As funds for programs continue to shrink, NP’s — both Boards and Staff — struggle to manage Mission-critical activities. The Consultants of The Minerva Project, using cutting-edge, state-of-the-art methodologies, lead efforts which provide, and have provided, a convenient opportunity to refine operations, re-evaluate and, perhaps, redesign the Non-Profit organization’s business model and, once again, focus on the needs of constituents.
In Sonoma County, for example, Reported Revenues for Non-Profits (2010) are down almost 20% from their peak in 2008 (National Center for Chaeritable Statistics). This reality is coincident with the fact that Charitable Foundations’ giving is off only 2% despite their endowments being down more than 10% as a result of the financial meltdown. Sustaining staff, programs and funding – given these models — is not sustainable; the giving trends will soon end.
The result? Non-Profits will, increasingly, find themselves in situations where constituents will be poorly served because staff has been cut to a catastrophic level and the model that Non-Profits operate under will not have changed. One bright spot? Along with our collaborator Taproot, we believe that NP’s must migrate to a model that includes the concept of “staff designed / volunteer delivered.” The model that has Staff providing all services, just as one example, will not be sustainable in the future.
Source: National Center for Charitable Statistics
Source: National Center for Charitable Statistics
A Diverse Network of Players
