Small Budget? Act Like a Big Guy Anyway
The top 10 U.S. charities combined for more than $59 billion in revenue in 2015 alone. That's (prepare for the understatement of the day) a ton of money.
Chances are, your nonprofit isn't quite on that level. According to Independent Sector, just 4 percent of nonprofits top $10 million in annual revenue, while 75 percent of charities have annual expenses of less than $500,000. The majority of the sector is the little guys—small organizations trying to do big things on a small budget.
If you're one of those little guys, you probably feel like there are never enough resources. You might be envious of other organizations’ big advertising campaigns or massive databases.
But that doesn't mean you can't look and operate like the big guys.
Kelly Andreae would know. As executive director of Back On My Feet DC, Andreae has guided big growth at the mid-size organization. Its revenues have nearly doubled since 2011, largely due to a 30 percent increase in gala revenue, a 35 percent increase in online donations and a 15 percent increase in peer-to-peer fundraising revenue. And these weren't the results of some massive budget reallocation—they came from small tweaks modeled after big-organization best-practices.
“There are many advantages to leading a small nonprofit," says Andreae. "You get to be nimble and responsive, and provide personalized service. Technology trends have made it possible for any organization to do business, communicate and grow efficiently. Investing in the right technological tools and camouflaging yourself with polished branding can make you look like a much larger nonprofit. And before you know it, you have grown into those big shoes you created for yourself.”
How can your nonprofit create and fill those big shoes? Come on down to the NonProfit PRO Leadership Conference, May 11 in Washington, D.C. to find out. There, Andreae will deliver a 30-minute session on how small and mid-size organizations can:
- Reverse engineer “big guy” hacks to help you grow to be a big guy, too.
- Transform the best practices that larger organizations use and tailor them to make a big impact for your smaller organization.
- Effectively manage and move forward while keeping internal relationships fluid.
- And much more!
Click the image below for more information and to view the other speakers—like American Cancer Society chief information officer Jay Ferro—or click here to register. (Nonprofits only, please!) Use the code NEWS50 for $50 off the already-low price of registration. Or, feel free to email me with any questions.
We hope to see you there!
