If your systems feel heavy, fragmented, or harder than they should be, you’re not alone.

Most nonprofit “tech problems” aren’t just the fault of bad tools.

They’re caused by inherited processes, unclear ownership, and work that was never designed end-to-end.

This small, facilitated working session gives nonprofit teams the space to step back, untangle what’s actually happening, and bring clarity to how the work should move.

Participation is capped at 5 organizations per session.

 

Upcoming sessions: 

  • Thursday March 5, 2026, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. cst

  • Thursday April 2, 2026, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. cst

  • Thursday May 7, 2026, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. cst

Apply to join an upcoming session 

 

Who This Is For

This session is designed for nonprofits who feel the friction but haven’t had time—or space—to address it.

You’ll get the most value if you’re:

  • An Executive Director or senior leader

  • A Development leader responsible for systems and reporting

  • An Ops, Finance, or “accidental IT” owner

  • Part of a team navigating growth, change, or system dissatisfaction

We encourage 2–3 people per organization to attend together.

What You’ll Leave With

Participants consistently leave with:

  • A clearer understanding of what’s actually broken (and what isn’t)

  • Shared language across leadership and teams

  • Relief from feeling like “the system is failing us”

  • A stronger foundation for future decisions—regardless of platform

Clarity creates energy.
Energy creates momentum.

 

What Makes This Different

This is not:

  • A webinar

  • A software demo

  • A pitch for a specific platform

 

This is:

  • A hands-on working session

  • A facilitated systems design conversation

  • A chance to untangle real workflows—not talk about them abstractly

We focus on how the work should move so technology can actually support it.

 

Customer Success Stories
nonprofit design thinking workshop 2-1

What We’ll Work Through Together

In 60 minutes, we’ll cover:

1. Why the Mess Is Predictable

You’ll see why the same problems show up across nonprofits—and why they’re rarely random or isolated.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Common Breakdown Patterns

We surface real, observed issues like:

  • Development owning the CRM while other teams work around it

  • Manual workarounds becoming standard practice

  • Multiple tools doing one job

  • Reporting that feels painful, slow, or unreliable

3. A Clear Design Framework

You’ll learn how effective systems are designed—in this order:
People → Process → Data → Technology

 

 

 

 

 

4. Live Workflow Untangling

You’ll map one real workflow from your organization and identify:

  • Where friction is coming from

  • Hidden assumptions about “how this is supposed to work”

  • What needs to be designed before touching any tool

 

 

 

Format & Details

  • Length: 60 minutes

  • Format: Live, interactive (camera encouraged)

  • Group Size: Max 5 organizations

  • Seats: Up to 3 people per organization

To keep this session high-trust and hands-on, participation is limited.

Cost

Founding Sessions: Free (Limited Time)

These initial sessions are part of a founding series and are offered at no cost.

Future sessions will transition to a paid working format to maintain depth, focus, and small group size.

kayak

About Lake One

Lake One helps nonprofits design how the work should move—then builds the systems that carry it.

We work with organizations that are tired of patchwork tools, inherited processes, and systems that fight the mission instead of supporting it.

This session reflects how we approach every engagement: design first, technology second.