You didn't set out to be a leader.
You set out to make a difference.
These are the playbooks for the accidental founder, the unexpected leader, and the mission-driven professional who learns by doing.
The Accidental Nonprofiteer
From a teenager learning customer service at a small-town pharmacy to building systems that serve thousands of cancer survivors, Kenny Kane's journey reveals the unexpected path many nonprofit leaders actually take. This isn't a story about business school strategies or theoretical frameworks; it's a practical guide from someone who learned by doing, failed often, and discovered what actually works when you're trying to build something that matters.
Building Systems That Serve Your Mission (Not the Other Way Around)
Who This Book Is For:
Accidental founders who started organizations out of personal experience or community need
Small nonprofit staff wearing multiple hats and trying to professionalize their operations
Volunteer leaders managing programs, chapters, or initiatives for larger organizations
Mission-driven professionals who want to build more effective, sustainable organizations
Anyone who believes that the people closest to problems are often closest to solutions
If The Accidental Nonprofiteer explores how leadership emerges through circumstance, Mission-Driven Ecommerce shows how those lessons come to life in the digital economy, where every click, system, and sale reinforces your mission.
Mission-Driven Ecommerce
What Building a Store Taught Me About Systems, Community, and Becoming an Operator
At twenty-five, Kenny Kane turned a single $20 t-shirt into a six-figure ecommerce operation that funded programs, sparked conversations across the country, and redefined what a nonprofit could build. Mission-Driven Ecommerce is the story of how he did it—and the framework for anyone who wants to create sustainable, human-centered commerce.
Through real-world lessons from his years running the Stupid Cancer store, Kane shows how to design systems that multiply your effectiveness, connect deeply with your audience, and build something that lasts. Along the way, he reveals how to turn customers into community, automate without losing authenticity, and translate operational discipline into lasting impact.
You’ll learn how to:
Build ecommerce systems that scale without burning out
Automate routine work so you can focus on creative and strategic growth
Turn transactions into relationships and customers into advocates
Create a brand people are proud to represent
Future-proof your operation by documenting and delegating effectively
About Kenny Kane
Kenny stumbled into nonprofit leadership in 2010 as an intern who just needed college credit. Over the next decade, he helped build the systems and infrastructure that grew I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation (later Stupid Cancer) from a founder's personal contact list into a thriving community serving thousands of young adults facing cancer.
He learned customer service at a small-town pharmacy, discovered the hard way that most email marketing advice doesn't work for mission-driven organizations, and figured out how to build technology that serves people rather than processes.
Kenny now lives in Austin, Texas, where he continues to help organizations build systems that scale with their mission rather than despite it.