Is your non-profit ready for a bigger social impact in 2021?
According to the World Health Organization, as of 25th of December 2020, the total number of confirmed deaths from 22 countries of the world stands at 1,736,752 with 78,194,947 confirmed Covid-19 cases. International travel bans in march 2020 dampened viral spread and resulted in overnight global economic crises. As countries ease travel bans and social distancing restrictions, viral resurgences rose. The world is in its second wave of Covid-19 with a fortunately reduced case fatality ratio.
Moreover, the recent discovery of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from different areas might also mean, the pandemic will still be around for a while. The development and approval of vaccines can only reduce the cases for Covid-19 and not the new variant.
In 2021, the second wave of the pandemic will affect every organization differently. Whether because of location, size, programs, or mission. Some organizations are large and well-established, while others may be smaller, newer, or not as well funded. Many will manage to change budgets, retain and support staff. Some will discover new methods of program delivery. Demand for services and funds, maybe disappearing for some, while others may find the need in their communities growing exponentially. For nonprofits, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated many existing challenges, including identifying sources of funds, using technology to improve operations, and effectively advocating for their missions.
Source of Funds
Nonprofit organizations rely on earned income, government funding, charitable donations, and investment income to support numerous programs and services for the public good. During this crisis, some nonprofits will become even more critical to provide for those in need, but the funding streams to support activities may be even more stressed. Nonprofits will need to diversify sources of generating revenues. Grants, corporate sponsors, fundraisers, in-kind donations, individual donors, and program income can potentially fuel diverse revenue streams. Charitable contributions from large foundations, corporations, and individual givers will also increase, with some added flexibility. But this may not be a viable source for many smaller or community-based organizations. Tracking funds and managing budgets will come in handy for any nonprofit that wants to achieve financial goals.
Technology for Support
The new future of work for social impact organizations is to operate remotely. A survey carried out and recorded by Forbes shows, majority of nonprofits (69%) indicated that they might accommodate working from home for all staff; a similar majority (69%) said they are now contemplating remote work even after the coronavirus crisis passes.
The study also distinguished direct service and non-direct service nonprofits. 60% of direct service and 88% of non-direct service organizations can accommodate remote work for all staff, while 67% of direct service organizations and 71% of non-direct service. Organizations are considering remote work as a long-term option.
Remote work for Nonprofits means investing in Cloud CRM/SaaS services that can offer cloud-based management services. It does not have to cost a fortune. Quantibly is a SaaS that offers cloud-based data management services. It is a scalable solution for the global sector with a flexible pricing model for organizations. It combines a logical model based on the theory of change to measure social impact. You can try their 30-day free trial. Making a shift to SaaS applications that offer Cloud database management service will be a decision any nonprofit will make to stay both current and competitive in this new normal. A cloud-based CRM will also allow all team members to access information in real-time from anywhere. It makes team collaboration easy and works faster. It offers security and saves time.
As the world faces the challenges of the second wave, it becomes necessary that we begin to understand the “new normal” of attempting to go about our daily lives during a pandemic, while nonprofits have a critical role to play in educating and supporting their members as well as the public. The need to adopt new strategies and make a necessary decision towards achieving maximum impact at this crucial time is needful. A nonprofit that is ready in 2021 will diversify the sources of funds and use technology to evolve and adapt to the present global challenges.
