Please help us, we are going under! I have been the Executive Director for a small not for profit association for about 9 months which has been in business for about 11 years. We have been struggling with our budget and this will be our worst year ever due to the economy. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to help out our profits? ANY assistance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance! —Robin A.
MY RESPONSE
To encourage member renewals you need to demonstrate the value you have created for your specific members and the industry as a whole. In reviewing your site I saw that your list of benefits includes free training, but there is no further description about that. And I did not see any description of the accomplishments of the association over the past 11 years.
It is also advisable to make the renewal process easy as as possible. I noticed that there isn’t a way to join or renew online (I didn’t see a PDF of the application either). These would both be things to address immediately in addition to a general membership renewal campaign at the end of the year.
If you haven’t recently asked your members what they find beneficial about your association, this would be a good time to do that.
As for other sources of revenue, I would need to know what those are in order to advise you further. Hope this helps.
Howard Adam Levy, is Principal of Red Rooster Group, a New York based graphic design firm that creates effective brands, websites and marketing campaigns for nonprofits to increase their visibility, fundraising and communications effectiveness. Contact us at info@redroostergroup.com.
You need to invest heavily in Lean Development RIGHT NOW.
Lean is by far the quickest and easiest way to make more money for your nonprofit, FAST.
How can you do this? You need to think about major donors. Who is going to give to your organization? Have you contacted them? Cultivated them? Been honest with your supporters about the crisis? Sometimes just being honest and stating your needs works wonders.
Another thing you can do is set up moves management with 3 dedicated board members. Coach them how to make the ask, and go with them to ask big givers to save your organization. Paint a picture of a bright future. The chance is there. The choice is yours.