NFF consultants help Young Man With a Plan prepare for facility ownership.
Young Man With a Plan (YMWAP) had been renting its building in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston for four years when an unexpected opportunity arose: The landlord wanted to sell the property, and was so impressed by the organization’s mentoring program and the young men bounding up the stairs after school that he was willing to offer it to YMWAP first, without putting it on Boston’s hot real estate market.
Ownership would mark a crucial moment in the nonprofit’s history. It would mean not only establishing a permanent home in the community but also growing its footprint from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, providing more space for young men to learn, connect, grow, and plan their futures.
“Buying a building aligned with the strategic processes we’d been thinking through,” says YMWAP Executive Director Dr. Jaykyri Simpson. “How do we plant our roots in this community? How do we grow our branches with programs to reach these young people? How do we serve more youth?”
That opportunity would involve a significant change in the nonprofit’s finances, so it wasn’t taken lightly. YMWAP was making a transformational impact and had done the math showing the project was a solid investment in the organization’s future. But it needed help laying out the facts in a financial narrative that would convince funders to support them. Their seed funder, The Charles Hayden Foundation, brought in NFF’s Consulting team to partner with them and build the case.
An outstanding opportunity
YMWAP had grown significantly since its 2015 founding, especially after it secured 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2023. Most of the young men it serves are Black and Latino seventh through twelfth graders in “the middle,” youth who are neither high achievers nor acutely at risk. YMWAP unleashes these young men’s potential by delivering holistic mentoring – three hours a week for six years – setting them up for a bright future academically, socially, and emotionally. YMWAP alumni also return for guidance and to mentor younger students.
The outcomes are impressive: 100% of the 375 young men served each year graduate high school and avoid teen parenthood and the criminal justice system. 96% report social and emotional gains, and 82% pursue higher education.
“Some kids are dealing with struggles, and YMWAP is a staple in their lives,” explains Dr. Simpson. “They have showers, they have laundry services, but most importantly they have the staff and mentors – a village to support the whole young man. Owning a building allows us to continue to build on that, because not all of them have consistent support.”
Financial analysis and storytelling
Buying a building is a huge step for a nonprofit, and everyone in YMWAP’s orbit seemed to have an opinion about how to do it. When The Charles Hayden Foundation connected YMWAP with NFF, Dr. Simpson was nervous. “I was like, oh, no, it’s somebody else – a new one.”
“And then we met and I thought, ‘Oh, they get us!’ And they have a nonprofit background, and a familiarity with Boston, and they’re truly listening to our story.”
NFF’s decades of experience working with nonprofits and funders has resulted in special insights for guiding fraught but necessary discussions around capital-intensive projects. The purchase of something as large and lasting as a facility requires careful considerations of money and mission, and trust from all parties involved.
“YMWAP had dug into their financials and had a strong case that purchasing the facility would help them grow their impact,” says Sarah Shampnois, NFF Director, Consulting. “We were able to help them fill in a few gaps and add some long-term data through a systems replacement plan, but most of our work focused on how best to craft their financial story for funders and other stakeholders.”
Together, YMWAP and NFF peered 20 years into the future to craft a financial story that would highlight YMWAP’s strength, resilience, and untapped potential. It presented the benefits of facility ownership while addressing funder concerns – like how cashflow would be managed during the capital campaign, and how YMWAP would absorb upfront and ongoing expenses.
“Every meeting we had with NFF was spot on,” explains YMWAP Director of Development Marcia Felth. “They got us, understood what we needed, and they made every interaction valuable and productive.”
“Every meeting we had with NFF was spot on. They got us, understood what we needed, and they made every interaction valuable and productive.”
A permanent space
After preparing in partnership with NFF, YMWAP leadership successfully presented their proposal to The Charles Hayden Foundation, receiving funding to support the building’s purchase and establish a facility reserve – an essential cushion for any nonprofit that owns its building. More good news soon followed: The trust of one funder unlocked matching funds from another, setting YMWAP up for a strong financial start.
According to YMWAP founding board member and Treasurer Shannah Varón, who presented the case, “NFF’s support was essential, and came at a truly pivotal moment.”
“YMWAP represents exactly the kind of organization we seek to support. One that is deeply rooted in its community, delivering strong outcomes for young people, and thinking strategically about long-term impact,” said Sonni Holland, President & CEO, The Charles Hayden Foundation. “This investment was not just about a building; it was about helping to secure a stable foundation for continued growth and opportunity for the young men they serve.”
With funding and a solid financial plan in place, YMWAP closed on the property in January 2026. The immediate outcomes were impressive: They lowered their monthly facility costs, nearly doubled their space for programming, and established a permanent home in the heart of the community. In the years to come YMWAP plans to use the new space to expand college, career, and alumni programming.
“I truly love where we are in Hyde Park, in a big, beautiful old building. I just love the space. I love the work that we do,” says Dr. Simpson.
The process was exhausting, admits Dr. Simpson, but like many nonprofit executive directors, he didn’t have time to relax or rest on his laurels. The nonprofit established its roots. Now Dr. Simpson and his team are tending to the branches: Navigating shifts in funding streams, outfitting the new space, and building out new programs, including the Young Man Institute, which is sharing with the world the knowledge YMWAP has gained through its work.
“We’re trying to not only educate but bring together people with like minds, hearts, and mutual respect to understand that if we truly work together, we can do way more,” Dr. Simpson says.
The branches are bearing fruit.
“We’re trying to not only educate but bring together people with like minds, hearts, and mutual respect to understand that if we truly work together, we can do way more.”
Visit NFF’s consulting page to see how we help organizations like Young Man With a Plan achieve their goals.
