Nonprofits look cute on Instagram. They are not cute behind the scenes.

In this 12 Days of Giving episode, I sit down again with Sara Weldon — founder of Cash’s Crew Rescue and the woman who went from hobby farm to 100 donkeys, a full farm, and a nonprofit that costs hundreds of dollars a day just to keep breathing. We’re not talking theory. We’re talking blood, sweat, vet bills, board drama, and the emotional toll of asking for money over and over again.

We walk through:

– The wild birth story that changed everything and turned one baby donkey into a rescue movement

– Why forming a real nonprofit is way more than “filing some papers”

– How board turnover, people issues, and compliance can break founders

– What a “normal” day looks like when 100+ animals and a 501(c)(3) depend on you

– Why most nonprofits quietly fail — and how we’re trying to keep CCR sustainable instead of stuck in permanent begging mode

If you donate to nonprofits, work for one, or dream of starting your own, this episode will either wake you up, save you a lot of pain, or both.

Chapters (timestamps):

00:00 Why nonprofits aren’t cute: the real cost of “doing good”
00:58 Cash’s birth story: the donkey that changed everything
03:46 America’s dirty secret: donkey abuse and the slaughter pipeline
05:49 Selling everything and moving to Tennessee to build a rescue
08:32 How hard it really is to start a 501(c)(3) the right way
11:21 A day in the life with 100 donkeys and a full farm
17:28 Why most nonprofits fail: burnout, bad boards, and no plan
19:56 $6 a day per donkey: building a sustainable nonprofit model
21:43 The emotional toll and why Sara still says she’d do it again
23:17 Before you donate or start a nonprofit, ask these questions