You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.
Rahm Emanuel
The past two budget years have been really tight for many non profits. All the articles you read tell us that they have been expected to do more with less resources.
Ummm… Hasn’t it always been this way?
I have heard crazy stories about corporate donors that have decided not to honor their commitments or reduced their gifts but expecting the same level of PR/Marketing?
Why you ask?
The economy, of course.
I understand its been finacially tight and investments have not come through in a way folks had expected. Trust me, I know from whence I speak. I remember looking at my 401K about 18 months ago and wanting to kill myself. It was brutal.
Yet I think some of us have used the past 2 years as an excuse. Some organizations have been using the economy as an excuse not to show up.
It’s convenient to excuse stop marketing.
It’s convenient excuse to stop creating.
It’s convenient to opt out of contracts, to reduce services. Its convient to sit still and not cause any waves.
The economy has been a great excuse for taking no risks.
The sky is falling… The sky is falling!!!
The sky is always falling…somewhere.
The economy has been seen as an excuse..and not as a prime opportunity that many courageous organizations leveraged.
Courageous organizations will tell you that now’s the time to put more energy into your marketing efforts because more people need support and help than ever before. So they have.
Courageous non profits are seeing opportunities. Looking at relationships that they have fostered for years and turning them into alliances, Seeking out new donor’s, volunteers and programs.
Courageous organizations are partnering with corporations in new and exciting ways. Working together on corporate and civic engagement beyond check writing. Creating new ways. New possibilities
Creating new stories.
There is opportunity in every difficulty. The difficulty of the “day” is the economy. Six months from now, a year from now it will be something else. It’s always something else.
Courageous organizations will use the economy or whatever new difficulty that is on the horizon, not as an excuse, but as a REASON. A reason to show up even bigger. To show up even better.