Every nonprofit wants to build something that lasts — but sustainability can feel like a moving target.

In this episode of the Unfiltered Nonprofit Podcast, Cherry Chan sits down with Melissa Shahin, Chief Strategy Officer at AFMC, to talk about what sustainability actually looks like when strategy meets execution.

Melissa shares how AFMC shifted from being heavily grant-funded to running a successful social enterprise — the AFMC Student Portal — that now fuels its mission while reducing government reliance to under 20%. She explains how the team links board priorities to measurable outcomes using scorecards and indicators, helping them make faster, data-driven decisions.

The conversation dives deep into what makes nonprofit sustainability strategies work:

• tracking what truly matters instead of chasing every initiative,

• being transparent about change and earning staff buy-in, and

• building flexibility into work culture to protect teams from burnout.

For any nonprofit leader wondering how to turn a solid plan into lasting impact — this episode is a masterclass in staying mission-driven and financially resilient.

In this Unfiltered Nonprofit conversation, Cherry sits down with Tara Shannon, Executive Director of the Ottawa Festival Network (OFN), which represents more than 100 festivals across arts, music, and culture. A lifelong entrepreneur and artist, Tara brings a rare 360° view—she's built private companies (including scaling to 120 employees), founded Willow Sound Records in 2014, wrote You in the Music Business, and still coaches creators on building sustainable careers.

The thread through it all: sustainability without losing soul. Tara breaks down why owned audiences matter more than ever—email lists beat social algorithms for consistency, control, and conversion. Using a relationship model (introduce → educate → permission → nurture), she explains how nonprofits can communicate weekly without burning out their lists: give value 80% of the time, ask 20%.

We also get real about volunteers—the lifeblood of the festival sector. The organizations that retain volunteers year after year do two things exceptionally well: create an emotional connection to the mission and deliver a fair value exchange (access, perks, food, community). That same mindset fuels growth in nonprofit sponsorship—where authentic engagement now matters more than logo placement.

Looking ahead, OFN is building a sponsor-match "Tinder for festivals" (name TBD) to help connect mission-driven organizations with private-sector partners. It's a fresh, technology-driven approach to nonprofit sponsorship that aligns shared values and real audience data. Combined with peer learning—like financial literacy workshops featuring Bluesfest's Mark Monahan—it's a practical blueprint for any nonprofit rethinking its sponsorship strategy and navigating uncertainty with creativity and consistency.