Economic Crisis Resource Center
We've put together a list of learning opportunities, tips, tactics, and strategies to help you navigate through the economic downturn.
Learning Opportunities
Monday, January 12, 2009
News Ways of Working Together
In this tough economic climate, nonprofits are looking at all options to survive and thrive. One of the options to explore is merger. If you are interested in the models and options for partnership, even if you are not ready to merger, register for the January 12 kickoff of "New Ways of Working Together, a new five-part series about mergers, shared back office administration, and other partnerships between nonprofit organizations. presented by the Nonprofit Roundtable and sponsored by the Meyer Foundation, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, and the DC Children Youth Investment Corporation. Learn more.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The State of Nonprofits in the "New" Economy
This panel discussion presented by the Human Services Coalition of Prince Georges County will discuss how to take advantage of the recessed economy.
Resources
Background on the Downturn
This American Life Podcast – The Giant Pool of Money explains the downturn from housing crisis to Wall Street meltdown.
The Nonprofit Finance Fund has a FAQ page dedicated to answering general questions about the recession.
Fundraising
Fieldstone Alliance offers 20 suggestions of where you can look for emergency funding.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals offers a free survival kit for fundraising in a bad economy.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers tips for enlisting more female donors to support your cause.
Fundraising Success has five tips to help you continue to fund your missions.
Fundraising Breakthroughs Blog – David Robinson-Slemp, development director of Joe's Movement Emporium, offers advice for working with major donors.
The Harvard Business Review has tips for taking strategic advantage of the downturn.
Los Angeles Times Reporter Mike Boehm looks at the creative ways that art organizations are coping with the crisis.
Network for the Good offers tips for making your fundraising efforts recession-proof.
The Nonprofit Center offers advice for maintaining your donor base in the current market.
Seven Fundraising Tips for Surviving 2008 – The Agitator is a free online resource that provides fundraising and advocacy strategies, trends, and tips. Included in its resources is a list of seven fundraising tips to help your organization survive the economic downturn.
Lawrence Kopp of The T.A.S.C. Group writes about the importance of diversifying your fundraising strategies.
Board Involvement
Fast Company.com has tips on how best to leverage your board in a recessing economy.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy hosted an online chat about how to inspire your board to raise money.
Communication & Marketing Strategies
Blogger Chris Brogan offers up 25 ways that you can use the social media to cope with the downturn.
Katya Andersen, author of Robin Hood Marketing, offers up six communication strategies for surviving.
Slideshare allows users to post and share slideshow presentations. It's Business-Management section has a number of useful presentations about the economy and offers viewers ideas about how to communicate with positive language.
Health & Well-being
The DC Department of Mental Health has help for stressful economic times.
Health economist and management consultant Jane Sarasohn-Kahn breaks down the health impacts of the downturn.
Mental Health America has advice for living your life during challenges.
Links to Other Economic Survival Guides
About.com has created the Nonprofit Hard Times Survival Guide.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has also compiled a list of resources, statistics, and live discussions to help you learn about how charities are dealing with a turbulent economy.
The Donors Forum has dedicated a section of its website that can help in formulating short and long term strategies to cope with the downturn.
The National Council of Nonprofits has created a Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center to help both funders and nonprofits cope with the recession.
Network for the Good has a free, 45-page downturn survival guide filled with tips, strategies, and a coupon to save 50% on their online fundraising services.
Nonprofit 911 – A coalition of eight regional organizations have collaborated to provide you with events, resources, and a place for peer discussion.
Other Links of Interest
A free Basic Risk Management Tutorial helps you to integrate risk management in day-to-day operations.
Blue Avocado offers realistic and practical advice that you can implement starting today.
Nonprofits Assistance Fund – Executive Director Kate Barr blogs about why you should act now rather than later. She also posts about how you can view the current economic climate in a positive light by operating as though your organization was in a turnaround.
The Chicago Tribune offers up tips for finding a job during the recession.
CFO.com has five tips to help nonprofit chief financial officers.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy tells us that despite the bad economy, 70 percent of Americans still plan to give during the holiday season.
Financial Times finds that more from nonprofits now, means less in the future.
Forbes offers up tips for managing your organization after layoffs.
The Foundation Center is extending the hours of its live chat reference service. You can get answers to your questions about foundations, fundraising, nonprofit management, and related topics from a Foundation Center librarian.
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center – George Thread, PhD provides insight on both the threats and opportunities that a recession can bring to your nonprofit.
Katherina Rosqueta, executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, shares her opinion with Philanthropy News Digest on how to perform "philanthropic triage" on your organization.
Stanford Social Innovation Review – Author Todd Cohen explains how nonprofits can gear up to survive the tough economy.