How do you decide programs to cut?
The main point: if your nonprofit organization is forced to cut programs and services, consider diverse voices to help assess all of the factors.
Shortly after the pandemic forced us into lockdown, the Desai Foundation, an India-focused nonprofit, began exploring how to serve their constituents best. The increased demand for face masks presented an opportunity. The foundation started setting up programs for the women they serve to manufacture masks and earn an income.
Nonprofits must find creative solutions to help our beneficiaries while making difficult decisions to survive the pandemic.
A key challenge is: what do we cut, and where do we invest?
Nonprofits exist to have a positive impact, so take time to define the desired effect you want your organization to have in the world. A challenging aspect of the pandemic is at a time when people need nonprofit services the most, we see a significant loss of revenue.
The decision on what to cut shouldn't be made in a vacuum. Input should come from as many people as possible, including staff members, board members, volunteers, and others. Hearing from a diverse range of perspectives at this early stage will allow you to build an inclusive organization from the ground up.
It would be best if you asked questions like the following:
- Who would miss us if we vanished today?
- Who are the people we serve?
- What are the results they require?
- What efforts are we taking to improve our communities?
- What is the best way to further the long-term mission of the organization?
Specific and clear answers will help your nonprofit determine strategic priorities that will significantly impact the community you serve.
If you want to have an impact, then you'll need to do more than just set your organizational direction. To make changes, we need to have candid and data-driven discussions about how current programs will function in a new environment. It does not matter what tools your organization uses to evaluate the impact of its efforts. Whether you find out through surveys, focus groups, results reports, or direct feedback from constituents and leadership, these can all be valuable sources of information for assessing a program's progress. The stakeholders in a program will typically think that every program has some value. Still, priorities often shift drastically during times of change, and not all programs can retain their value.
As organizations have found during the pandemic, crises serve as significant challenges that must be met creatively. One way to meet the challenge is a forced ranking. Ask stakeholders to rank each program. You will likely see trends form with the programs stakeholders believe are the most important. Combining this with data will help you make the difficult decision.
By focusing your efforts on impact in these ways, you can develop a shared understanding of how to generate impact for your organization and align that work with broader strategic goals.
Jeremy is the author of the new book, Post-Pandemic Nonprofit, available now on Amazon.com. The Post-Pandemic Nonprofit is an insightful look into 12 disruptive trends that will impact nonprofits during and after the pandemic. For each trend, nonprofit leaders will learn what is happening and what they will need in order to take advantage of the trend and eliminate downside risk. Thorough research and examples of nonprofit organizations and the trends impacting them informs readers about the steps they must take to not only survive but also thrive through the pandemic and economic recession.