Why Old Nonprofits Go Broke

Why do nonprofits that do excellent work still run out of money? In this episode of Tim Stating the Obvious, Tim Staton talks with Jay Deppeler of Inperium about what it takes for mission-driven organizations to survive. Jay began his career as a direct care worker with youth in behavioral health and juvenile justice, earned a master's in counseling and human services from Lehigh University, and went on to lead a behavioral health company in southeastern Pennsylvania. He now helps struggling health and human service organizations find a sustainable path forward. Jay explains why many nonprofits don't think of themselves as businesses, and why that has become dangerous as funding moved from program grants to fee-for-service, managed care, and closer scrutiny. He walks through the turnaround of Resources for Human Development, a long-running organization serving 35,000 people a year that was months away from insolvency. He also describes how Inperium's affiliation model works: shared back-office services, access to lower-cost capital, and stronger benefits leverage, while each nonprofit keeps its own board, leadership, and mission. Tim and Jay also talk about the frontline workforce shortage, competing with retail and fast-food wages, and how scale can give entry-level workers a real career path. This episode is for nonprofit executives, board members, and anyone working in behavioral health, IDD, substance use, or child and family services. Learn more about Inperium: https://inperium.org Watch or listen to the full conversation, and follow the show for more conversations with leaders doing the work. Connect with Jay Deepler: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydeppeler/ Website: https://inperium.org/ Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about