The realities of today's economic environment have required that nonprofits, and those that raise money for them, make their case for support as strong as possible. Warm and fuzzy appeals that tug at the heart strings have met with limited success. Assuming that funding targets intuitively know the value of the good work you do is unrealistic.
We have found, in our work with hundreds of organizations, that nonprofits typically:
- Make decisions based on the needs of the organization, not on the needs they meet or the purpose they serve.
- Measure performance based on staff activity, not on the outcomes they achieve.
- Fail to realize that accountability and the ability to demonstrate performance are pivotal in a sustainable financial model.
- Do not have the staff, expertise, or time to effectively demonstrate their OVP or ROI to their stakeholders.
- Assume that stakeholders are investing at their highest levels and are happy with the information they are receiving.
- Do not realize the impact that effective investor relations, combined with credible ROI, lead to dramatically higher funding levels.
Organizations that move from the "tin cup" mindset to the investment mindset are those that will be funded in the years to come. CSG helps nonprofits change their paradigm so that sustainable funding becomes reality.
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