Dr. Lenita
LENITA RILEY DUNLAP PhD, MPA, MA
I’m a nonprofit leader, researcher, and transformation guide with 25+ years proving that sustainable leadership isn’t just possible—it’s essential. As founder and Chief Breakthrough Officer of Not Just Fundraising, I work with nonprofit leaders who refuse to sacrifice themselves for mission. Because here’s what I know: when leaders thrive, organizations thrive, and communities transform.
THE RESEARCH I recently completed my PhD in Public Administration and Public Policy, examining 94 nonprofit leaders and interviewing 13 CEOs/Executive Directors to understand the institutional pressures driving burnout in our sector. The findings? 65% of nonprofit leaders work in burnout cultures. 47% experience monthly emotional exhaustion. And this isn’t individual failure—it’s systemic design. My dissertation proved what you already know: the sector is broken. And it showed us how to fix it.
THE WORK At Not Just Fundraising, I’m building The NJF Collective—a community where nonprofit leaders slow down, breathe, and celebrate while redesigning the systems creating burnout.
I provide:
→ Group coaching for Executive Directors, Board Members, and Fundraising Professionals
→ Research-backed frameworks for organizational transformation
→ Strategic consulting for nonprofits building sustainable operations
→ Interim leadership for organizations in transition
I’ve worked with nonprofits ranging from grassroots startups to century-old institutions with multimillion-dollar budgets. I’ve built organizations from crisis to thriving. I know what it takes—and I know it doesn’t require martyrdom.
THE COMMITMENT Nonprofit leaders deserve sustainable careers. Organizations deserve cultures where people flourish. Communities deserve leaders who can show up powerfully for the long term. I’m committed to shifting how our sector operates—not through individual resilience training, but through systematic redesign of the institutional pressures creating burnout. When you’re ready to stop running on empty and start building for the long term, I’m here. Let’s create breakthrough together. —
Dr. Lenita Riley Dunlap, PhD
Chief Breakthrough Officer
OUR WHY
65% of nonprofit leaders work in burnout cultures. (Riley Dunlap, 2025)
This isn’t individual failure. This is systemic design.
At Not Just Fundraising, we redesign the systems creating burnout—so leaders can thrive, not just survive.
OUR APPROACH
We combine 25+ years of nonprofit leadership with PhD-level research to address:
→ Institutional pressures normalizing overwork
→ Organizational cultures requiring self-sacrifice
→ Leadership practices perpetuating burnout
→ Funding models creating unsustainable expectations
We don’t teach resilience. We redesign systems.
We don’t just raise funds. We transform organizations.
We don’t work alone. We build community.
THE RESULT
Leaders who slow down, breathe, and celebrate while building sustainable impact.
Organizations where both mission and people flourish.
A sector that stops burning out its best leaders.
This is Not Just Fundraising. This is transformation.
