SecureCare Blog

Insights from the team

Technical writeups, industry analysis, and company moments — written by our engineers, designers, and clinicians.

A nonprofit gala ballroom with set tables and warm lighting before guests arrive
Fundraising

Fundraising Events That Actually Net Money

The gap between gross and net at most fundraising events is wider than the board thinks. Here are the five places revenue quietly leaks — and the operational fixes that close them.

Christian Martinson Apr 22, 2026 8 min
A volunteer sorting donated goods on a warehouse table
Operations

In-Kind Donations Aren't Free: The Hidden Cost of Stuff

Calling a donation free doesn't make it free. It just shifts the cost onto your staff and your shelves — where it accumulates quietly until someone asks for a number. Here's how to track in-kind without the chaos.

Christian Martinson Mar 10, 2026 7 min
A staff member entering hours on a tablet at a desk
Compliance

Time Tracking for Grant-Funded Work Without the Headaches

Federal time-and-effort rules don't reimburse recollections — they require contemporaneous, specific, certified, auditable records. Here's why month-end allocation spreadsheets keep failing audits, and what to do instead.

Christian Martinson Feb 17, 2026 8 min
Emergency response volunteers loading supplies into a truck under heavy clouds
Operations

When Disaster Strikes: A Nonprofit Readiness Checklist

A continuity plan is only as good as where its artifacts live. If the documents your plan depends on are in a binder in the building you're evacuating, you don't have a plan — you have a description of one.

Christian Martinson Jan 13, 2026 7 min
A staff member at an intake desk speaking with a guest
Operations

Shelter Intake When the Line Is Already Out the Door

On a cold night, the line outside is the most honest measurement an organization has. It moves at the speed of the slowest part of intake — and the slowest part is almost never the work the staff is doing.

Christian Martinson Dec 9, 2025 7 min
An empty desk with a sticky note pad and a packed file box
Workforce

The Real Cost of Caseworker Turnover

Recruiting fees are the smallest part of what you pay when a caseworker leaves. The rest is paid by clients during the handoff — and by the team that stays. Continuity belongs in the record, not in someone's head.

Christian Martinson Nov 18, 2025 7 min
A donor reading an impact report on a tablet at a kitchen table
Fundraising

Building Donor Trust With Radical Transparency

Donors don't want fancy. They want accurate, on time, and the same answer twice. Here's what it takes to actually tell them where their dollars went — and why it changes how they give.

Christian Martinson Oct 21, 2025 7 min
An accountant's desk covered in spreadsheets and a coffee cup at midnight
Finance

Grant Reports Shouldn't Be a Fire Drill

If your finance team spends the week before every grant deadline reconciling spreadsheets, the problem isn't your team — it's where the data lives. Here's the structural fix.

Christian Martinson Sep 9, 2025 8 min
Volunteers in matching shirts stocking shelves at a community pantry
Operations

Why Volunteers Quit (and How to Keep Them)

Volunteer turnover almost never gets framed as a workflow problem. It almost always is one. Here are the six friction points that quietly push good people out the door.

Christian Martinson Aug 12, 2025 7 min
A clinician's hands on a laptop keyboard with a privacy filter on the screen
Compliance

Five HIPAA Mistakes Small Nonprofits Keep Making

The breaches that cost mission-driven organizations the most money rarely involve hackers. They involve well-meaning staff and tools that weren't designed for clinical work. Here's what to watch for.

Christian Martinson Jul 15, 2025 7 min

No posts match your search. Try a different term.