it recorded?
No. This is a live working session — you build your plan in the room with feedback. There's no replay, so register for a date you can actually attend.
One decision
The vision has waited long enough.
You can keep carrying it around in a notebook, or spend one session turning it into something real enough to put in front of someone. One class. One decision. A real next step.
25 organizations per class.