Hi Reader,
As we approach Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all that the nonprofit sector does every day. Because of people like you, our communities are better and safer.
I share two stories about what's most good this week. Both focus on food, which seems fitting in Thanksgiving week. I then give you some quick hits to improve your work and some terrific thought pieces in the "Found Around" section.
After reading, take a moment to hit reply and let me know what you're working on and let me know what you thought of the items in this newsletter. I read every response, and you help me set the agenda for what I write about in this newsletter!
NYC’s First Free Grocery Vending Machine Offers 24/7 Access to Healthy Food
In the Bronx, a nonprofit has installed New York City’s first free vending machine stocked with eggs, produce, and meat for anyone in need. Change Food For Good launched the machine at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club as part of its “Good Food for All” program. Founder Samia Lemfadli says the solar-powered, cold-storage unit can be restocked twice a month and dispenses items at no cost. Users simply select what they need—no ID, no fees—preserving dignity and choice. The machine’s slow vending mechanism even protects fragile items like eggs. After distributing 15,500+ pounds of free food to 1,100+ NYC families through other efforts, the group hopes this model can be replicated in schools, hospitals, and community centers citywide. It’s an innovation achieved without a major grant, using existing vending tech to tackle food insecurity. The project’s early success and community feedback are informing best practices (like QR-code requests for desired foods), showing a scalable path for others to “take this model … and run with it” in any community.
What’s important here: As far as I know, this is a hyper-local solution limited to a single community. Let’s try this everywhere!
Raleigh’s Pay-What-You-Can Café Rises to Meet SNAP Cuts with Community Support
When a federal budget standoff threatened to halt food-stamp benefits, Raleigh’s only pay-what-you-can café became “more essential than ever” for struggling neighbors. A Place at the Table, a nonprofit restaurant, has served over 255,000 meals and 100,000 cups of coffee to people in need since 2018, all funded by donations or volunteer work instead of set prices. As 1.4 million North Carolinians braced for reduced SNAP support, founder Maggie Kane reaffirmed the cafe’s commitment: “We’re here to offer a warm meal…and a space to take a load off when the rest of the world feels heavy.” In the first days of November, the café saw record lines out the door. Patrons can pay the suggested price, pay what they can, or volunteer for their meal – a model that brings dignity and choice to those on the margins. The café also employs people experiencing homelessness, helping them build resumes and skills.
What’s Important here: With dozens of similar “community cafés” nationwide, Raleigh’s success during a crisis highlights how this low-budget innovation can be a resilient safety net in any city.
300-Word Micro Case for Support
In one page, in no more than 300 words, capture the need, your approach, your proof, and a direct ask with amounts. The goal here is to unify your messaging, using the discipline of 300 words to force you and your team to make every syllable count. Use it across appeals, grant intros, and conversations. Do this, and it will become the foundation of all of your marketing, and the first part of it will almost certainly become your Elevator Pitch.
Name Your Goals Out Loud
Do you sometimes feel like your nonprofit is not making progress? Use psychology on yourself and your team by simply but clearly naming your objectives. Pick three must‑win outcomes for the quarter; publish team‑level owners and dates. At the end of the quarter, perform an honest assessment of whether (1) you accomplished all of the tasks and (2) whether this process improved the sense of getting things done. Be honest. The objective is not to embarrass people, but to learn how to make commitments that get accomplished.
I found this article from the Harvard Business Review very useful, especially for nonprofit leaders facing trade-offs: How to Make a Seemingly Impossible Leadership Decision.
Another great piece: How to Become Wiser: 25 Questions to Ask Yourself. The article is right.
Thanks for joining us for Issue #3 of the Nonprofit Good News-letter! We’ll be back next Monday with more action-ready insights, uplifting stories, and tips to make your mission easier (and maybe even a little more fun).
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and do something good!
– Ted
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Founder and CEO Risk Alternatives, LLC 202.758.7572 (cell) 608.709.0793 (office) Website
Author of Managing Your Nonprofit for Resilience
We help nonprofits thrive by providing practical tools and support to address uncertainty and improve risk management.
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