· 2 min read
Top 3 challenges nonprofits face
Guidestar's survey of nonprofits names the top three challenges they face: spreading awareness, hiring and retaining people, and raising funds.
Nonprofit organizations are groups dedicated to particular social causes, and they play a big part in every community. They contribute to the local economy, but they exist for a bigger reason, which is to help the world.
The way nonprofits work also brings its own problems as they fight for their cause. Guidestar, an information service that reports on over 2 million nonprofit organizations, ran a survey, and these are the three biggest challenges it found.
Top 3: Spreading Awareness
Source: JKT48Stuff
Some nonprofit programs are hard to publicize. A program about a sensitive or overlooked topic can make it hard to get the media interested in a press release.
Many nonprofits also can't afford Public Relations or Marketing staff who could focus on getting the word out about these programs.
Top 2: Hiring and Retaining People
Source: Virgo Group
Some nonprofits end up "training employees for their next employer", and sadly there is some truth in that.
With limited budgets for staff, many nonprofits struggle to attract skilled workers and keep them for years. Most members of nonprofit organizations are volunteers.
Nonprofits do have one advantage. The people who choose to work for them are committed and on the same page as the organization's mission, which is to help the world.
Top 1: Raising Funds
Source: Kadena
Barbara Wetzler, president of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Florida, put it this way:
"We never lack for vision, ideas or enthusiasm. The challenge is always finding sufficient funds today to safeguard the agency's financial vitality while working toward a progressive and stable future."
The survey's top 1 problem is finding enough money to keep working on the mission. Nonprofits raise money from individuals, grants and philanthropies.
Most startup nonprofits can only seek donations from individuals and special events. A few secure government funding for certain programs, but that is rare.
How we can help
These are real struggles, and the groups facing them are the same ones that keep putting in the effort to help our communities, and often us.
At Symph we care about every person and every group working to make real change in the world, so we support these groups and their causes and look for ways to help them.
You can help too. Watch the video below to learn more.
If you support the idea, please share this post. You can send us questions through the Symph facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SymphCo/
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