695. How to Build an Organization Ready for Its Biggest Moment - Sara LaBarge
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Sara LaBarge grew up on the Menominee reservation in Wisconsin, won a Gates Millennium Scholarship as a teenager, and went on to lead strategic partnerships at Native Forward Scholars Fund — the largest direct scholarship provider to Native students in the country. When MacKenzie Scott called (twice), their organization was ready. This conversation is about what that readiness actually looked like.
Native nonprofits receive less than 0.5% of all philanthropic funding. Native Forward has been building anyway — for 55+ years. And the frameworks Sara uses for partnerships, accountability, and trust-based giving are some of the most practically useful we've heard for any fundraiser navigating high-stakes funder relationships right now. 🩵
In this episode, you'll hear:
What the "dreaming phase" looked like inside Native Forward after their first MacKenzie Scott gift — and how they moved from scarcity thinking to strategic deployment fast
How to identify true alignment with a partner before resources change hands, and why accountability to that alignment is what makes partnerships compound over time
How Native Forward is handling a 35% surge in scholarship applications while protecting 55+ years of mission integrity
Sara's One Good Thing: why passion alone isn't enough, and what discipline and alignment unlock
“Unrestricted funding gives you the ability to dream again.”
Episode Transcript
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Episode Highlights:
Sara's origin story: growing up on the Menominee reservation (3:00)
Winning the Gates Millennium Scholarship (3:31)
What scholarships unlock beyond financial support (7:07)
The funding gap + MacKenzie Scott gifts (10:39)
Building readiness to absorb and deploy a gift at scale (13:03)
Strategic partnerships and the 35% surge in applications (15:25)
What authentic partnerships look like in practice (17:06)
Relationships as currency and values in action (20:15)
The philanthropy story that changed Sara (22:03)
One Good Thing: discipline and alignment (24:43)
Resources Mentioned:
Powerful Quotes
“When basic needs are met, people can finally ask: what do I really want to do?” — Sara LaBarge
“If we want Native people in spaces where decisions are made, we need to support them early.” — Sara LaBarge
“Higher education isn’t the only path — but it is one of the most powerful.” — Sara LaBarge
“We took what we knew worked for our communities and expanded it.” — Sara LaBarge
“The biggest unlock in partnerships is alignment.” — Sara LaBarge
“If you’re as accountable to our students as we are, we’re aligned.” — Sara LaBarge
“The best partnerships allow for candid — even difficult — conversations.” — Sara LaBarge
“We look for partners who see our students as whole people, not just numbers.” — Sara LaBarge
“Passion is not enough — you have to be disciplined.” — Sara LaBarge
“When you’re aligned and disciplined, you don’t just move the needle — you move it in the right direction.” — Sara LaBarge
Sara’s One Good Thing: Passion is not enough alone, you have to be disciplined as well. When you’re aligned and disciplined you don’t just move the needle, you move it in the right direction. (29:00)
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