In this daunting period of Covid-19, nonprofits are seeing donations decrease, NP closures, and cash reserves dwindle. The times are uncertain, and we must maneuver through this pandemic safely. But that makes it essential, not to worry. 

This is a great time and a great opportunity to reimagine who we are and what we do to make our organization a better place. 

Reimagining an organization is difficult, especially during this pandemic; we must learn as we go forward. Some leaders who are overwhelmed with day-to-day operations, urgent short-term demands and a gnawing sense of uncertainty often don’t feel able to take on another challenge. But the job is possible, and we must continue.

When you reimagine our organization, you need to focus on four key areas: impact, kids, finances, and the beloved community. 

Impact

Nonprofits exist because we have a profound impact on society. Our mission at You’re All That (YAT) is strictly on kids learning challenges.

If I, the CEO, walked away today, who would it matter to and why? What difference are we trying to make in our beloved community? Who are our core constituents? What impact does the organization have on the community and us?

The more specific you can get in your answers, the better you’ll determine your priorities and ensure that they guide our strategy.

Focusing on impact has to go beyond setting your big-picture organizational direction. It has to involve candid, data-driven discussions about how current programs will deliver impact in a new environment. Program evaluations, focus groups, and reports of constituent and leadership experiences all should be taken into consideration. During times of change, not all program initiatives will retain their true value or deliver a similar impact as we move forward. So as we reimagine our future, we must prioritize our programs into tiers to help develop outcomes that are important to the organization's mission.

As we’ve seen during the pandemic, crises have forced organizations to rethink new ways to engage and serve communities and constituents. Considering what we're doing right to solve the problems of the moment, ask ourselves: Do any of these temporary new programs and processes deliver methods that show promise for the future? 

Kids

Literacy development is a crucial part of our child’s overall development, and we must meet those needs for those struggling in school.

Activities such as speech, math, reading, storytelling, and writing help them develop their challenges. 

Finances

When reimagining an organization, you’ll need to find out how much it will cost to do what is required, and you’ll need to develop a revenue strategy.

An online store might be a challenge to create new revenue. Or provide more fundraising activities for our organization.

Cross-training our team members is an option. 

Ensure that people are connected or part of the process and a firm grip on donating more. Only then will you be able to engage your people meaningfully in the process of reimagining and identify ways to deliver new outcomes that align appropriately with the organization's mission. This will help not only with strategic decision-making but also with fundraising efforts because we will be able to explain to our donors the utilization of their support.

Do we have the relationships and infrastructure necessary to reach people through social media networks? Do we have the capacity to achieve our desired goals? If you can align our capacities and our goals, you’ll create a virtuous circle: As you deliver goals, our donors will see the benefits of their contributions and will be more likely to provide more funding.

Beloved Community

To effectively reimagine our organization, we need to focus on the beloved community. Ensure that the community is aware of our organization. 

And the benefactors are the kids that need our services. Serving a population that needs our help is indeed our core value. "A beacon of light to shine upon all those that need our assistance.”

Terry Gray

President & CEO

You’re All That Inc.