3 Ways to Accomplish More With Less at Your Nonprofit

This one goes out to the scrappy fighters and underdogs — the smaller organizations without philanthropic support. How do you make more with less, maximize your resources and minimize expenditures?

Do rising labor and materials costs sound familiar? If you’re a leader of a small organization, it may seem overwhelming if there is barely enough time to fulfill your mission now. However, there are ways your organization can push forward and grow regardless of economic pressures.

Regardless of mission, going back to fundamentals helps. Take a new look at both sides of your balance sheet, revenue and expenditures. Evaluate where there is room to grow or get leaner. Here are a few concepts and approaches — tried-and-true with an added twist of globalization — along with some perspectives from nonprofit leaders in the trenches.

1. Partner With Other Nonprofits, Local Businesses, Universities and Community Organizations

Build stronger relationships with volunteers, board members and supportive organizations. Connect with experts who can help you identify potential partners and build relationships. Set a dedicated time to develop and nurture relationships to create a strong network of supporters who can help you achieve your goals.

Partnerships have been a game changer for Cheryl Walker, director of Young Elites of the Eastern Shore West to East Coast Aviation Network, an aviation, aeronautics and aerospace technology nonprofit that helps young people of all ethnicities and diverse backgrounds become emergent leaders in Maryland. 

The industry is not low-cost, yet Walker is in her fifth year without traditional institutional philanthropic funding other than community foundation support. She credits the organization’s accomplishments largely to a dedicated team of volunteers and partner institutions, including the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 

“Partnering with persons in the aviation industry made it easy to ask for support,” she said. “Many aviation professionals — from engineers, technicians and pilots, to regulatory authorities — have helped with the building process.” 

2. Eliminate Duplicate Efforts and Overlapping Services

Saving on IT costs is an area worth noting when it comes to having overlapping services. 

“We only acquire software for specific times,” Sam Williams, founder of Text4Help, said. “We work hard to keep track of our licensing and agreements to avoid unnecessary expenses.” 

Sam also saves on physical infrastructure by virtualizing hardware, instead of investing. This allows Text4Help to eliminate capital expenditure for IT equipment and reduce hardware costs.

“We've been able to leverage virtual machines and cloud-based infrastructure,” he said. 

3. Acquire Outside Expertise Through Fractional Hiring and Artificial Intelligence

It’s essential to address shortages by maximizing existing resources. Today, you can connect with top talent from anywhere globally, regardless of location. This is especially valuable for nonprofits that need specialized expertise for specific projects or tasks. Hiring professionals for a specific project allows you to scale up or down your resources, depending on your organization's needs.

Pam Minor, executive director of the Southern Maryland Minority Chamber of Commerce, has also led without abundant outside funding and reduced labor costs through technology, like artificial intelligence (AI).

“Yes, we’ve adopted AI to save time on mundane tasks,” she said. “It cuts down on human resources we used to allocate towards tasks, and freed up staff and volunteer time for higher executive level work. We outsource tasks that do not make sense to have in-house. Fractional hiring is a way to access high skill levels while leveraging the exchange rate.” 

It is not easy for nonprofits to weather the ups and downs of the economic market, yet it is possible. The benefit of making operations work on grit and perseverance during changing market conditions is that every gain is hard-earned and learned. The organizational grit and capacity built from hard effort and continued commitment build an organization’s character — in a way that’s no different than building an individual's character.

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.