Why Pathfinder Collective Exists
Pathfinder Collective was created out of experience—not theory.
Over decades of working alongside nonprofits, community organizations, and public systems, we saw the same pattern repeat itself: good people doing meaningful work without enough support, clarity, or space to think strategically. Organizations were expected to grow, fundraise, comply, and serve—often all at once—without the systems or coaching needed to do it sustainably.
Pathfinder Collective exists to change that.
This work began long before the name. It grew out of founding nonprofits, leading organizations through growth and crisis, raising and leveraging significant public and private funding, building programs from the ground up, and walking alongside leaders who were carrying too much alone. Again and again, the need wasn’t for another report or a one-time fix. It was for guidance, partnership, and experience-based support.
Pathfinder Collective was intentionally built as a family-led practice. Not because this work is small, but because it is personal. Community work touches lives, families, and futures. We believe the best support comes from people who understand that responsibility and have lived it.
Our approach is practical and relational. We help organizations build clarity where things feel tangled. We support leaders as they navigate complexity, growth, and change. We focus on systems that last—funding strategies that align with capacity, plans that guide real decisions, and tools that organizations can actually maintain.
We work across grant writing, fundraising, organizational development, strategic planning, digital presence, and coaching—but our role is always the same: to walk alongside organizations as a guide, not take over their work.
Pathfinder Collective is also about legacy. As our children have grown and started families of their own, it became clear that this knowledge shouldn’t stop with us. This practice is a way to pass forward what we’ve learned—so the next generation can serve well, lead with integrity, and bless others through their work.
This first post is a beginning. It marks the start of a space where experience is shared openly, systems are examined honestly, and organizations are supported with care and respect.
We’re glad you’re here.
By Matthew Vorderstrasse