The Founding Ten
WHY WE'RE INVITING YOU
Great learning experiences are shaped by the people they're designed to serve.
At LMO Learning Academy, we believe nonprofit financial education should be practical, engaging, and accessible to leaders from every professional background.
We've created Nonprofit Finance for Non-Financial Leaders to help nonprofit professionals build financial confidence, ask better questions, and make more informed decisions in support of their missions.
But before we introduce the Academy to a broader audience, we want to hear from the people who matter most: the learners themselves.
That's why we're bringing together The Founding Ten, a small inaugural group of nonprofit professionals with different roles, experiences, and perspectives.
We're inviting you to experience the course, tell us what resonates, share what could be better, and help us strengthen the learning experience for those who follow.
Because the best learning experiences aren't simply created for people. They're shaped with them.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Different roles. Different experiences. Different perspectives. One shared commitment to stronger nonprofit leadership.
The Founding Ten isn't about finding ten people with the strongest financial backgrounds. It's about bringing together nonprofit professionals who approach leadership, decision-making, and financial information from different perspectives.
We're especially interested in hearing from:
- Executive Directors & CEOs who balance mission, strategy, and financial sustainability
- Board Members & Trustees who provide governance, stewardship, and financial oversight.
- Program & Operations Leaders who connect financial decisions to services and community impact.
- Development & Fundraising Professionals who understand the relationship between funding, donor expectations, and organizational priorities.
- Human Resources & Administrative Leaders who help organizations align people, resources, and operations.
- Emerging Nonprofit Leaders who want to strengthen their financial understanding as they grow professionally.
Financial and accounting professionals are welcome to express interest, too. However, our goal is to assemble a balanced group that reflects the variety of people who lead and support nonprofit organizations.
No formal financial training is required.
What matters most is your willingness to learn, share your perspective, and provide thoughtful, candid feedback.
Because understanding nonprofit finance shouldn't be limited to the people who work in Finance.
NONPROFIT FINANCE FOR NON-FINANCIAL LEADERS
Financial understanding isn't just for the Finance department. It's a leadership skill.
Nonprofit leaders make decisions every day that affect financial sustainability, organizational capacity, and mission impact. Yet many have never received formal financial training.
Nonprofit Finance for Non-Financial Leaders was created to help bridge that gap.
Through engaging visual storytelling, relatable nonprofit scenarios, and practical leadership applications, this foundational course makes financial concepts more approachable and connects them to the decisions nonprofit professionals make every day.
WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE
- Nonprofit Financial Foundations β Understand financial stewardship, accountability, and the language of nonprofit finance
- Understanding Financial Performance β Explore nonprofit revenue, expenses, financial statements, and key financial indicators.
- Financial Planning & Performance Management β Learn how budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis support informed decisions.
- Financial Controls, Risk & Compliance β Understand the safeguards, responsibilities, and practices that protect nonprofit organizations.
- Financial Reporting & Transparency β Explore audits, Form 990, and financial accountability.
- Grants Funding & Reporting β Understand important financial considerations associated with grants and federal funding.
- Systems & Data for Decision-Making β Discover how financial systems, reports, and dashboards support leadership.
- Net Assets & Reserves β Explore financial flexibility, organizational resilience, and long-term sustainability.
LEARNING DESIGNED FOR REAL-WORLD LEADERSHIP
Approximately 14 hours of self-paced instruction, featuring short visual lessons, practical examples, Knowledge Checks, and a digital Companion Guide.
No accounting degree required. No prior financial expertise expected. Just a willingness to learn.
THE FOUNDING LEARNER EXPERIENCE
Be among the first to learn. Be part of what comes next.
The Founding Ten will have a unique opportunity to experience the inaugural course from LMO Learning Academy before its broader public launch.
As a selected Founding Learner, you'll receive:
- Complimentary Course Enrollment βΒ Receive full access to Nonprofit Finance for Non-Financial Leaders, with a planned regular enrollment price of $499, at no cost as a selected Founding Learner.
- A Flexible Learning Experience β Approximately 14 hours of self-paced instruction, allowing you to explore the course around your professional and personal commitments.
- Engaging Visual Lessons β Short, thoughtfully designed lessons that bring financial concepts to life through creative imagery, practical examples, and relatable nonprofit scenarios.
- Knowledge Checks & Learning Reinforcement β Opportunities to assess your understanding, explore explanations, and strengthen your confidence as you progress.
