The nonprofit sector is being stretched to the limits at present with food poverty, inequality, racism, domestic violence, and mental health all taking center stage. In Ireland, we use the term chasing blue lights to refer to non-profits being on high alert for the introduction of new grants or funding opportunities. These funding opportunities are released through various platforms, with each one carrying a different set of criteria and objectives. To keep pace with the ever-changing landscape, nonprofits may need to change path ever so slightly.
Given the current climate, you have non-profits pivoting, collaborating, partnering, or delivering services for close to a pittance. It’s a race to keep the lights on, with many already falling foul of cuts in government funding, shifting priorities, commissioning, procurement, and monies being directed to Covid19 protections.
The sector is shrinking while the need for services is growing. As someone with seven-plus years of previous experience in the non-profit sector, I have encountered these issues before. Not to the extent of a global pandemic compounding matters, but a loss of major funding for some brilliant community projects. The delivery cuts across so many areas now, it’s hard to determine what the core mission is. That’s chasing the blue lights. They are doing what’s required to stay in jobs and still deliver services to those who need them most.
Before you and a passionate group of activists even begin to contemplate speaking with any government or foundation to request funding, you need to define what drives you to be so passionate about tackling this issue. When you unify around a cause it enables you to start making plans and taking action. Remember: passion only gets you to a meeting; actions keep the fire ignited. Once you identify why you’re here, you can start laying down foundations as to what you want to do. Now, get focused at the outset on standing out above the noise. What noise? The noise is every other non-profit operating in the sector targeting the exact issue you want to tackle. Oh, I didn’t think about that! You won’t be the first to go full purpose mode, without thinking about the first steps. How do I get heard?
Forget about meeting with the major players to articulate your case, they will see you as someone who wants to extract part of their cake. What cake? You are establishing a new service, which either adds value to theirs or takes it away. Get comfortable in getting eased out of conversations. This is a game, and you need to learn how to play it.
Status Check
How will I deliver services when I can’t access any funding? You need to put funding out of your mind and start building relationships with people. Sure, you won’t have case studies, track records, or reports to furnish them with. However, this is where the founding team of volunteers is essential. Be rigorous in this selection if you want to gain a foothold in creating space for you to deliver. The team could have experienced individual’s specific to the issue you want to help solve. We call these lynchpins. They will have networks, partnerships, and stakeholders they have worked with previously. Make these people front and central to all conversations as you start the process of creating noise. Remember the nonprofit sector is filled with people who all know each other. Get aligned with that thinking and you will start to build a presence.
Building a Base
At the outset, you need to attend every event, webinar, and funding announcement. You also need to comment on all government consultations specific to the issues. Get active on social media just to create a buzz that you are motivated about uniting behind a cause. Why? It gives you a presence. You need to be seen to be heard. Where will I be located? The only choice is right in the heart of the community. However, you are only at the acorn stage, how will you pay rent?
This is where you need to get strategic in your thinking. If you have created enough noise you should have found an organization that wants to subcontract your services. These services will be delivered in the middle of the community, where issues are prevalent. Don’t build expectations. You need to under-promise and over-deliver. The community organizations can smell you at 100 yards when you don’t step up. Avoid this like a swarm of wasps, or pretty soon you will be back where you started. Nowhere. Once you start building a name for your nonprofit organization or cause, you will find those doors open slightly more easily.
Your First Grant
You are still a new entrant, so chances are this could be a minimal sum. Still, it’s a recognition of all our hard work to date. Now, you need to get laser-like on how you best utilize this funding. Dependent on the funder, you could have a series of objectives to meet: You need to think about whose plate you took from with this grant. They won’t be happy campers, even though you are tackling the same issue in the same community. All organizations need to survive, it’s that simple.
This is where you will start to encounter the community organizations’ pushback:
- What are they doing here?
- Do they even know what they’re doing?
- Who let them in?
- Why did they not speak with us?
You need to get equipped with the skin of rhino to fend them all off! However, don’t despair, you haven’t met the brokers yet!
Whatever you seek in the form of rewards, you must first earn in the form of service to others.
~~ Earl Nightingale
Playing the Game
Let’s take a step back and look at the macro-environment in which you are now positioned. In most cities in the UK, the Government sets the policies which inform the spending, including grant allocation for nonprofits to deliver services. These are transferred to each government department who can issue calls for service delivery. This can be achieved through procurement or grants. There will be a range of trusts and foundations in the city that will also offer grants specific to themes/priorities they wish to allocate their monies against. In addition to that, we have local authorities, philanthropic organizations, large corporations, and financial institutions all offering some type of revenue assistance.
To navigate this minefield, it’s back to the relationships, again. In every community, you will have gatekeepers. These are individuals entrenched in community delivery. They know everyone within national/local politics. They are crucial to you gaining a foothold or not making it pass go. You need to earn your stripes. Back to the macro environment, again. Once you start gaining some traction, you might get a platinum card. Amazing! Be mindful, these don’t come without questioning your mission, or who you align your cause with. Think Robert DeNiro in Casino; everyone has an angle!
Collaboration
Some great organizations have managed to work together for the greater good. These organizations have used their combined strength to present a robust case to any organization that seeks to provide funding to them. But where did the term collaboration come from in nonprofits? I can only use my own experiences to communicate this. Let’s go back to the cake again. Once government spending gets tighter or trusts/foundations/grant providers change their priorities the cake gets smaller.
So, what happens? They require organizations to work more for less money. Who wants to be part of this innovative thinking? To stay in the game, a lot of organizations grit their teeth and run themselves into the ground. When this happens, some either cease to exist or operate on skeleton hours. The more established organizations will also need to cut costs accordingly, resulting in job losses.
Once the term collaboration gained a footing then we had buzzwords such as innovative delivery, smarter working, and streamlined services. These words are open for debate. In real terms, the powers that control the levers are saying, “Find a way to survive as we don’t care.” Now I hear the backlash ringing already. When public, statutory and community organizations work together it can yield benefits. Not in disagreement. However, in nonprofits that have sweated blood and tears to assist the most vulnerable this is the equivalent of staring into the abyss.
If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do keep moving forward.
~~ Martin Luther King
A Race To Finish First
At the outset of this post, I asked; “What’s your reason? Do you know why you started this mission? If you don’t, you just wasted valuable time on reading! Given the socio/economic difficulties we are experiencing at present due to Covid19, you will be forced to ask yourself some very hard questions. These questions should form the basis of whether you continue to operate or not.
How could all our clients cope without our assistance? I said this would require tough decisions. What about people’s jobs? Your decision. We have come so far, we would be foolish to let it go? That’s you again. If we switch off the lights until after 6 pm that would save on electricity? Your decision. We could operate zero hour’s contracts? You again. There might be an alternative. What is it? You drift. Ever so slightly, just enough to secure some much-needed funds. But wait. What about our core mission? Oh wait, that’s me again! The operating environment CEOs of nonprofits are managing at present, must bring stress, anxiety, and worry daily. I can only imagine their mental state, or what problems they are having at home. I’ve been down that rabbit hole, far too many times. You wouldn’t be reading this story if I hadn’t –it was not a happy place. When it comes down to it, the only question that can be asked is this? Do I want this organization to survive? If the answer is yes, you know what to do. Can you see the blue lights?
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