7 Ways To Revitalize Your Non-Profit (Even In A Recession)

What should non-profits do during periods of economic worries? The same thing that Mark Phelps did when he broke his wrist in 2007: Focus on the basics.

For weeks after his surgery, Phelps focused on his legs, kicking in the pool with a kickboard. This hyper-focus on leg strength allowed him to win eight gold medals this this year.

In a down economy, non-profits need to get back in the pool and bolster up their business foundations. That way, they’ll create meaning around current struggles AND create the foundation for a sustainable business. There are at least seven ways towards revitalization:

1. Partnerships

Strategic partnerships with other non-profits is a great way find new donors AND build a more sustainable business. In Chicago, nine United Way agencies partnered to share back-office resources.

• Keep the partnership simple and mutually beneficial.
• Only choose to work with non-profits that you’d be proud to expose your current donors to. This way, the partnership enhances your brand.
• The best way to ensure that a partnership gets off to a strong start is to approach a potential partner with a complete idea in mind - one that’s easy for them to implement. This way, you both get to “test out” a partnership in a way that adds immediate value for both.

2. Reactivate past donors

How many non-profits don’t bother to communicate with current donors unless they send in a check? By the time these donors decide that someone else appreciates their support more, it’s too late.

• Reach out to lapsed donors and promise to never ignore them again, along with an attractive offer to come back.
• Keep in mind, the ROE (return on your effort) is very high with these folks because they already proven two things:

1. They love your non-profit
2. They will give money

3. Get out of the office

Building personal relationships will always be the most effective way build your non-profit - regardless of the economy. Forget e-mail and phone calls - I’m talking about getting your body in front of other bodies.

• Schedule yourself for several conferences every year.
• Go to local events where you can make connections with potential partners and donors.
• Get in your car or on your bike and meet people. The more you develop relationships, the better the chances are for your non-profit to thrive!

4. Be a Speaker

Sharing your expertise in an educational setting enables people to trust your non-profit. This also creates visibility. Check local libraries, universities, newspapers and associations for speaking opportunities.

• Who is speaking and where? What topics are being covered? Do you have a friend who knows these people?
• Get two or three of your corporate sponsors together to discuss the business value of supporting your non-profit, best practices in their marketing efforts, what’s working in a down economy - be a conduit for business change!

“Too often, non-profits spend 80% of their resources figuring out how to raise money so they can survive for another 3 months.”

5. Refresh your sponsor offerings

Find simple ways to relaunch yourself, your people, your services, your packaging. This will refresh interest in what you’re doing - but you’ve got to do it all the way.

• Have each employee post to your non-profit’s blog about something personal that’s important to them - it doesn’t even have to do with your cause. Zappos has a ton of employees on Twitter. And the CEO even tweets about his cat!
• Turn something conventional on it’s head. If you’re known for your blue logo, make it orange. If your executive director is your talking head in videos, create videos with their kids speaking instead.
• Finish this sentence: People in our city always expect us to ________. Then do the opposite. This is what Apple does with all of their new products.

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6. Remove your constraint

Every organization has - at any given point in time - at least one constraint which limits the entire organization’s performance relative to its goal. Look for this constraint and have all of your resources aligned with the goal of removing it. When Save The Children Realized that donors want a personal connection with the children they support, their results sky-rocketed.

• Too often, non-profits spend 80% of their resources figuring out how to raise money so they can survive for another 3 months. However, money is not the real constraint.
• The real constraint is the attitudes, words and actions (or lack of action) that keep them in a chronic state of financial desperation.

7. Exercise courage

Many times, non-profit folks have brilliantly creative ideas that will radically change their future. In almost every case, your idea will offend the status quo folks, lose their support, and maybe even get them angry. But do it anyhow - status quo will not get you results.

• A Buddhist sutra states: “If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present.” If very different results are desired than very different actions are required.
• I have a refrigerator magnet that states:

If you can only remember one of these points, just remember the magnet.

If you liked this, you should read these:

Taking Your Taglines Personally
Seth Godin On Creating A Non-Profit That’s Remarkable
Social Media In Plain Ice Cream
The “Rules of The Road” For Non-Profit Social Media

Related posts:

1. Why Your Non-Profit Needs A Blog: An interview with Chris Garrett