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posted by Anjali Deshmukh, Associate Director and Angela Francis, Senior Associate Nonprofit Finance Fund |
Welcome to Research Friday! As part of a continuing weekly series, each Friday we invite a nonprofit scholar, student, or professional to highlight current research reports or studies and discuss how they can inform and improve day-to-day nonprofit practice.
There are over 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States. Of those, three-quarters (almost 1.2 million) have annual budgets under $1 million, and most are even smaller. What these organizations lack in size, however, they make up for in impact. They respond to localized needs, are absolutely critical to community building, and are staffed by people with deep knowledge and caring for the communities where they live and work. These organizations often serve communities that have been abandoned by countless others. Yet, in the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s (NFF) work with small nonprofits (most recently through our Capital and Capacity for Economic Recovery Initiative), we’ve found that these essential organizations often struggle to match available funding sources to their actual needs, which results in a number of challenges. So what are some of these challenges, and what makes small nonprofits different from their larger counterparts? Our new report, Small Organizations Solving Big Problems, explores this question.
Unlike large organizations, small nonprofits often do not have in-house financial expertise, making it hard for them to closely align their finances with their strategy. The executive director often assumes leadership through deep knowledge and understanding of the organization’s programs but has significantly less experience in finance. Due to resource constraints, they often handle finances themselves, relying on part-time bookkeepers who aren’t deeply enmeshed in the organization’s strategic goals. Without internal expertise and real-time financial tools (such as cash flow reports or program profitability assessment), data-driven decision making is just not possible.
Wearing many hats is the norm for staff at small nonprofits; that’s the reality of organizations that run lean. But with all of their resources going directly into program delivery, small nonprofits cannot invest in their infrastructure - let alone provide reasonably competitive compensation for their employees. While this is a common problem for nonprofits of all sizes, it’s especially pronounced within small organizations. To keep infrastructure and occupancy costs down, these organizations may borrow free space in a basement or operate exclusively with donated (and outdated) computers and servers. To cut down on administrative expenses, the executive director may work nights and weekends to deliver programs, run the organization, fundraise, and pay the bills. Funders encourage and applaud their grantees for such resourcefulness and creativity, but at a certain point this model becomes unsustainable.
Another challenge for small organizations lies in the break-even mindset: an organization that devotes nearly all of its resources to programs will have a hard time justifying a surplus. But generating a surplus is the primary means for many small nonprofits to accumulate savings. Although this challenge affects many nonprofits, it really hits home for small organizations. Because unlike larger agencies, small nonprofits have very limited access to credit, which can be essential when managing government payment delays or other risks. Without a cash cushion on hand, small organizations can be deeply vulnerable to closure in times of economic crisis.
The bright side? Sometimes smaller organizations can weather a storm better than their larger counterparts by shifting resources more nimbly. They also tend to have more flexible business models and the ability to adjust to a changing environment more rapidly. Sometimes, wearing all those hats even comes with advantages. When employees collaborate freely across skill sets, it speeds up the internal learning process and leadership can more easily develop new ways of thinking.
Nonetheless, small organizations need a range of key supports, and they often have a hard time securing them. Below are five tips to help small nonprofits improve their financial management skills amid budget constraints:
Following are our tips for supporters of small nonprofits:
You’ll find more tips and examples in our report, Small Nonprofits Solving Big Problems.
Editor’s note: A version of this post originally appeared on NFF’s Money and Mission blog at the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Anjali Deshmukh is an associate director and Angela Francis is a senior associate with Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF). A 501(c)3 nonprofit, NFF pushes for improvement in how money is given and used in the sector. Since 1980, they have worked to connect money to mission effectively, so that nonprofits can keep doing what they do so well. NFF provides financing, consulting, and advocacy services to nonprofits and funders nationwide.
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Like this article? Get another! Read Donnalee Sarda's "How a small nonprofit survived the Great Recession." |
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I want to work with local, smaller nonprofits in t...
I want to work with local, smaller nonprofits in the future, so I truly enjoyed reading this informative article. I think an overarching encouragement from your article and from your report is for nonprofits to stay central to who they are. You mentioned mission creep, which I think is a realistic temptation that many nonprofits (big and small) face. Ami Dar says in Nonprofit Management 101 that "mission creep in enemy #1." Finances should fund a nonprofit's mission, not drive it, but it's difficult for small nonprofits to say no to funding or grants, even if they aren't aligned with their mission. Another point that I agree with is that a small nonprofit's board should be recruited based on the organization's needs. As a board, they should be advocating and fundraising for your nonprofit. If they aren't willing to do this, they shouldn't be on your board. I appreciated this article because as a student studying nonprofit leadership and management, this resonates with everything I'm learning in class! Thanks for breaking it down so nicely.