In the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, LUSH Valley Food Action Society is reshaping how people access food, support local farmers, and build a more resilient food system. At the centre of this work is Executive Director Maurita Prato, whose leadership journey reflects a broader shift toward new approaches to revenue, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.
“I came into this work from an environmental perspective,” Maurita says. “I was doing a lot of environmental activism, but I was burning out. Moving into the food system felt like a place where I could be sustained in the work and continue building creative, solutions-focused approaches.”
Learning: A different approach to nonprofit leadership
In 2016, Maurita was Executive Director at LifeCycles Society, with bold aspirations but still developing the skills to navigate financial complexity and organizational decision-making.
That year, the LifeCycles team participated in the Thriving Non-Profits cohort program, introducing Maurita to new ways of thinking about nonprofit leadership and financial sustainability.
One idea stayed with her: “Risk and reward,” she remembers. “The importance of taking calculated risks to achieve what you want.”
It marked an early shift from leading with passion alone to thinking strategically about how organizations sustain and grow their impact.
A new chapter at LUSH Valley
When Maurita joined LUSH Valley Food Action Society as Executive Director in 2017, the organization had strong community roots but limited resources and only one year-round staff member.
“We didn’t even have a space,” she says. “I was working out of my bedroom.”
Maurita focused on rebuilding partnerships, working with farmers and volunteers, and strengthening the internal team. This combination of relationship-building and systems-change thinking became a foundation for growth.
Activate: Turning learning into action
As LUSH Valley expanded, Maurita began looking for ways to strengthen its financial model and reduce reliance on grants.
She engaged the Thriving Non-Profits coaching and consulting team to help activate revenue-generating ideas developed through learning, including catering and a social enterprise food truck.
Together, they explored organizational structure, financial viability, capacity, mission alignment, and whether new opportunities made sense for LUSH Valley.
“It wasn’t just about launching something new,” Maurita says. “It was about making sure it made sense.”
The work helped LUSH Valley move from exploring ideas to building systems capable of generating sustainable, unrestricted revenue.
“When I came into LUSH Valley, about 80% of our revenue was from grants; that’s a tough place to be. However, in 2026, we are down to 24% grant-funded, with over ten times overall budget expansion,” she explains.
That strategic lens also shaped new opportunities. When LUSH Valley had the chance to operate a cafeteria at a local college, the team saw both a revenue opportunity and a way to advance its mission by providing affordable, high-quality food to students.
Investment: Unlocking growth through access to capital
As LUSH Valley grew, so did its infrastructure needs.
After purchasing the lower level of its headquarters in 2022, the organization transformed the space into a warehouse, office, and commercial kitchen. Growing programs soon created demand for even more space. When the opportunity arose to purchase the upper floor, the decision had to be made quickly.
“We knew that owning the whole building would unlock everything,” Maurita says.
With support from the Thrive Impact Fund, LUSH Valley secured the capital required to complete the purchase.
This values-aligned, flexible capital allowed the organization to expand its infrastructure at an important moment, adding space, equipment, and capacity that would otherwise have taken years to build.
Expanding what’s possible
The investment has allowed LUSH Valley to increase food recovery, scale meal production, and support more community programming through expanded kitchen space, a walk-in freezer, and improved facilities.
“It’s really about the economy of scale,” Maurita explains. “We can now prepare food in larger batches, standardize across programs, and operate more efficiently.”
Today, LUSH Valley recovers thousands of kilograms of surplus food, distributes tens of thousands of meals, supports local farmers through purchasing, provides shared kitchen access to community members, and delivers many other activities.
Its financial model has changed alongside its operations.
“We’ve gone from about 80% grant funding, to now generating a significant portion of our revenue through contracts and earned income,” Maurita says.
The result is greater stability and flexibility to respond to community needs.
A new style of nonprofit leadership
Looking back, Maurita sees her journey as a blending of two worlds.
“I used to think very strongly that nonprofits shouldn’t have to think like businesses,” she reflects. “Now I see that bringing those business skills into a values-driven organization actually creates more possibilities.”
Her experience reflects a broader shift in nonprofit leadership, where mission and innovation can work together rather than being viewed as competing priorities.
Building the future of nonprofit leadership
For Maurita, the journey reflects something larger.
“This is the reality of the sector right now,” she says. “We need new tools, new ways of thinking, and new approaches to keep doing this work.”
Through learning new strategies, accessing expert support to implement them, and securing values-aligned capital, Maurita and LUSH Valley demonstrate what can happen when all three stages of the Thriving Non-Profits journey connect: learning and planning, activation through coaching and consulting, and investment to support growth.
Looking to grow your nonprofit leadership skills? Start your Thriving Non-Profits journey with our free 1-hour course and begin thinking differently about money, risk, and what’s possible.
Rob Fisher is Program Manager at Thriving Non-Profits, supporting programs that help non-profits strengthen financial resilience and grow their impact through learning, consulting, and investment.
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