Burning the Boats: Suzy Gray - Applying Big Data Tactics to a Faith-Based Nonprofit

Future Nonprofit

"You really have to be committed to your mission because if you are committed to your model and you just do things that serve the model because the model doesn't look broken, but it no longer serves your mission - you lose. And so having the courage to burn the ships and say, even though the ships could probably still sail, in order to really take hold of what I know we need to be doing, we need to let them go and to burn them so that we can fully take hold of the opportunity ahead of us." - Suzy Gray

Success feels great! Every nonprofit team is boosted by a good win. But is it possible for your team to get too comfortable with your current measure of success? Because the key to greater impact often involves stepping into uncharted waters, where risk and reward go hand in hand.

Suzy Gray, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Your Move, believes that to achieve meaningful growth, nonprofit leaders must embrace the discomfort of bold decision-making. And part of that involves detaching from past successes.

After a decade in corporate telecommunications leadership, Suzy left to pursue work that aligned with her purpose, ultimately co-founding Your Move with pastor Andy Stanley.

In this special Camp Redwood Session, Suzy shares about her nonprofit’s early success—and the daring “burn-the-ships” decision they made to expand their reach. Drawing from top tech company strategies, Your Move connected big data insights with ministry goals to build an innovative model for outreach. But as Suzy emphasizes, true impact requires constant evolution—and, for Your Move, focusing on where to find their audience now, not where they used to be.

With passion, purpose, and poise, Suzy offers insights on taking informed risks, innovating fearlessly, and making decisions that truly matter. Whether you’re facing the challenges of change, restructuring for impact, or simply seeking inspiration, this episode provides a roadmap for leading with confidence, courage, and purpose. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation on leading your nonprofit through uncharted waters, staying true to your mission while pursuing bigger goals.

Contents

1 – Suzy’s background and transition to nonprofit (03:15)

2 – How to find what you love & love what you do (08:38)

3 – Burning the boats and focusing the mission (14:00)

4 – Suzy’s key learnings (25:30)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Suzy Gray on LinkedIn
• Your Move Collective
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

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