The Unrestricted

What We Do

Three entry points to unrestricted revenue.

These are three independent entry points, not a sequence. An organization may begin with any one of them. Some organizations have substantial untapped value in current programs; others have very little, and acquisition is the more realistic route. The starting point depends on what the organization holds, what capital is available, and what the board is prepared to govern.

01

Commercialize existing capability

A structured evaluation of current assets and programs to identify revenue available within verticals the organization already operates, including those delivered entirely for social good today. The work establishes where a commercial market will pay for that capability and what it is worth. Where the evaluation finds little commercial value, that conclusion is reported plainly and the organization moves to a different entry point.

Deliverable

An asset inventory, a ranked set of revenue opportunities with sizing, and pricing recommendations suitable for board review.

Scope of work

  • Asset, program, and capacity inventory
  • Market sizing and willingness-to-pay analysis
  • Pricing, packaging, and margin modeling
  • Unrelated business income and exemption review
02

Develop an adjacent vertical

Assessment of opportunities adjacent to the organization's current operating space, where existing reputation, staff, facilities, and infrastructure transfer. Growth of this kind draws on capacity already in place rather than requiring entry into an unrelated market.

Deliverable

A screened shortlist, launch economics for the leading option, and a recommended operating and legal structure.

Scope of work

  • Adjacency mapping and opportunity screening
  • Capability and capacity gap analysis
  • Launch economics and break-even modeling
  • Structure analysis: in-house, subsidiary, or joint venture
03

Acquire operating cash flow

Analysis and execution support for acquiring an established business and operating it as a social enterprise. Acquisition transfers customers, staff, systems, and revenue at closing, in place of the cost, timeline, and failure rate associated with building a venture from inception. This is often the right entry point for an organization whose current programs hold limited commercial value.

Deliverable

An acquisition thesis with target criteria, valuation and diligence support through closing, and an integration plan the board is equipped to govern.

Scope of work

  • Acquisition thesis and target criteria
  • Deal sourcing, valuation, and diligence support
  • Capital structure and financing strategy
  • Ownership structure, governance, and integration planning

Additional Capability

Funding the acquisition through the donor base.

Acquisition capital does not have to come from reserves or debt. Donors who have supported programs for years are frequently willing to fund something more durable: the purchase of an operating business whose cash flow supports those programs permanently.

The Unrestricted helps nonprofit organizations construct that ask. The work translates the transaction into terms a donor understands, establishes what the gift buys and what it returns to the mission each year, and equips the board and development leadership to present it with confidence.

The case for support

The acquisition thesis rewritten for a philanthropic audience, including what the business does, what it earns, and how that earning sustains program delivery.

The financial model donors will ask about

Purchase price, capital structure, projected cash flow to mission, and the assumptions underneath each, documented so the numbers withstand scrutiny.

Structure, governance, and stewardship

How the gift is received, how the business is held, how performance is reported back to donors, and what the organization commits to in return.

How Engagements Run

Scoped to a decision, not to a retainer.

Begin with a conversation

Each engagement opens with a working conversation with the organization's leadership: what it operates today, where financial pressure is coming from, and what the board is prepared to consider. The purpose is to establish where the organization stands and where it could go.

Complete the analysis

Assets, markets, financial modeling, structure, and risk, scoped to the entry point that fits the organization. Working assumptions are shared with staff and board throughout so they can be examined and challenged.

Deliver a recommendation

A documented recommendation supported by the underlying analysis, the structure required for execution, and a clear statement of the conditions under which the organization should decline to proceed.

Uncertain which entry point applies?

That is what the first conversation is for. We will work through what your organization holds, what capital is available, and which of the three is realistic.

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