Recession reactions are good practices year-round!

Grandmother taught me how to ‘stretch’ my resources – whether it was reusing a teabag or saving my allowance, her resourceful outlook taught me the value of CONSISTENTLY practicing habits that prepared for future rainy days. Just like the ant who works diligently year round and stores up for the winter, nonprofits can make performance improvements even when facing challenging economic times. 

Here are a few suggestions to consider now AND later:

1. Don’t Fake It.   Many staff and board members prefer to stick their heads in the sand instead of have honest discussions about finance and program sustainability.  Now more than ever, organizations need to enlist the support of their boards and funders and engage in the ‘courageous conversations’ necessary to make responsible decisions.

2. Say WHAT?!   Having a communication plan is helpful in sharing your mission in GOOD times.  So providing your board and advocates with talking points about how wonderful you are and the impact you’re making in your community is even more important to help spread your message when donors are really forced to pick and choose.

3. Play Nice With Others.  A recent study by Bridgespan found that twenty-two percent of the more successful nonprofits working through the recession were likely to collaborate with other organizations.  Identify genuine allies and seek the win-win-win scenarios that can strengthen your combined efforts.

4. Plan Your Work.  The Strategic Plan is your framework to success. Period. Point Blank.  Without this roadmap, you’re likely to end up who knows where… and usually not some place positive.  As challenging as it is to consider focusing energy on such a cerebral process when things are tight, some of the best survival strategies emerge when groups just take a few minutes to ASSESS their realities and THINK through their actions.

5. Forget about the Money.  Although that’s probably what you THINK you need most to keep your doors open, focusing solely on money is usually what gets most of the folks we work with in trouble to begin with…and you know what they say about doing more of the same and expecting a different outcome (I’m just sayin’).

Remember, the manner in which your nonprofit chooses to  respond to economic changes today will have consequences that resonate far beyond the bottom line for your organization tomorrow.  Let’s learn to embrace best practices and become high-performing organizations year-round.

Be well - Anita