We the People

During a recent visit to the Texas State Capitol by was struck by streams of people passing in the halls on their way seemingly to gain a brief visit with their to particular state representative.

I assumed that most people were there to do what I and my Goodwill colleagues were there to do -- advocate for the programs and services used by the people we serve in our organization. Everyone was hoping for a positive visit in which they might have their idea or opinion validated or get an affirmative response to signing onto a bill that would benefit their cause.

In between the nine visits that my group had, I thought about the tough decisions that legislators have to make and the amount of research and diligence that it takes to attempt to make the right decision. It's no different for nonprofit leaders.

There are many hard decisions that we must make on a regular basis and this year it doesn't look like it's going to be any easier. Reductions in funding, threats of being non-compliant with an executive order, and the rising costs of running an operation are staring each of us in the face. The question is what do you do?

Do you begin cutting expenses now by discontinuing programs and services? Do you reorganize and potentially cut or lose staff? Do you fight to maintain your level of commitment despite executive orders that might be to the contrary or your services or core values? Or, do you bury your head in the sand and do nothing?

There's no one right answer. However, my advice is to peel back the layers and do a deep dive on your structure, your expenses, your services, and your staff. Most of all do a deep dive on your WHY.

Ask yourself why did you commit to working in the nonprofit field? If your heart is still in it, then you'll find the answers that work best for your organization. The answer might be to merge with another organization to increase impact while reducing expenses. The answer might be to invest in strategies that enable you to diversify your income and build sustainability in your nonprofit by creating a B2B (business to business) arm such as a product line of some sort.

Explore every idea as a possible option before tossing it out. Look for the low-hanging fruit and then build upon it. Engage your staff and Board to work through the particulars and press forward with confidence that despite the challenges, you will succeed.

The world needs nonprofits just as much today as they ever did. Nonprofits feed the hungry, protect children, support families, care for the poor, create jobs and much, much more. We have to stick it out, support one another and do what we can for our constituents.