Four Ways non-profits hinder their mission

“How do we change a culture that is so self-serving into one that wants to care about others?”

I was recently speaking with a friend of mine who is a pastor and we were examining some of the challenges they face on a regular basis.?This question in particular hit me hard because we certainly do live in a culture where we all believe we are the center of the universe.?

I want to say that humans are selfish creatures, but here you are, the leader of a non-profit organization, trying to learn how to make your organization more effective at solving a problem with our society.?Isn’t that a massive selfless act??Like you, there are hundreds of thousands of people that have chosen to forego profit so they can leave the world better than they found it.

Look, I don’t know how to fundamentally transform a culture, but I do know some things that you can either stop doing or start doing right now that will increase the effectiveness of your organization and put more money into your cause.

Here is a list in no particular order of 4 mistakes I’ve seen and want you to avoid:

1. Poor Marketing

I want to tell you that marketing isn’t important.?I want to tell you that the world will recognize the need for your organization just like you have, but what I want and what is real are two different things.?You HAVE to market your organization, and you have to do it well.

We’ve already established that we are living in a selfish society, so you’re out there competing for dollars against all the selfish needs and wants of individual’s money.?In order to say yes to you, they must say no to themselves, and that is a TALL order.

I once had a guest on my podcast that was in the space industry and we were talking about the importance of getting humans to Mars.?One of the things he mentioned was that we actually have an innate capacity for empathy and when a human does something, we are able to see ourselves in that act.?

Let me ask you something:

What was the name of the first man on the moon?

Good, now what was the name of the first rover on the moon??Was there even a rover before a man??Who cares!

That’s right, even though we can fly an aircraft on another planet today, we really won’t be impressed until a person walks in that red dirt.

The same holds true for your organization!

I used to volunteer for the United Way and the President of our local chapter was a terrible presenter.?Despite the advice I tried to give, this person simply would not listen.?I would stand in the crowd and watch people drift away to sleep as our president recited statistics about where the money in the organization was going.

People don’t care about numbers.?They just don’t.??They care about people.

I can tell you that a local church has a free Christmas store for families that cannot afford it and last year over 100 families were able to get gifts under the tree.?By the time you get to the end of this article, you will have forgotten it.?

Now instead I tell you the back story about one of the single moms that showed up, how they watched her kids, and that she sat in the parking lot crying and hugging the volunteers as they loaded up her car with gifts.?Even though it’s only one person, it’s a lot more impactful than the statistic.

I know the statistics are the most important part of your reporting structure, but don’t make them the center of your marketing!?Put your cause front and center and tell us a story about how you’re making an impact in people’s lives.

2.?Short Staffed- Filling roles

Ok, look, you are going to be short-staffed.?This is the nature of the beast, but understanding where to hire and what positions to hire for are critical.?I have seen organizations where the director of operations is meeting with the mayor in the morning and sweeping up and taking out the trash in the afternoon.?

This is how things are, everyone wears many hats.

That being said, you don’t need to ask someone to do a job they aren’t qualified for, or at least you shouldn’t.

Take, for example, financial reporting.?This is a highly complex issue and you want to make sure that the person handling this is highly qualified for the task.?The problem, in many cases, is that accountants or CFOs are very expensive.?You can’t afford a six figure salary on the team, so you ask for volunteers, or try and learn how to do it yourself.

There is a third option:?The Fractional [CFO/CPA/CMO/etc]

There are thousands of people out there serving organizations just like yours in a “fractional” way.?They give six-figure service at small business prices and you don’t have to offer any benefits like you would an employee.?

I remember volunteering to help out an organization one time and they asked me to be the treasurer because I had an MBA and P&L experience.?Folks, I had NEVER used quickbooks and had no idea what the regulations were for non-profit reporting.?I had absolutely no business helping in that area.?Luckily, I recognized that quickly and excused myself of those responsibilities (which kinda sucked for the director who now had to take on that role also)

If you can’t afford to hire on a highly skilled individual, finding someone who does it in a fractional manner is the way to go.?If you can’t find one, I can help, take some time on my calendar and let’s see if we can find the right person for you.

3.??Incorrect Priorities

I want you to remember that everything you say “yes” to means you’re saying “no” to something else, especially when every member of your organization has multiple roles.

Don’t allow yourself to get inundated with meetings, reports, and tasks, that take away from your core mission and the people that make that mission happen.

From now on, you’re not allowed to say “I didn’t have time,” instead you must say “I didn’t make it a priority.”

Take a moment and think about all the times you’ve used “I didn’t have time” as an excuse and now re-frame that with “I didn’t make it a priority.”

Were those really priorities??Did you place a report or a meeting a higher priority than building a relationship with a human?

How much BS are you allowing into your world that is clouding your ability to accomplish your mission??Only you know the answer to that one, but by reframing your time into priorities, it will help you determine what is necessary.

I used to work for a large fortune 100 company and was given the task of writing a report for leadership every single week.?This report took a few hours to compile all the data, make the graphs, and arrange the slides in the particular manner that they wanted.?I took time every week to gather everything, package it nicely, and send it out.?

I had the feeling that no one was really listening or paying attention to my report because I would always get questions that had been answered in the previous week’s email.?So, I stopped doing it.

