Life and Work with Nia Wassink

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nia Wassink.

Nia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent my entire career working directly in nonprofit organizations. I worked up from an intern to running departments and then an entire organization. I loved feeling like I was making a difference every day.

I quickly realized that so many organizations really struggled with some key aspects of running the business side. From having boards that were dysfunctional to not being able to effectively fundraise, it was holding back their important missions.

From there, I decided to start a nonprofit consulting firm to be able to build capacity for organizations so they could better fulfill their missions. Three years later and Mission Launch has served over 40 Colorado-based organizations, helping them take their missions to the next level.

Has it been a smooth road?
Anybody who goes into consulting has probably been warned about feast or famine; either you are turning away clients because you’re too busy or you can’t pay the bills. As the breadwinner for our family, famine isn’t an option. I had to ramp up the business while I was closing up a fulltime job, running a nonprofit. That summer was one of the hardest periods of my life. I was working 10 – 12 hours a day in the office and then coming home and taking my laptop out on the deck to work until the sunset. The thing that got me through was having a clear end date. Even when I was asked to extend my time at the organization I had worked at, I declined, knowing I needed to keep a strong boundary there for my own mental health.

Now, doing consulting fulltime, I find that the boundaries are increasingly important. Clients can ask for things last minute or want me to work beyond the scope of contracts. I’ve gotten much more adept at declining and helping them brainstorm for a solution that works better for everybody. I will not sacrifice my family or my mental health for a client’s project.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mission Launch – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Mission Launch has become well-known in Colorado as a provider of excellent board training, facilitation, and fundraising planning. This includes everything from facilitating engaging and productive board treats to developing in-depth fundraising plans to expand annual revenues.

In December of 2019, Mission Launch is launching a podcast, The Nonprofit Reframe. The podcast will help uncover many of the serious issues plaguing the nonprofit sector: from limited resources to the scarcity mentality that maintains that, from overworked/overburdened to significantly underpaid. The hope is that it provides an outlet for those in the nonprofit sector to feel less alone, to laugh along with us, and to shed a light on some of the real issues.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
It’s amazing to see more and more women in positions of leadership and power. What I find disheartening is when women don’t use that position to pave the way for others. The thought that “I overcame adversity, so others should too” is ridiculous and antiquated. When we overcome challenges and achieve greatness, we have a responsibility to make the path easier for others. This is our opportunity to give a voice to the voiceless, to raise up those who have been marginalized. Women, of all people, should recognize how to use positions of power to create real good in our communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: missionlaunchco.com
• Phone: 7206007189
• Email: nia@missionlaunchco.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/missionlaunchco

Image Credit:
Collin Wassink

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