Ryan Dewey Smith Released Guide on Nonprofit Growth

The book details an affiliation model for sharing administrative services among nonprofits.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Philanthropy

Isometric editorial illustration of a central pillar supporting clustered geometric blocks, representing a shared services organizational model.
Nonprofit founder Ryan Dewey Smith released 'Sustaining the Mission,' a guide exploring an affiliation model for nonprofits to share administrative services. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should nonprofit organizations prioritize administrative growth to ensure long-term stability for their missions?

Nonprofit founder Ryan Dewey Smith released a new book titled Sustaining the Mission, which explores strategies for organizational continuity and growth. The book examines operational structures for health and human services entities.

Why it matters

The book addresses how organizations can strengthen their infrastructure and scale while preserving their core mission and local leadership. It provides a framework for leaders balancing operational demands with long-term sustainability.

The book covers a range of administrative support functions including finance, human resources, procurement, and cybersecurity. These services are provided through an affiliation model designed to allow organizations to access shared resources.

The players

Ryan Dewey Smith

Founder of the Pennsylvania nonprofit Supportive Concepts for Families and author of Sustaining the Mission.

Supportive Concepts for Families

A Pennsylvania-based nonprofit focused on health and human services.

Inperium

An organization that utilizes an affiliation model to provide shared administrative services to nonprofits.

Apis Services

A provider of shared administrative support for finance, payroll, human resources, and cybersecurity.

Forbes Books

The publisher responsible for the release of Sustaining the Mission.

The details

Sustaining the Mission details an affiliation model where organizations leverage shared administrative services to maintain operational stability. Entities like Apis Services provide this support, handling functions such as payroll, legal coordination, and facilities management. This structure is intended to let individual nonprofits retain their specific missions and leadership while gaining the efficiencies of a larger shared network.

Timeline

  1. September 22, 2026: The book Sustaining the Mission was released.

Market Landscape

This work formalizes the administrative shared services model currently utilized in the health and human services sector. It reflects a broader trend of nonprofits seeking economies of scale through shared back-office infrastructure without sacrificing local identity.

Nonprofit leaders should evaluate whether their current administrative costs are optimized through shared service agreements or independent staffing. Reviewing organizational continuity plans against the models outlined in the text may assist in identifying potential efficiency gains.

The takeaway

The affiliation model offers a strategy for smaller nonprofits to achieve institutional stability through shared backend services. Operators should assess if their current administrative overhead could be reduced by integrating shared finance, legal, or IT support functions.

Further reading

For more on the operational shifts in the sector, see the Philanthropy section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by International Business Times.

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Should nonprofit organizations prioritize administrative growth to ensure long-term stability for their missions?