You may be running a struggling non-profit that is having difficulty keeping up with costs, but you are not keen on punishing your employees with layoffs and lower salaries. So, what else will you be able to do to keep your organization stable? First, you must increase the number of operating funds that you are working with. Here are a few intelligent methods for doing just that without cutting corners:
Ask Trusted Board Members for Assistance
Many times, a board member is a person that is already heavily invested in your foundation. This person is either personally affected by your cause or someone who greatly believes in what your non-profit stands for. As such, these folks are probably willing to do whatever they can to help. These fine people are typically pillars of their communities, so if they are unable to step in, they may have contacts who are willing.
Look Through your Portfolio
A non-profit may have investments or other assets that are sitting idle and generating little to no revenue for the organization. This usually includes collections, donated estate items and real property, and other holdings that are not bringing in an income. Selling these non-marketable items should bring your foundation more cash flow to keep afloat.
Weed Out Some Programs
Think about your original mission statement and what your non-profit set out to do. Are there any programs that you are currently operating that are not a crucial part of your foundation’s intentions? Are these programs straining human and financial resources? Perhaps it is time to decide if these projects are critical to your overall mission or if they can be eliminated in order to fund more important programs and pay additional staff members.
While it may be difficult to disappoint clients that depend on these solutions, you can do right by them by redirecting them to similar programs that other non-profits are offering.
In conclusion, these ideas are not going to stop your organization from losing money, but they will free up enough resources to ensure that you have adequate cash flow. This should keep your organization going when times get a bit tough.
Robert Davis 