US Non-profits: Your Cause is Killing Them!

T he world is in desperate need of US non-profits now more than ever, and the communities that you are working with have become more demanding as a result of our current reality.

There is so much work and so little manpower. Your end-of-year fundraiser was canceled. Your staff and volunteers are being pushed too far. Much is still locked down, literally and figuratively.

For example, your team is out in the field, doing great work. However, they each send their reports back to you in their own "special" way. How do you collate this information and report back to the stakeholders?

How do you run events and keep your network and donors happy?

Sure, you could purchase technology to ease this burden, but how do you justify the expenditure when you can barely afford to pay salaries, never mind paying them what they SHOULD be paid?

I feel your pain. I myself have been "that burned-out staff member."

Since 2011, I have volunteered in Russia, Mozambique, the UK, South Africa, and the US. I decided to become Salesforce certified for one reason: to help non-profits.

Someone needs to help the helpers.

A little-known fact is that Salesforce offers 10 free licenses to non-profits. This can be a huge benefit ...until implementation and management of Salesforce kick in.

Funding is always an issue (and always will be). I can't solve your funding problems, but I can show you how to do better and create more targeted events. I can help with Virtual Administration, Case Resolution, and User Training. I can help your team perform better and focus on what they should be doing, and love doing rather than the dreadful time-consuming admin.

Here are five quick ways you may be able to improve your current situation, which I’ll unpack later in a series of short emails:

1. Your staff are hurting. You need to admit that
   
   

   Non-profits were created to take care of people. But what about the people running the non-profits?

   When your reserves are depleted you have much less to give.

   Burnout is not a badge of honor, it’s a barrier to the excellency we’re all striving for.

2. Virtual events are new for non-profits
   
   

   Historically, fundraising was done peer-to-peer but now it’s gone online and requires tech-savvy and detailed project management. Event management, marketing the event, tracking donations from the event, attendance, and using that database is difficult.

   Basically insurmountable without some kind of system in place.

3. Poor data quality leading to donor fatigue and inefficient admin
   
   
   Your team uses their own "special" ways and old school paper-based (or worse, Excel) systems that result in inaccurate and badly organized information.
   
   They get frustrated with constant, duplicate emails asking for donations.
   
   How do you report back to stakeholders and get more funding without proper data management tools?

4. Social media, marketing, and networking
   
   
   Social media and marketing have become so complex and specialized that to be taken seriously it’s no longer acceptable to have a barebones social media presence.
   
   It’s almost impossible to increase the size of your circle and influence without the appropriate online presence.

5. You don’t have to do all of this on your own
   
   
   There are systems, processes, and solutions available to free you and the rest of your organization up enough to get back to the heart of your mission.

Let’s have a conversation about getting your non-profit back to focusing on what’s important while we take care of the details holding you back.