How Apollo Is Helping Nonprofits Apply Its Classic Operating Playbook

A playbook for nonprofits

Nonprofit leaders face pressure from advances in AI and an uneven labor market, often with smaller budgets and teams than corporate executives. Apollo’s foundation is adapting the firm’s operating approach for 28 organizations.

The model draws on Apollo’s work with more than 190 portfolio companies, including Yahoo Inc. and Shutterfly. Grantees can access experts, leadership training and a built-in network, along with funding determined partly by budget size and impact measures.

Employees work with grantees

The teams build relationships with organizations, take on pro-bono projects, identify potential board opportunities and offer strategic guidance. Apollo executive Lauren Coape-Arnold said support can range from fundraising skills to succession planning.

Leadership and practical changes

Apollo is also developing an AI tool to review notes about a client’s business challenges and asynchronous training tools to make consultant onboarding more efficient. Veron said Apollo helped identify priorities, including small, practical fixes.

Updating skills and curriculum

Veron said Apollo’s team highlighted the need for technologists to collaborate more closely with business leaders. The team also helped incorporate more business and industry context into the curriculum. He said the program added cloud fundamentals and foundational DevOps knowledge based on the deal team’s input.