Why Passion Alone Isn’t Enough: A Strategy Wake-Up Call for the NFP Sector

Andrew ‘’Billy’’ Baxter, the CEO & Founder of 24 Hour Business Plan, sat down with Vijay Solanki, Senior Advisor at 24HRBP, to talk about why passion alone isn’t enough to drive success in the NFP sector, and why a strategy wake-up call is needed.

There’s no shortage of passion in the not-for-profit world. From the arts to homelessness, education to sport, purpose pulses through the sector. But if there’s one message that comes through clearly in my recent conversation with seasoned executive and long-time NFP board leader Andrew “Billy” Baxter, it’s this: passion isn’t a strategy.

Baxter’s NFP career spans decades and disciplines. His NFP board roles have included The Song Room, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, the Queen’s Fund, and OzHarvest. Each one chosen with intentionality: “If I’m going to give my time, I want to care deeply about the mission.”

Yet his deep emotional investment hasn’t blinded him to a hard truth: many NFPs are operating without a plan. Or if they have one, it’s buried, fuzzy, or stuck in a drawer.

“There are 61,000 not-for-profits in Australia,” Baxter says. “Yet when you test unprompted public awareness, people can name very few. It’s the most competitive sector in the country. But too few treat it that way.”

In other words, strategy in the NFP sector is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Baxter’s passion for purpose-driven work is rooted in lived experience. Education shaped his life trajectory; sport helped him build discipline and community; and the arts sparked creativity. And his growing awareness of homelessness, its complexity and its systemic blind spots, drew him further into service.

But what’s most instructive is how Baxter frames the homelessness challenge through a strategic lens. He says: “So many of those sleeping rough just need a runway, for example three months of support, and they’re back on their feet. But others are living with drug or alcohol dependency and need long-term, structured help.”

The NFP response, he notes, is often fragmented. “At one stage in Melbourne alone, we had 88 charities working on homelessness. Many are doing great work. But too often the work being done to help those in need, is disconnected. Strategy helps organisations step back and ask: where can we combine, where can we differentiate, and where can we collaborate?”

Baxter isn’t just highlighting problems, he’s experienced the solution first hand. Take his time at The Song Room. Working with Social Ventures Australia, they developed a focused strategy that clarified priorities, shaped funding conversations, and unlocked new scale. He explains: “We could show exactly what funding would be needed to put a music teacher into under-served schools in certain areas of the country. That level of clarity builds trust with funders.”

The planning process itself became a catalyst. “It wasn’t just a document; it was a tool for alignment and ambition. We didn’t want to be a $3 million to $4 million charity. We wanted to double that and double our impact.”

This is a call to arms for the NFP sector: strategic planning must be viewed not as a burden, but as an accelerator. It’s how you attract support, focus energy, and build scale.

Passionate founders, overcommitted teams, big-hearted Boards may be working flat out, but often without a clear frame. That’s where plans matter most.

And strategy isn’t just for big organisations. Smaller, founder-led NFPs often start with a burst of energy and a big heart. But without a strategy, that energy burns out or veers off course. As Baxter puts it: “Many don’t know what good looks like. They just need help seeing it.”

Baxter also speaks candidly about pricing and the pro bono trap, noting: “People ask if strategy should be free because it’s a charity. But no one expects charities to get software for free. Or to not pay their staff. Why would strategy be any different?”

Instead, he advocates for what we call ‘low bono’, pricing that reflects value, respects budgets, and still ensures quality. Strategy isn’t admin, it’s future impact.

In some cases, the sector gets this right. Baxter cites how OzHarvest, SecondBite, and Foodbank—three food relief organisations with overlapping missions—choose collaboration over competition when it comes to government engagement, sector-wide impact and day to day operations. “It’s about aligning on what matters most: the mission, not the marketing.”

This collaboration is vital in a world where duplication of services doesn’t always mean more reach. “Sometimes what we need is a bit more of a merger mindset,” he reflects. “If we really care about the cause, then ego, legacy and brand need to take a back seat to impact.”

And therein lies the real test for NFP leadership. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective?

Baxter sees a simple but powerful difference between strategy in the corporate world and in NFPs: “In business, growth is about sales and revenue. In NFPs, it’s about funding—and knowing how you’ll use it.”

The rest? It’s the same. Context. Audiences. Purpose. Stakeholders. Impact. Trade-offs.

Clear vision. Strong values.

The biggest risk isn’t choosing the wrong strategy it’s having no strategy at all.

Baxter’s final reflection is one we echo at 24HRBP: “The organisations that make the biggest difference aren’t always the ones with the biggest cause. They’re the ones with the clearest plan.”

And clarity isn’t about spreadsheets or slide decks. It’s about unlocking action. When you can articulate your problem, your unique solution, your ask, and your ambition - all in a few minutes - you have a weapon more powerful than any mission statement.

We believe the sector deserves better. Better tools. Better thinking. And better support.

Because when passion and planning come together, the potential is transformative.

That’s not just good strategy. That’s the future of impact.

24HR Business Plan now has a strong dedicated team focussing on the NFP sector. Email vijay@24hrbp.com to learn more.