Nonprofits: It’s Time to Think Like a For-Profit
The nonprofit sector has been heavily impacted in this financial crisis.
Decreasing revenue due to postponed or cancelled fundraising events, deferred donor appeals, and loss of corporate sponsors has caused nonprofits to initiate budget cutbacks and personnel layoffs that are jeopardizing their ability to operate successfully.
As a result of these cutbacks and the shelter at home orders, many nonprofit organizations have lost valuable administrative and office staff members, yet the day to day administrative work still needs to be completed. As the belt tightens, everyone from program directors to the executive directors themselves are pitching in to maintain the basic administrative functions while covering their own responsibilities within the nonprofit.
This is not unlike what we see in the for-profit arena, except that for-profits more quickly adopt cost-cutting measures that allow them to become nimble and efficient, including outsourcing many operational functions, including administrative tasks. It’s time for nonprofits to realize that the same strategies that will ultimately protect the future viability of for-profits can easily be applied to nonprofits with the same positive outcomes.
Nonprofits need to function more like businesses, and this unexpected financial downturn caused by the Covid-19 health crisis can be a catalyst for change. Nonprofits need to be just as cost efficient as for-profits and can begin by considering outsourced administrative services as a first step, and there are several advantages, both in cost containment and overall effectiveness, that support this realignment:
Contract versus Hire. As subcontractors versus employees, virtual assistants can provide nonprofits complete flexibility in the hiring process. If you don’t have a good fit, or if the project needing administrative assistance gets completed, it is easy to modify or discontinue service if budget appropriate. Conversely, most virtual assistants work on an hourly basis, so expanding and contracting contracts based on program need is easier. And, of course, there is no need to provide a benefits package for subcontractors which can be a tremendous cost saver for the personnel budget.
Short Term Versus Long Term. All of us nonprofit professionals have found ourselves knee deep in special events or fundraising campaigns where an extra set of hands may make the difference in reaching our goals. Sometimes projects or events become overwhelming for nonprofits and during those periods, it would be great to have concentrated administrative support to complete these tasks, especially when no additional training or skill development is required. Virtual assistants can “hit the ground running” on projects that need immediate attention.
Experienced in Virtual/Remote Work Environments. There is a difference between those who are forced to work from home, and those who make a commitment to remote work. Remote work comes with a totally different set of challenges and skills to master. When hiring a virtual assistant, you are not just getting someone who is working remotely, you get a remote professional who is skilled, experienced and able to handle both the challenges and opportunities remote work offers nonprofit organizations.
Immediate Availability. It is relatively easy to secure a virtual assistant. No need for extensive position descriptions, HR approvals, interviews, salary negotiations, etc. Most virtual assistants are hourly contractors and can typically begin almost immediately. If you have immediate needs, there is a virtual assistant to address them.
Bring all the skills you need. No need to worry about training. Virtual assistants come equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to work remotely with ease and can often provide your organizations with access to platforms you may not already have in place.
Now, more and more organizations are finding the expert support they need by working with a Virtual Assistant. Virtual Assistants offer nonprofit organizations a practical, cost saving solution to the loss of office staff, or the need for additional project assistance.
And, through the Nonprofit Virtual Assistant (NPVA) Service of the More Than Giving Company, you’ll not only get skilled administrative support without the costly overhead associated with conventional employees, but also a virtual assistant certified in nonprofit best practices to provide a wide range of administrative support services that can be customized to fit your nonprofit needs.
We’re offering free consultations to find out if a NPVA may be the right fit for your organization.