Successful nonprofits usually start with a large vision and a small grassroots movement. Then, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, they organically blossom into something wonderful.
Even if you started your nonprofit with the goal of serving your local community, there may come a time when you start drawing interest from abroad. Most national movements started as local organizations, so don’t limit your growth. Scaling a nonprofit can be difficult, so here are some tips that will help you along the way.
Upgrade your IT infrastructure.
Your IT infrastructure is one of the most crucial elements of your organization. You need the capability to connect with and manage the data of team members and donors. You’re also responsible for keeping track of where your donations come from and, as the donations increase in amount and scope, so must your IT and accounting systems.
It’s also crucial that you’re able to easily access your data while having a staunch security system to protect the data of your nonprofit, donors, and volunteers. If you buy an IP address, then you’ll have much greater control over what information gets in and out of your network. You may not have needed your own IPv4s when you started your nonprofit, but if you plan to go national or global, then there’s no security measure too drastic.
With your own IP address, you have a private network for all of your digital operations. Not only is this great for security purposes, but it also makes it easier to safely automate and streamline critical tasks.
Scout potential new locations for expansion.
If you serve your community exceptionally well, then people in your region — or even around the United States — will want you to begin chapters in their community. Your work may even require you to move to different cities for periods of time or even permanently. It’s all part of scaling. You need to be where the need is.
If you find yourself relocating frequently, then professional movers will become your best friends. You don’t need to add hauling heavy furniture in the South Florida heat to your scaling to-do list.
That being said, you’re talking about moving important equipment, valuables, and personal belongings, so you don’t want just anyone who can carry a file cabinet handling your move either. Do your legwork and find the best Fort Lauderdale moving company your organization can afford so that the expansion process will be as smooth as possible from a logistical standpoint. Regardless of the type of move, you’re looking at, whether it’s within the Fort Lauderdale area or a long distance away, the best moving company with years of experience wiki makes your next move far easier.
Build your national team.
The most difficult part of scaling your nonprofit will be finding the right people around the country to fit into your organization. It’s imperative that you search out people who share your heart and vision for the cause and can also be effective in their role.
Scaling your team will require some sacrifice from some of your most trusted team members, as you will probably need some of them to run some of your new chapters as your NPO expands. Implementing objectives and key results (OKR) software will help you ensure that all of your team members are aligned with the organization’s goals and on the same page.
OKR software is great for tracking your team’s progress toward ambitious goals and company objectives as well as the productivity of specific team members. It’s also effective for disseminating daily agendas, managing social media, and even using data analytics to monitor digital marketing campaigns. OKR software does just about everything except for brewing coffee!
Create a national marketing campaign.
One of the most important steps of scaling your nonprofit organization is broadening your marketing strategy. Moving into new territory means attracting new donors and volunteers, but you’ll need a national marketing strategy to accommodate your team’s goals.
Social media is effective for marketing because it’s easy to navigate and inexpensive compared to traditional methods of advertising. You don’t have to be a marketing guru to have success in digital marketing. The chances are that you already have a social media marketing whiz right under your nose!