The Truth Will Set You Free – NANOE’s Timeline of Courage, Research & Disruption

In 2026, the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives will celebrate its 10th Anniversary. What began as a bold response to a broken charitable system has grown into one of the most disruptive and innovative movements in nonprofit history. Born out of frustration with the status quo and a passion for measurable impact, NANOE has challenged outdated norms, championed executive leadership, and equipped thousands of nonprofits to grow, scale, and thrive. Its founders—Jimmy LaRose and Dr. Kathleen Robinson—did more than question the system. They reimagined it from the ground up.

You see, LaRose & Robinson—dared to ask the question no one else would:

“Why doesn’t charity work?”

They spent years in research, field testing, and academic scrutiny to offer a new alternative—one designed to ensure that nonprofit CEOs actually succeed. This is the story of how their friendship, scholarship, and shared resolve reshaped the charitable sector—and why the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE) had to be born.

Two Leaders, One Orbit

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (2001)

In 2001, President George W. Bush launched the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHFBCI) to empower faith-based and grassroots nonprofits to deliver federally funded social services. Appointed to lead this initiative was Don Willett, a White House deputy and close collaborator of Jimmy LaRose, who was invited to the OEOB for private consultations that would shape the office’s direction.

Simultaneously, Dr. Kathleen Robinson—Director of Clemson University’s Nonprofit and Grassroots leadership Center and the Center on Neighborhood Development within the Institute for Families and Neighborhood Life (1995-2009)—was selected by the White House to oversee WHFBCI’s grant distributions for the state of South Carolina. Though deeply involved in parallel missions, LaRose and Robinson would not meet until years later.

Paul Light’s Warning Bell

Sustaining Nonprofit Performance (2004)

Independently, both Robinson and LaRose read Paul Light’s “Sustaining Nonprofit Performance”, a foundational yet anecdotal work that challenged the sector to prioritize capacity-building over service expansion. His haunting thesis rang true for them both:

“The nonprofit sector survives because it has a self-exploiting workforce: wind it up and it will do more with less until it just runs out. But at some point, the spring must break.”

Light’s insights validated what both had observed in the field: money alone couldn’t fix broken systems. But what would?

A Meeting That Changed Everything

LaRose & Robinson Meet (2006)

In 2006, their paths finally crossed. Robinson attended a capacity-building conference hosted by LaRose’s National Development Institute (NDI). She immediately recognized the power of his model. For the next three years, she directed federal grant recipients to receive LaRose’s technical assistance, integrating his ideas into the very funding mechanisms she oversaw.

From Anecdote to Evidence

NDI & Clemson Launch National Study (2010)

After nearly a decade distributing funds, Dr. Robinson saw a disturbing trend: despite increased investment, most nonprofits were not becoming more sustainable. In 2010, she resolved to find out why—scientifically.

Partnering with LaRose and NDI’s vast database of nonprofit leaders, they launched a landmark national survey, reaching 52,300 organizations and drawing a clinical sample of 470 respondents. Their objective: to measure executive motivation, organizational dynamics, and the real impact of capacity-building.

The Findings Were Startling:

• 85% of nonprofits failed to build any new capacity.

• 15% expanded their revenues and impact significantly.

Rather than dwell on the failure, LaRose and Robinson studied the success factors that set the 15% apart:

Common Traits of the Top 15%:

1. Had C-suite leaders with business backgrounds rooted in free-market enterprise.

2. Engaged in continuous capacity-building over a five-year period.

3. Grew budgets, donors, and programs—even during recession.

4. Achieved growth regardless of board size or involvement.

5. Externalized their mission for revenue generation, not just service delivery.

6. Recruited boards that evaluated and supported the CEO’s vision.

They also discovered a painful truth:

Most nonprofits were so structurally unsound that no amount of funding could fix them.

The Research Goes Academic

Dr. Kimberly Brown’s Doctoral Thesis (2011)

Based on the 2010 study, Dr. Kimberly Brown completed a 400-page doctoral dissertation titled:

“Factors Explaining a Nonprofit Executive’s Intention to Build Capacity.”

Supervised by Dr. Robinson, her work offered empirical grounding to what LaRose and Robinson had observed in the field. This thesis would become the academic cornerstone of what was to come.

Translating Research for the Masses

Re-Imagining Philanthropy (LaRose, 2014)

To make their findings more accessible, LaRose penned Re-Imagining Philanthropy, a provocative, plainspoken, and often hilarious dismantling of the sector’s sacred cows. The book invited donors, board members, and volunteers to rethink everything they’d been taught about nonprofit leadership—and it struck a chord. 15,000 copies sold. National praise. A movement begins.

A Blueprint for Change

New Guidelines for Nonprofits (Robinson, 2015)

Dr. Robinson took the next step, releasing a 945-page reference manual: New Guidelines for Nonprofits.

Drawing on raw data, case studies, and Brown’s thesis, Robinson issued six major recommendations that would allow any nonprofit to go to scale and achieve measurable impact.

The Establishment Strikes Back

The Birth of NANOE (2016)

Armed with research and solutions, LaRose and Robinson sent New Guidelines for Nonprofits to national associations, media outlets, and sector intermediaries. Nonprofit executives loved it. But the establishment—industry vendors, certifiers, and training bodies—did not.

Why?

Because their findings threatened entrenched interests, calling into question the value of existing certifications, fundraising protocols, and board governance dogma.

In short, Jimmy and Kathleen were messing with everybody’s money.

Rather than retreat, they doubled down.

They founded the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE)—a new network built to disseminate their research and support CEOs who wanted to grow and scale their missions.

The Fastest-Growing Nonprofit Network in America

Within 24 months, NANOE became the fastest-growing network of its kind, with 1,135 members credentialed in New Guidelines for Nonprofits.

But with growth came backlash:

• United Way Worldwide

• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE)

• State nonprofit associations

• Media outlets like Chronicle of Philanthropy & Nonprofit Quarterly

Each launched attacks—through articles, statements, and smear campaigns. But NANOE had learned by now: control the narrative.

So they launched their own media platforms:

• InsideCharity.org

• 501c3.Buzz

Their goal? Give voice to nonprofit executives who wanted something different—something that actually works.

Conclusion: A Movement with Teeth

This is not just a history lesson. It’s the origin story of a revolution in nonprofit leadership.

NANOE was not created to join the industry—it was built to fix it. Now, NANOE’s 3,200 members are inspired by evidence, driven by vision, and grounded in results, LaRose and Robinson didn’t just ask why charity doesn’t work.
They gave the sector a way to make it work.