Your 990 already tells the story. We read it for you.

Different Impact finds out why a nonprofit's operations are not working, then builds the systems that fix it. We start from your own public filings, and the first look is free.
Request your free snapshot
Got an email from us? Just reply to it.

One person, both halves of the job

Most organizations hire one firm to diagnose the problem and another to build the answer, then spend months getting them to agree. Dr. Matt Herrera does both. He diagnoses before he prescribes, and he builds what the diagnosis calls for, in weeks rather than months, at a fixed fee.

A free Donor Intelligence Snapshot

Two pages, built only from your organization's own public IRS Form 990 filings. Your five-year trend, what it costs you to raise a dollar, how many months of reserves you hold next to Houston peers, the one finding that matters most, two or three opportunities, and grants you fit. Every number is cited to its source.
No donor names. No wealth screening. Nothing you have not already filed in public.
Sample snapshot
Example Community Services, Houston
Five-year revenue
Revenue and expenses, thousands of dollars. Bars start at zero.
Cost to raise $1
$0.24
peer median $0.19
Reserve months
2.1
peer median 4.0
Headline finding
Expenses exceeded revenue in 3 of 5 years.
Sources: IRS Form 990, tax years 2020 to 2024
A sample with an invented organization. Your snapshot uses your filings.

How it works

  • We read the public record.
    Your filings, your website and reports, recent news, and the grants you have received and could win.
  • You get the snapshot, free.
    Two pages, cited, yours to keep.
  • We talk.
    A conversation with Dr. Herrera about what the snapshot found and what your team is living with.
  • We diagnose, for a fixed fee.
    A Gap Session or a full Operations and AI Readiness Assessment, ending with a plan and three priced options.
  • We build, then we support.
    A fixed-fee build in phases, then a care plan or ongoing support so the work keeps paying off.
A person reviews every report and every email before it reaches you. Nobody starts work before you have agreed in writing.
See how we work

What we fix

These come straight from the evidence in public filings. If your numbers do not show a gap, we will not invent one.
Gap
What it looks like in the filings
What we build
Structural deficit
Expenses over revenue in 3 or more of the last 5 years
A board budget model and forecasting dashboard
Event dependence
Special events above 30% of revenue
A major-gift and gala-to-donor conversion model
No government revenue
No government grants on file
A grant-readiness library and pipeline
Outputs, not outcomes
No published outcome measures
An outcomes measurement build
Stale reporting
No annual report in 2 or more years
An automated impact report
Leadership transition
A new executive director in the last two years
A snapshot built for the new leader
Intake capacity
Waitlists or business-hours-only intake
AI intake and triage
No data staff
No analyst or development operations role
A fractional data retainer
See every service

Fixed fees, published ranges

We do not bill by the hour, and we publish our ranges, which most firms do not. The diagnostic is a fixed fee, paid upfront. Builds are fixed fees set from what the diagnostic finds, and you always choose from three options.
See pricing and payment terms

What we will never do

  • Public, organization-level data only.
    We use IRS filings, your own pages, public grant records and news. Never donor names, wealth screening, client details or anyone's personal information.
  • A person approves everything.
    Research and drafts are reviewed and approved by Dr. Matt Herrera before anything reaches you.
  • A few emails, then we stop.
    At most four, and one reply of "no thanks" ends it for good.
  • We never put sensitive data into public AI tools.
    What we touch, what we never touch, and how we use AI are set out on our data safety page.
We follow the Apra and AFP standards for fundraising ethics and the CAN-SPAM Act.
How we handle your data

Dr. Matt Herrera

Dr. Matt Herrera, Ed.D, MBA, is a Houston researcher and technologist who applies analytical methods to how organizations actually run. Through Different Impact, he helps Houston nonprofits find what is not working and build the fix.
More about Dr. Herrera

See what your filings already say.

or email partnerships@differentimpact.org