As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis continues to unfold, people, businesses, and nonprofit organizations around the globe are scrambling to make lightning-fast adjustment, with little time to consider what happens in 6, 12, or 18-months down the road.
Okay, you’ve covered all the immediate bases: all non-essential employees are working from home; all gatherings are canceled; all meetings are either rescheduled or moved to conference or video calls; in-office employees are maintaining an adequate social distance; there are hand sanitizers and cleaning products everywhere, and cleanliness has been ramped up to the best of your capabilities.
So, now what? The hard truth is, this will not go away in the next couple of months.
In the face of extreme adversity, organizations and people alike have a tendency to shrink. It is overwhelming to think about all the different ways this crisis will impact your organization’s ability to function. The moment we see future revenue disappearing, or realize that all the ways we used to fulfill our missions are no longer possible – most of us will instinctively turn to survival mode. Survival is important, but this is an opportunity for your organization to build resilience and innovate like never before!
5 Areas to Build Nonprofit Resilience
Then, think about how you will innovate for the future, the long-term future.
What would your programming and operations look like if we were to experience this same scenario 2-3 more times during the next year?
How would you stay relevant if you couldn’t offer in-person or group based programming for the next year?
What innovations are going to come out of this space and time that will transform your organization?
What can you learn from to build resilience, improve operations, adapt programming, and be inclusive in the future?
While it may be tempting to hold off on making decisions until we see how the situation progresses, but getting clear on the five key areas of board and staff management, communications, financial health, programming, and strategy development will help you make strategic decisions that could reduce the impact this pandemic has on your organization.
Sangfroid Strategy helps organizations learn from where they’ve been, figure out where they want to go, and map out what they need to do to get there. We are experts when it comes to helping organizations build resiliency and move through difficult times and navigate complex situations.