Case Study: Overflow Coffee Bar pays off debt and expands community impact with NationBuilder

Overflow Coffee Bar energizes Chicago leaders

Overflow Coffee Bar, founded by Brandon and Amanda Neely, is a welcoming Chicago café selling fair‑trade, environmentally friendly coffee and built around a mission to inspire a local community of changemakers. Like many small businesses, Overflow faced significant startup costs and debt as it established its footprint, and turned to NationBuilder to help fundraise and grow its community.

Using NationBuilder’s campaign platform, Overflow launched a fundraising effort that raised close to $30,000, allowing the Neelys to pay off business debt by the end of 2016 and move the venture into the black. With NationBuilder’s support they expanded their impact—creating Overflow Your Possibility, a coaching service for entrepreneurs operating from the café (with online courses planned)—a clear, measurable outcome of the campaign’s success.

Overflow Coffee Bar

Brandon Neely

Founder