A Blast From the Past: It's OK to Be a Small Shop (December 2012)

By Sandy Rees

FundRaising Success published its first issue in November 2003, which makes this our 10-year anniversary year. To celebrate, we'll be taking a look back at past issues throughout the year.

If you work for a small nonprofit, you know there are lots of challenges. You have to manage your time and priorities, surround yourself with support, and go after the opportunities that give you the most return for your investment of time and money. But one of the biggest challenges to working in a small nonprofit you may not even notice, yet it can be a huge stumbling block to your organization's growth.

Way too many folks who work in the nonprofit world limit themselves with how they look at their organizations. They see them as little. Stop for a minute and think about what that means. If I believe my organization is little, I see it as not having the resources it needs or the opportunities it deserves. Subsequently, I may believe that everything is hard because of that. I may start evaluating things from the standpoint of what's appropriate for a little nonprofit, and I may miss opportunities that could propel the organization forward.