Phoenix (STN) – As the old saying goes, “Money isn’t everything.” Nonprofits need funding. But as organizations face growing demand and tighter resources, leaders like Arizona Financial Credit Union Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Paprocki are asking a different question: what else do nonprofits need to succeed?
“Nonprofits need money. That’s obvious,” he said. “But what we’ve found is they need so much more than that.”
Through the Arizona Financial Foundation, Paprocki and his team have worked with more than 100 small, hyperlocal nonprofits. In that time, they have seen firsthand that many organizations need access to expertise, equipment and infrastructure just as much as financial support.
“Most nonprofits were founded by someone passionate about a cause,” he said. “But they’re not necessarily an accountant or a marketer.”
That realization has led Arizona Financial to expand how it supports community partners. The organization has donated equipment, including refurbished laptops, and provided access to internal expertise to help nonprofits strengthen operations and scale their impact.
Paprocki said one of the biggest barriers to deeper corporate involvement is hesitation.
“If you don’t have the budget to write a check, you might hesitate to engage,” he said. “But there are so many other ways to help.”
That mindset led to one of the foundation’s most innovative decisions: reimagining unused office space as a resource for the nonprofit community.
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Following a shift to a hybrid workplace, Arizona Financial no longer needed all four floors of its headquarters. Instead of repurposing the space internally, leadership made the decision to dedicate an entire floor to nonprofit use.
“We said, let’s gift that space to the foundation and open it up to nonprofits at well below market rent,” Paprocki said.
The result is what the organization now calls the “Foundation Floor,” a shared space designed to help nonprofits grow while fostering collaboration and connection.
For Paprocki, the impact goes beyond any single initiative.
“It makes the work real and tangible,” he said. “You can see the partnerships and the impact every day.”
As organizations look for ways to close funding gaps and strengthen community impact, Paprocki offered a simple call to action.
“Reach out and ask what nonprofits need,” he said. “There’s probably something you can deliver.”
