Let’s queue you in on exactly what to expect in the coming weeks, here are some frequently asked questions about our Impact Lab Program — Mission Edge's free 10-week program for small business owners looking to grow their business and better navigate their finances. Learn about how you'll meet your CFO, what mastermind sessions look like, and other important information.

What do you think about when you picture a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative? For most, it’s volunteering at a local food bank or engaging employees in a donation drive. But some of our favorite CSR initiatives we’ve facilitated have been far more behind the scenes. One of our recent CSR projects involved helping San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) partner with a local San Diego nonprofit.

Learn how Mission Edge is helping Catalyst Kitchens achieve their charitable goals through fiscal sponsorship so that they can scale and eventually become an independently-run nonprofit. Our goal is to help organizations better serve their communities by taking on things like accounting, compliance management, and human resources.

Are you a San Diego business owner feeling skeptical about free programs that promise business growth? We teach small business owners how to understand objective financial data, including their costs, expenses, pricing structure, and profit margins. These are the eye-opening insights and tools that local small business owners need to stabilize and grow.

Entrepreneurship often attracts people who are used to doing everything on their own. If you find yourself struggling to ask for help, you’re not alone and that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. Our Impact Lab small business financial experts can help you optimize your financial operations, identify savings, improve cash flow management, and plan for sustainable growth.

With decades of collective experience curating volunteering and community engagement opportunities, Mission Edge's Corporate Social Responsibility team curated a four-part event schedule throughout the year so the University of San Diego could expand their community impact and better help the Monarch School.

Join us in welcoming Anastasiia Timon and Tom Barnhill to our team of finance coaches here at the Impact Lab! If you work with Anastasiia or Tom, you can expect comprehensive insights into streamlining your business's financial processes. Their expertise in finance, from reporting to strategic investment, is geared towards empowering your small business for sustainable success.

A deep dive into how nonprofits can better manage their money, from net assets to functional expenses, nonprofit budget management to navigating IRS Form 990. Learn how Mission Edge supports its nonprofit clients through fiscal sponsorship and accounting services to stay organized, compliant, and confident.

Think back to the day you decided, finally, to turn your “idea” into a small business. There are many steps that go into taking that step and most notably, perhaps, were the mental obstacles you had to overcome. Here at the Impact Lab, our experts can help you address those fears, give you a tailored plan, and equip you with tangible and intangible tools to move from “cautious” to “empowered.”

From Giving Tuesday to Thanksgiving, there is a feeling around us to give back to our loved ones and community. Not only that – many companies' budgets are closing out at the end of the year and, they’re given the freedom to donate additional unused funds. While pairing a donation with the holiday season may be a logical action, it may not be the best practice to continue year after year.

The Nautical History Gallery Museum offers an up-close journey through the evolution of naval ships. However, they lacked a nonprofit status and infrastructure to accept donations. That’s where Mission Edge’s Fiscal Sponsorship came in. We decided to take on NHGM as a fiscally sponsored project under our own Community Give Back program because their cause aligns with the heart of our mission.

Dr. Darcy White is passionate about cultivating a community of compassionate, empowered individuals who want to improve the quality of their lives, heal, and create a brighter future. When working with her Impact Lab finance expert, she wanted to have a better understanding of her business and establish goals. She walked away with a completely transformed vision and strategy for her business.

Natasha is the owner of Tabby Manor – a cat sitting business that offers in-home care and basic grooming services for feline family members. When she approached us, she knew she needed to press “paws” on her business to do some much-needed strategic work and assess its financial health. She walked away from The Impact Lab with an actionable plan to alleviate stress and avoid overwhelm.

Fiscal sponsorship may be a powerful transition for your organization. While it represents an additional expense, the benefits — such as access to the sponsor's tax-exempt status, administrative support (a fully staffed accounting, HR, and operations department), and potential for increased funding — can outweigh these costs for nonprofits interested in restructuring.

With corporate volunteering increasing since 2020, companies understand the positive correlation between employee volunteerism and employee engagement and wellbeing. We’ll discuss the benefits of consistent volunteer engagements for companies, and offer ideas for how your company can provide a more sustained impact through employee volunteering.

Hands On San Diego’s mission to strengthen communities through volunteer action has created ripples of change in our city. Over the past decade, Mission Edge has been a constant for HOSD, providing the structure, support, and services they’ve needed to succeed. Most importantly, HOSD has expanded its ability to make an impact over the past 10 years, including helping 22 organizations.

Melanie van de Water, the brains behind Interactive Play, has a rich background in interior design, hospitality, and business. Her dream was to introduce child-friendly play spaces to industries such as hospitality and retail, but she faced some hurdles. Our Impact Lab CFO helped her with high distribution costs, shipping delays, and the daunting task of financial management

If you're juggling this decision, you may be wondering which decision will be best for your long-term goals. In this article, we’ll unravel the long-term impact of fiscal sponsorship, discuss some pros and cons of fiscal sponsorship, and help you understand what you might be getting yourself into if you choose this route for your charitable mission.

So you're a small business owner, and you’re at a common crossroads: do you jump into a free finance coaching program you found online (like the Impact Lab), or do you pull out your wallet and invest in a paid financial coach? In this article, we're going to break it down for you. We'll look at the cool stuff free programs may offer, and what you’d likely get when you pay for a coach.

Every year, our team here at Mission Edge works to spread the word about our Impact Lab cohorts: completely free finance support for small business owners who qualify. Our team of finance coaches is dedicated to helping you achieve your business and financial goals. When you join a cohort, you're not just learning new things about owning a business; you're transforming the way you do business.