Coping with Cutbacks: The Nonprofit Guide to Success When Times Are Tight

 

“An invaluable tool for nonprofit leaders and managers.” — Michael Seltzer, Program Officer, Ford Foundation and author of "Securing Your Organization's Future: A Complete Guide to Fundraising Strategies"

by Emil Angelica and Vincent Hyman, Published by Fieldstone Alliance.
(Illustrator: David Kacmarynski)

Think about funding problems in a new way
Coping with Cutbacks can help you deal with funding problems in a new way. Successful nonprofits today see that solutions of the past won't work in the long-run. Authors Angelica and Hyman urge you to take a different approach, shifting your thinking from "How do we get more money to keep our nonprofit in business?" to "How do we involve other segments of the community to address community issues?"

How to go about working together
The first part of the book shows you practical ways to involve business, government, and other nonprofits to solve problems together. In the process, you'll be making new connections, creating buy-in, and bringing new partners to the table.

The second part of this unique guide gives you a six-step process for coming up with solutions to problems—financial or otherwise—that your organization is facing. The steps are similar to what a consultant might use to help you clarify the problem, set up criteria for success, brainstorm strategies, and finally, pick the best strategies. Detailed worksheets walk you through each step and help you write a workplan.

Find immediate help with 185 specific cutback strategies
Coping with Cutbacks also includes 185 specific cutback strategies gathered from interviews with a wide variety of nonprofit managers. These strategies can be put to use right away to help you overcome short-term crises, manage change, and use your resources more effectively. You'll find:

• 51 ways to increase revenues, manage money differently, increase fund-raising, expand services, and improve productivity
• 64 ways to cut costs, deal with bills, modify staffing, and change services
• 28 ways to change how your organization works, including its mission, culture, and structure
• 40 ways to involve more people in solving your problem, including other nonprofits, businesses, the community, and the government
• And much more!

Ready or not, all of us in the nonprofit sector are entering a new era. Use this book to help your organization adapt and thrive.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• Preface
• How to Use This Book

Chapter 1: What's Going On Out There?

• On the One Hand, Some Tough Challenges
• ... And On the Other Hand, Some Opportunities
• How Are Nonprofits Going to React?

Chapter 2: How to Engage the Community

• Sector Values
• Arenas of Influence
• From Premise to Practice

Chapter 3: How to Generate Strategies

• Step 1: Know Yourself
• Step 2: Clarify the Problem or Opportunity
• Step 3: Outline the Process for Developing and Selecting Strategies
• Step 4: Establish Criteria for Success
• Step 5: Brainstorm Strategies
• Step 6: Select the Visible Strategies

Chapter 4: Cutback and Engagement Strategies

• How to Use the Strategies List
• The Strategies

Postscript

Appendix A: Strategies Checklist

Appendix B: Reproducible Worksheets

• Worksheet 1A: Know Your Values, Mission, Competencies, and Vision
• Worksheet 1B: Know Your Decision-Making Style
• Worksheet 2A: Clarify the Community Problem or Opportunity
• Worksheet 2B: Clarify the Financial Problem
• Worksheet 3A: Decide Who to Involve
• Worksheet 3B: Write a Work Plan
• Worksheet 4: Establish Strategies
• Worksheet 5: Brainstorm Strategies
• Worksheet 6A: Select the Visible Strategies
• Worksheet 6B: Write an Implementation Plan

Appendix C: Survey Responses

Bibliography

Useful Nonprofit Publications Written by Members of Our Firm

• Field Guide to Developing, Operating and Restoring Your Nonprofit Board
• Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation
• Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff
• Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation
• The above four guidebooks are offered together at a discount in our Nonprofit Capacity Building Toolkit(sm).
•  
• Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development With Nonprofits
  (book is for consultants and internal leaders)

Other Publisher's Publication for Nonprofit Organizations:

• Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Money-Making Business in Your Nonprofit Organization
• Bookkeeping Basics: What Every Nonprofit Bookkeeper Needs to Know
• Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funder's Guide to Capacity Building
• The Accidental Techie: Supporting, Managing, and Maximizing
  Your Nonprofit's Technology

To Order This Book, "Coping With Cutbacks":

• $28.00 each. Published by Fieldstone Alliance, October 1997, 128 pages.
• See To Order and Quickly Receive Your Publication
  NOTE: If you experience any problems processing your order, please call 800.971.2250 or 763.971.8890.

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