Despite concerns that it would be difficult to find a single policy agenda relevant to the diverse organizations that make up sector, the reality is that legislation is passed regularly that impacts all nonprofits regardless of their individual mission statements.

Finally, it is important to further educate all nonprofits about allowable activities in the area of advocacy and the effective use of advocacy tools. 

 

2.Collective purchasing power
For many small to medium size nonprofits it is virtually impossible to receive meaningful discounts for D & O insurance, health insurance, travel, office supplies and equipment, technology upgrades, printing, employee benefits and other necessities that ALL nonprofits need. Forming a substantial network of many nonprofits would allow you to receive the same discounts as larger organizations.

 

3.Information Clearinghouse
Using the advanced technology that is available to us today, it would be relatively simple to establish an interactive portal where the exchange of information crucial to all nonprofits occurs. Information on training and development, best practices for all areas of our work, job listings and many other areas of importance to you.

Such a information hub may also become a source for dialogue amongst nonprofit leaders regarding further collaborative and networking efforts.

 

4.Training and Technical Assistance
By organizing within the nonprofit sector and coordinating our efforts more efficiently, we can provide better and more training and technical assistance to empower all nonprofits to fulfill their missions. Training providers in our community need to work more closely together and find better ways to disseminate information about available trainings.

In addition, we need to join together and share our limited resources to bring more and better trainings into the sector. We need trainings that assist nonprofits at all different sizes and levels of growth. As it is, many of our current trainings speak only to the middle, leaving out those in the introductory and advanced stages of learning.  (Many grassroot nonprofit are financially unable to afford the cost of currently offered training workshops and seminars.)

Imagine a group of fifteen nonprofits joining together to bring in a national expert in some area where training is desperately needed. One nonprofit may not be able to afford this, but fifteen could. Imagine larger nonprofits opening their doors to maller ones and allowing those smaller nonprofits to attend their trainings.

 

5.Strategic Partnerships & Collaboration
Building strategic partnerships and collaboration within the nonprofit sector as well as with the public and for-profit sectors is a way to maximize effectiveness while building clout and visibility as well as serve to increase access to resources to serve our missions.
It would also be great to find ways to reduce unnecessary competition, reduce duplication of services through mergers and other efforts to consolidate service delivery when appropriate.

 

6.Public Awareness
A unified nonprofit sector can increase public awareness regarding the value and contributions we make to our communities.

Working together the nonprofit sector can develop a media and a public relations campaign targeted at policy makers, corporations, foundations and other funders, and the general public.

Imagine going to a donor and asking for $100 and having them say, "only $100? I know what you do is so important. I am going to give you $1,000." The for-profit world does this all the time through collaborations, associations and networks, why don't we? Fundraising is one need that all nonprofits regardless of their mission have in common.

We need to regularly capture and communicate real evidence of the economic and social impact of the nonprofit sector in our communities. By doing this, we could help to reate leadership that values nonprofits and would foster greater community involvement and support for the work of nonprofit organizations.

 

7.Other benefits
By working together we could create nonprofit incubators to help support fledgling nonprofits and help reduce unnecessary duplication, create sector wide standards of excellence and accountability, standardize funding applications to simplify the grant-seeking process and increase research and education for the sector.
Some of these benefits may seem like grand dreams that are not possible but nonprofit networks and collaborations are providing these benefits and more to organizations just like yours all over the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the limited resources available to us, we need to utilize competent leaders at all levels of nonprofit organizations to make these efforts successful.

 

We need to have executive participation because executives are often the decision makers in many organizations. We must also have lower level staff because they are often more available to get the work done.

 

Many executives are stressed to the max, attending multiple meetings each day, participating on numerous boards and advisory committees, whereas lower level staff are anxious for those types of experiences and are not so overwhelmed.

 

Allowing lower level staff to participate along side of executives throughout this process will enable us to develop comprehensive proposals to be presented to the busier group of executives and move things forward more quickly.

 

It is not true that you must be an executive to understand broad issues that impact the many different departments within single organizations or issues that impact all nonprofits in general. Although it is critical that executives are represented and bring their experience to all aspects of the proposal making and decision making process, lower level staff have much to contribute.

 

In a sector where we constantly need new leadership, this will be a perfect training ground for our future executives.

c/o Angels On Earth Inc.
3150 SW 52 Ave Suite 212
Pembroke Park Fl 33023