Dear First name / community member,
We are asked frequently if we're hearing or seeing organizations close, if we're still doing searches, and whether nonprofits will survive the latest threat. The answer to all of these questions is: YES.
We are continuing to hear every day from nonprofits making difficult decisions to layoff staff, close, reorganize, merge, etc. Nonprofits are a business–with a charitable designation–but a business. And the realities of payroll, supplies, rent, operational expenses hit them just like they do other businesses. And if donors are your main source of revenue and they decrease their giving–then the revenue pinch squeezes the other side of the balance sheet as well. So yes, nonprofits are having serious conversations, boards are assessing options and strain on programming is becoming more and more real every day.
Yes, we are still doing searches. For organizations that are continuing to move forward, organizations that have staff that are retiring or changing jobs, and organizations taking on additional programming from other organizations. Staff are still needed and reliable services are still needed. That's us.
And yes, the sector will survive. Maybe looking a little different, approaching the work differently, relying on different sources of revenue or partnering differently, but the sector will survivor.
When we work with an organization, we generally start with the board, move to staff and return to the board. We're looking for alignment, transparency, understanding of the mission and how it is achieved, matched expectations, and realism. We don't often find all of these components in a single organization, and that's why having a search firm on your side can be useful. We ask questions, we write up reports and then we explain the findings, answer questions and come up with alternatives. And then we don't leave when the search is complete. With facilitated cohorts and check-ins, we stick around.
You've seen us talk about
internal promotions instead of an external hire, we keep bringing up shared programming, network partnerships, mergers as options–not threats. And
interims and fractional staff as a way to gain expertise without bringing a new employee into an organization unsure of its next step. We're learning and exploring options that work for nonprofits–and a lot of different approaches are needed.
If you aren't sure what the next step is–give us a call. Conversations are free, brainstorming is free, just having someone to talk with is free. Let's not give up yet.
Schedule a free consultation.