- A Digital Companion Guide βΒ Receive a complimentary downloadable resource (planned regular price of $49) designed to support your learning during the course and serve as a practical reference afterward.
- A Voice in the Academy's Beginning β The opportunity to share your experiences, identify opportunities for improvement, and help shape the learning experience for future nonprofit professionals.
MORE THAN EARLY ACCESS
Your participation is about more than completing a course.
It's an opportunity to contribute your perspective to an educational initiative built around the belief that stronger financial understanding leads to stronger nonprofit leadership.
Your feedback will help us recognize what works, identify what could be clearer, and make thoughtful refinements as the Academy continues to grow.
You'll gain practical knowledge for your own leadership journey while helping create a stronger learning experience for those who follow.
YOUR ROLE IN SHAPING WHAT'S NEXT
Ten learners. Ten perspectives. One opportunity to make a lasting difference.
The Founding Ten is more than an early-access opportunity. It's a collaborative learning experience built on curiosity, thoughtful participation, and honest feedback.
As a Founding Learner, you'll help us understand how the course works for the nonprofit professionals it was designed to serve.
WHAT WE ASK OF YOU
- Complete the Course β Make a good-faith commitment to work through the approximately 14 hours of self-paced lessons and Knowledge Checks.
- Participate Within 45 Days β Plan to complete your learning experience and provide feedback within 45 days of receiving course access.
- Share Your Honest Perspective β Tell us what you found valuable, what was confusing, what could be improved, and what might be missing.
- Complete the Founding Learner Survey β Provide structured feedback about the course content, visual learning experience, accessibility, practical relevance, and overall effectiveness.
- Help Us Learn From Your Experience β Share observations from your professional perspective so we can better understand how the course supports nonprofit leaders with different responsibilities and levels of financial experience.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
You don't need to agree with everything we teach, love every visual, or understand every concept on the first attempt.
In fact, those moments when something doesn't quite connect may provide some of the most valuable feedback we receive.
We're not looking for perfect scores, glowing testimonials, or people who will simply tell us what we want to hear.
We're looking for thoughtful learners who will help us make a good course even better.
A SHARED COMMITMENT
We'll provide complimentary access to the complete course, its learning resources, and an opportunity to contribute to the Academy's beginning.
In return, we ask for your time, genuine participation, and willingness to share constructive feedback.
Your perspective could help make nonprofit financial education more approachable, relevant, and meaningful for the leaders who follow.
YOUR PERSPECTIVE COULD HELP SHAPE WHAT'S NEXT
The Founding Ten. Ten opportunities to learn, contribute, and make a difference.
We're inviting nonprofit professionals from a variety of roles, organizations, and experience levels to express interest in becoming part of LMO Learning Academy's inaugural Founding Learner cohort.
If you're curious about nonprofit finance, interested in strengthening your leadership skills, and willing to share thoughtful feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS
To create a meaningful learning experience, we're intentionally limiting this inaugural cohort to ten participants.
Our goal is to bring together a balanced mix of professional backgrounds, organizational perspectives, and financial experience levels.
Submitting an application does not guarantee selection. Participants will be selected based on the overall composition of the cohort, their interest in the learning experience, and their ability to participate within the 45-day window.
READY TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?
Complete the short interest form below to tell us a little about yourself and why you'd like to participate.
There's no application fee, and no prior financial training is required.
Selected participants will receive additional information about enrollment, course access, and next steps.
Ten perspectives. One shared mission. Perhaps one of them will be yours.
APPLY TO JOIN THE FOUNDING TEN
Your perspective matters. Your experience could help shape what's next.
Thank you for considering a place among LMO Learning Academy's inaugural Founding Learners.
Please complete the application to tell us a little about yourself, your professional background, and your interest in participating.
We're looking forward to learning more about you!
Ten perspectives. One shared mission.
YOUR FOUNDING LEARNER APPLICATION
Complete the fields below to express your interest. All required information must be provided before submitting.
Continue the Connection
Good ideas become more valuable when they lead to better conversations, stronger decisions, and meaningful action.
At LMO Business Solutions, we help organizations strengthen the people, processes, and possibilities that move their work forward.
Whether you're looking for support in finance, people strategy, advisory services, or leadership development, or simply want to explore new ideas and perspectives, thereβs more to discover.
Explore Resources & Insights. Visit The LMO Connection. Learn more about our solutions. Or simply start a conversation.
Because stronger organizations aren't built through one perspective, one solution, or one conversation.
They're built by continuing to learn, connect, and growβtogether.
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