Rising Needs, Shrinking Resources: Preparing Nonprofits for What’s Ahead

Every other Wednesday I listen to the TN Justice Center share updates on Medicaid, Marketplace, SNAP, and other health and nutrition cuts. The clarity and candor are sobering.

Nonprofits, especially in the direct service space, are likely to see population needs expand while funding availability decreases. This is the environment nonprofits may have to navigate: rising need, shrinking resources.

How can nonprofits prepare to weather this potential onslaught?

1) Mission and crisis planning.
Review your mission objectively and honestly. Are there areas where the vision can be refined? A way to more efficiently and effectively deliver services? Thinking through these questions today will help an organization be better prepared in times of challenge.

If your organization does not have a crisis or worst-case scenario plan, now is the time to create one. Stakeholders must be aware of and support any emergency measures that may be required for survival. These decisions and sign-offs are best made before the organization is on life support.

2) Communications.
Communicating plans with all of your stakeholders prior to challenging events allows resources and focus to remain on service delivery and continuation. While things are still relatively stable, share your thoughts on the future and specify the “asks” you may need from stakeholders. What are you going to need from each in order to secure the continued success of the organization? Whether it is volunteers or donors, determine what you need from them and let them know in advance. That way, when the time comes, they are both aware and prepared to deliver.

3) Creative approaches.
Consider a fractional role. It will allow for additional capacity as well as access to high-performing talent. Fractional employees are different from temporary staff: while a temp usually fills a short-term gap for specific tasks, a fractional professional brings long-term, part-time expertise in areas such as finance, IT, or marketing.

This option can be especially valuable when you need strategic leadership but cannot justify a full-time hire. Because these roles are structured as contracts, they end naturally, making them more flexible and less painful than staff layoffs or hour reductions.

Closing thought
Of course, there is no way to KNOW exactly how things will proceed but developing an action plan before “things” play out is a solid option to ensure a successful path through whatever challenges are ahead.

At Policy Comms, we work with nonprofits to strengthen mission alignment, communications, and creative approaches to capacity. Learn more about our services