In 2012, Nancy Alvarado and a group of friends built a brick oven for a family in Costa Rica that had lost its sources of income. The goal was to help the family create a new way to earn a living and begin rebuilding.
That first project grew into Bricks to Bread International, a nonprofit motivated to empowering women in rural Latin America to overcome poverty by building artisanal bakeries and fostering entrepreneurial leaders to sustain families and communities.
Finding Help at the Right Time
As Bricks to Bread expanded to more women and communities, their needs changed. The organization needed help with technology and strategic planning, but bringing in outside specialists wasn't always realistic for a small nonprofit.
A HandsOn Twin Cities (HOTC) nonprofit member since 2021, Alvarado learned about Connected for Change (CFC), an annual event series offered through HOTC’s Pro Bono Advisory Program, which connects nonprofits with skilled volunteers who can help tackle organizational challenges by designing solutions to their needs.
Since 2023, Bricks to Bread has taken part in three CFC engagements.
“Every single one has been beneficial for us. That’s why we keep coming back.”
Their first CFC project helped Bricks to Bread update its website, and volunteers helped the team develop standards it could continue using after the day ended. For a small organization, that kind of support makes a difference. Bricks to Bread has to make careful decisions about where its resources go, and its priority is the women it serves.
“We choose that our website is not our number one priority. Our investments and our finances are going towards the women we serve,” she said.
In 2025, Bricks to Bread approached CFC with a new challenge: a strategic planning framework. Bricks to Bread was in the fifth year of its five-year strategic plan (2021-2025), and since its first strategic plan, the organization had grown, and Alvarado wanted a more thorough process for deciding what should come next.
During the 2025 Connected for Change: Finance, HR, and Strategy Day, volunteers helped the organization think through how to approach its next round of planning. That included identifying which stakeholders to involve, what questions to ask, and how to communicate with people before and after the process.
The project with volunteers helped shape the work that followed. In January 2026, Bricks to Bread brought its U.S. and Costa Rican board members together for a strategic planning retreat for the first time.
Having both groups at the table gave the organization a broader range of perspectives as it worked on its new five-year plan. The volunteers had helped Alvarado and her team prepare and confidently lead the process themselves!
“We don’t just build an oven and leave. We’re on the journey with them!”
Growing Without Losing What Matters
Bricks to Bread's new strategic plan looks at ways to expand its programming, reach more women, and potentially work in additional Latin American countries. But growth has to make sense for the organization and the people it supports.
Bricks to Bread works with women entrepreneurs for at least three years, and some relationships continue much longer. The organization wants to help women build sustainable businesses, with benefits that reach beyond the business itself.
When a woman can earn a reliable income, the effects will reach her family and the wider community. That is why Bricks to Bread places so much importance on ongoing support rather than simply providing an oven and moving on.
“We’ve had some women who’ve had to walk miles and even rent it (ovens). And to be able to provide them that opportunity that they can not only do it in their own facility… they’re bringing in other community members to work alongside them and allowing for more job opportunities within their own community. It really is a trickle effect.”
An Evolving Partnership
For Bricks to Bread, the value of CFC goes beyond getting help with a particular challenge. The organization has gained processes, tools, and resources that they can continue relying on after each engagement ends.
That matters to a small nonprofit whose resources are limited and whose work depends on building something sustainable, both for the organization and for the entrepreneurs it supports. As Bricks to Bread looks toward its next five years, Alvarado plans to keep growing carefully and stay focused on the women and families at the heart of its mission.
“We will still continue to utilize the resources that HOTC has in bringing in that expertise and support that we so often need,” she said.
The first oven in Costa Rica helped one family find a new source of income. Today, Bricks to Bread is supporting more than 100 women as they work toward greater financial security and a stronger community. Along the way, they’ve learned when to seek outside expertise to help their own work move forward. To learn more about Bricks to Bread, check out their website and follow their journey on social media (Facebook, Instagram).
HOTC’ annual CFC event series connects nonprofits with skilled volunteers who share their expertise with local nonprofits to tackle real-world challenges like human resources, finance, marketing, and technology.
To learn more about CFC and how your organization can benefit from other pro bono support, contact Joy Altmann, Managing Director, Pro Bono Advisory Program at joy@handsontwincities.org.