The work of social good organizations like yours has been a healing balm during this past year, leading recovery efforts for communities around the globe. From adoption events that paired the isolated with furry friends, to arts institutions whose online exhibitions gave us a much-needed escape, to the social justice organizations who’ve never stopped pushing us towards equity—your work has gone far beyond disaster relief. And you’ve done it all through unheard of shifts in operations, losing essential resources, volunteer support, and funding almost overnight.
It’s vital that you get the support your nonprofit needs to continue these efforts uninterrupted.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we shared ways your nonprofit could partner with volunteers to navigate crisis response hurdles. But as a nonprofit ourselves, we know that needs and your internal capacity to meet them are different now than they were a year ago. Here are four high-need areas where you can connect with expert volunteers for immediate assistance through Taproot Plus for a consultation session or an in-depth project that will continue building resiliency at your social change organization.
Staying plugged in
It’s no secret that ‘pivot’ was the word of 2020. In Taproot’s 2020 Nonprofit Resiliency Survey, we found that 72% of nonprofit respondents had shifted their programmatic work due to the pandemic. If you’re one of the organizations who made major changes, how have your stakeholders responded to them? Now might be the right time to interview program participants, supporters, community partners, staff, and board members to gauge reactions to the shifts and what they need from you going forward.
- Request a session to connect with a strategy pro to brainstorm all the ways your team could use the information you collect during the interviews.
- Request a project to put your head together with a volunteer to strategize for or hold stakeholder interviews. Having a neutral third-party facilitate these conversations will be a massive boost for getting the most honest and insightful feedback.
Breaking through the noise
With all that is happening in the world, it can be tough for your announcements to get in front of the right people. But it’s even more vital during this period of increased needs that community members know how to access your programs or jump in to support your nonprofit.
- Request a session if you need quick recommendations on your current PR strategy from an expert. Troubleshoot in real-time what isn’t working, or brainstorm how to expand on what is working!
- Request a project to develop a PR plan that identifies your key audiences and communications goals alongside a public relations master. Work together to create a press kit, staff coaching on media relations, a PR calendar, media lists, press releases, and more.
Investing in leadership
Strong leaders make for strong organizations. But, for nonprofits operating on shoestring budgets, it can be difficult to carve out the time and money to invest in your own leadership skills, or those of rising staff members across your organization. If 2020 proved anything, it was the value of leadership and change management experience as all our organizations navigated multiple crises at once.
- Request a session for fast advice on a leadership challenge that you are currently facing from a volunteer skilled in HR coaching.
- Request a project to connect with a coach for an in-depth leadership assessment and recommendations. Or work with your pro bono partner to develop a leadership development program for rising staff members on your team.
Building a strong infrastructure
The reality of remote work means that we can’t just turn to a team member to ask for quick program updates the way we used to. Nonprofits need a way to access information easily, manage relationships with supporters and clients, and track program data—now while we’re collaborating virtually and when we’re back together in the office.
- Request a session to link up with trouble-shooting support for the customer relationship management (CRM) infrastructure your team is currently using.
- Request a project with a CRM pro to set up a system like Salesforce for the first time or make in-depth improvements to an existing framework. If your team hasn’t explored using a CRM database before, work with a volunteer to do an assessment of what your organization needs for more effective customer relationship management.
There’s a long road ahead
But you can count on Taproot to be here to support your nonprofit every step of the way. Request a project or session where—or when—your team needs it on Taproot Plus, our online pro bono portal. It’s completely free for nonprofits, public schools, fiscally sponsored social good organizations, and small businesses to use. So, request one project or four! Your organization will never have to pay a fee to connect with our expert volunteers.
