from the desk of Nia Wassink

As the adage goes, never waste a good crisis. And a crisis, we have. 

Nonprofit Boards are facing some of the hardest decisions they’ve had to make on behalf of their organizations. As we are working with clients on navigating the ever-changing funding landscape, increasing need for services, and working to protect those under fire from the administration, we keep being asked, “how do we have productive conversations as a Board?”

This is an opportunity for Boards to lean into their governance responsibilities, step-up with scenario planning and thoughtful questions, and use this crisis to drive their missions forward. Whether your organization is currently mired in the chaos or not, start having these conversations now. The nonprofit sector must shift and change to be able to rise and meet the need and simply survive.

Here are some guiding questions to help in those conversations: 

1. What are the most significant external trends or risks that could impact our mission? Consider economic shifts, policy changes, funding trends, demographic changes, technological advancements, and social movements. Try to be as specific as possible. When so much is going wrong, it is important to pinpoint the items that are most likely to impact your organization instead of the entire landscape of potential stressors.

2. How resilient is our organization in the face of financial uncertainty or funding disruptions? Assess financial reserves, donor dependency, grant reliability, and revenue diversification. The funding shifts are not limited to government funding, as foundations shift priorities, individual philanthropists may pull back as a recession is on the horizon, and state and local governments reel. Understand where you have security, risk, and opportunity.

3. What are the potential operational and programmatic challenges in different future scenarios? Evaluate staffing, service delivery, infrastructure, and community needs in different conditions (e.g., economic downturn, regulatory changes, natural disasters).

4. How can we adapt our strategic priorities to remain effective in different futures? Identify mission-critical programs and areas where flexibility or innovation is needed. 

5. What key decisions and contingency plans should we put in place now? Establish response plans, key metrics for early warning signals such as asset minimums, and criteria for pivoting strategies.

To all the Board members, thank you for serving during this time. We need you and your leadership to guide into the future.

Does your Board need help having these conversations? Reach out to Nia to discuss facilitation support.