Strategies Nonprofit Leaders Are Using in This Economy September 3, 2009

What is your organization doing to survive the economic downturn?  With the demand for services up and many funding sources down, it can be a huge challenge to make good decisions to solve the serious short-term issues without sacrificing mid and long-term opportunity. 

The National Council of Nonprofits has been publishing a series of special reports throughout this current economic crisis, and their very interesting August report moves the conversation from "How is the economy affecting nonprofits?" to "What specific steps have nonprofits taken to address the sudden shortfall of resources in the face of heightened demand for their services?"  You can download the full report here. 

One of the things we have observed and that is affirmed in this report: Many nonprofits are responding to the current situation by increasing their efforts to attract and cultivate individual donors and to intensify overall marketing and fundraising efforts. 

Finally, the report concludes that these times call for strong, inspired leadership - focusing your internal and external communities on your mission, being prepared for change, planning for contingencies, and "affirmatively stepping forward to forge connections with others."