What if you could try being a nonprofit before you become one? On this episode of Built for Good, Mazlo CEO and Founder Kian Alavi sits down with Katy Calloway, Founder & Executive Director of People in Partnership SC, the only nonprofit in South Carolina practicing fiscal sponsorship exclusively.
Since 2018, Katy has helped community leaders, event organizers, and small business owners launch charitable programs without filing for their own 501(c)(3). Katy explains why so many well-intentioned nonprofits never get off the ground, and why her board counts it as a win when a project decides to shut down. She describes how People in Partnership mentors projects toward independence, and how fiscal sponsorship can bring community events, business-led charitable programs, and large grants under responsible oversight. She also talks about the Calloway Stern Group, her project management firm that pairs small nonprofits with vetted, practicing nonprofit professionals who actually do the work instead of handing over a strategic plan that sits on a shelf.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Why there are more nonprofits than communities can sustain Filings rise every year, but many organizations never get moving.
- Fiscal sponsorship as "try before you buy" Test your program under an established sponsor before filing for a 501(c)(3).
- Why half of sponsored projects never take off, and why that's a win Founders avoid the paperwork and burden of a struggling organization.
- Bringing community events under a charitable umbrella Events like the Park Circle Art Walk can now offer sponsors tax-deductible giving.
- How businesses can run charitable programs Owners can offer programs or scholarships without starting a separate nonprofit.
- The education gap With no legal definition of fiscal sponsorship, Katy educates funders and legislators one conversation at a time.
- Helping small nonprofits manage large grants A sponsor provides the oversight and reporting capacity small teams lack.
- Rethinking nonprofit consulting The Calloway Stern Group delivers actionable plans plus the people to carry them out.
- "Collaboration is my love language" Connecting projects with resources and peers to move faster together.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Running a nonprofit is harder than running a for-profit business. Fiscal sponsorship lets you test the idea first.
- Winding down under a sponsor spares founders the cost and long-term burden of a dormant 501(c)(3).
- Most nonprofit leaders know what they need. What they lack is the capacity to do it.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Katy Calloway is the Founder & Executive Director of People in Partnership SC, a Charleston-based nonprofit providing fiscal sponsorship exclusively for South Carolina projects.
She is also the founder of the Calloway Stern Group, which provides project-based support to nonprofits with budgets under $2 million.
ABOUT THE HOST Kian Alavi is the CEO and Founder of Mazlo and host of Built for Good, a podcast about the people and organizations reshaping how good work gets done.
LINKS
People in Partnership SC: https://www.peopleinpartnershipsc.org/
Calloway Stern Group: https://www.callowaysterngroup.com/
Mazlo: https://www.mazlo.com/
#FiscalSponsorship #Nonprofit #NonprofitLeadership #SouthCarolina #Charleston #SocialImpact #BuiltForGood #Mazlo