The first time someone said something was about six months later when a VP asked me if I was still doing it.?I explained he was the first person to ask and no, I wasn’t.?We had a laugh about it, and he acknowledged that he didn’t read it either, but would call when he had a question.

Now how many “reports” or tasks do you have that are like that??What could you stop today, and it wouldn’t make a difference to the core mission of your organization??

The other fallout with this over-tasking is that details get missed.?Again and again, in our audits of organizations, we find dead phone lines that they are paying for, data plans that are overrun, exorbitant shipping costs because someone accidentally clicked “signature required” or “1 day shipping”.?

These little mistakes add up to thousands of dollars a year, and you either need someone highly trained in sniffing them out, or someone with time enough to go through those invoices to make sure there aren’t any mistakes.?

4.?Trusting Vendors

You have a great heart, you live with integrity, and money is not a great motivator for you, that’s why you’re in a non-profit, so you tend to assume everyone else is like you too.?

I know we don’t want to face this reality, but not everyone is honest.?No, even when they know you are a non-profit operating on razor thin costs, they still may not give you the best deal.?

You absolutely need to price out competitors and check the marketplace before you sign on to a monthly bill or a contract that is going to create a fixed expense for you.?If you’re using iPads that are inside of a WIFI 98% of the time they are being used, DON’T get a data plan for them!?Do you really need 5 VoIP lines if your employees are just going to forward them to a cell phone?

I have a friend that had a contract for her dumpster with another friend of hers.?When the friend of hers retired, she noticed her trash bill kept changing every month.?She then started seeing random charges like cleaning and replacement charges that didn’t make sense.?If she hadn’t been taking the time to watch those expenses closely or have someone that she could call with inside knowledge to help her navigate the charges, it would have easily cost her thousands of dollars.?The new vendor salesman was sneaking in charges that didn’t need to be there.

How big does the dumpster need to be? Does it need wheels? Does it need a side door? How often should it get picked up??Does it need cleaned regularly?

Answer these questions wrong and you’ll end up with an unnecessary charge.?That extra money that you’re spending on a stupid dumpster is money you can’t put towards your mission!?

I’ve seen organizations sold on the need for business internet where the company promises if there’s an outage that the internet will be back up and running within an hour.?For that service, you’ll pay upwards of $300/mo.?Is that really necessary??

If you were without internet for an hour, how much would it honestly cost you??

If you have a retail store as part of your non-profit, that might make sense, but if you ask the internet salesman, you are rolling the dice on their integrity.

The other problem is that vendors may mean well, but they simply don’t know what deals are out there for organizations like yours.?

It’s not uncommon to interact with an inexperienced representative in high turnover industries like customer service, so it should come as no surprise that they simply don’t know that there are options for organizations like yours.

I remember many years ago when I was a teenager working at office max, there was a day that no one else showed up to the floor and I was the only representative for the whole store.?I distinctly remember selling electronics while giving quick glances at the specs so I could talk “smartly” about them.?How many vendors just have the basic knowledge to do their jobs without the detailed information on special programs and projects for non-profits??My guess is that number is probably pretty high.

You really need to ask if there are any special rates or deals for non-profits, and pay attention, because if they seem unsure, ask them to check.

Conclusion

I have a special place in my heart for people that make the decision that you have.?It takes a lot of courage, and a heaping of empathy to decide to pursue a non-profit.?

I want you to succeed and avoid costly mistakes so you can change the world!

Remember to focus your marketing on stories of people that have been impacted by your organization, use fractional services for those highly skilled positions, prioritize your time appropriately, and don’t become a victim to a vendor.

The Schooley Mitchell Advantage

Of course, after all this information, I have to talk a bit about my business right? If you want any help in navigating some of these challenges, I’m always open to a meeting.

I am part of North America’s largest cost-reduction consulting firm.?We have helped over 27,000 businesses save a half a Billion dollars.?We have instant knowledge of pricing changes in the marketplace and use our proprietary software to conduct rapid, in-depth analysis of your expenses.?Best of all, there are no upfront costs, and if we can’t save you money, we don’t get paid!?

Take, for example Julie Cravillion of Shirley’s House of Hope.?They are a shelter for women and children suffering from domestic violence and drug addiction.?Late last year she decided to work with us, and even though she had tried to negotiate her telecom bills herself, we were able to find her additional savings!?

“I personally asked for new pricing, but they would not negotiate.?Schooley Mitchell managed to find Shirley’s House of Hope a 12.74% savings.”

She’s not alone, David Michael from Habitat for Humanity says,

“Other services that Schooley Mitchell has made recommendations are for our IT services and provider at a cost savings of24% and dumpster/trash removal expenses. To achieve these cost savings, Schooley Mitchell did most of the work thus saving us time and expense. The process was easy for us and I appreciate our partnership with them.”

There are thousands of companies and organizations like David and Julie that have benefited from working with us, and we could inundate you with testimonials!

These companies understood there are only two possible outcomes:

1.????We tell you you’re doing great and you get a free audit of expenses

2.????We save you a bunch of money every month

That’s it.?

There are no hidden fees or costs, and we stay in your corner monitoring vendors, and ensuring you continue to get the best deal.

You really have nothing to lose, and I can’t wait to help you in your mission to make our world better!!

Set up a meeting that works with your schedule here.

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