We wish we had a crystal ball right now.
Something to tell us what even tomorrow might bring, because it feels like things are changing minute by minute. We know you feel the same way. We see your organizations faced with a huge influx in demand for your services, like meals for children who are out of school, but you’re also facing a steep decline in the number of volunteers able to help. And we’re seeing your annual events and your theatre productions being canceled and your cultural spaces closed, and we know you’re working day and night to figure out how you’re going to make ends meet to sustain your organization’s services.
While we don’t have that crystal ball—and we don’t have solutions for every challenge you’re facing—we do want you to know that we see you. And we—along with more than 75,000 skilled volunteers—are here to help whenever you’re ready. That may not be today, tomorrow, or a month from now. But we’re ready.
Tapping into pro bono support when the time is right
Here are some thoughts for how you can tap into pro bono support to help your organization when the time is right—either in the form of a quick consultation call or a more in-depth project.
Crafting crisis communications
Between balancing tone, brevity, and timing, communicating through a crisis is an art. And if your organization doesn’t have a trained communications professional, or your comms team is underwater addressing incoming requests, it’s hard to think strategically about how to convey your important message.
- Request a session to pick a communications professional’s brain if your organization is still figuring out next steps for sharing your crisis messaging.
- Request a project if you need support with more long-term communications to your stakeholders, like re-engaging them when your programs ramp up again or keeping them informed of how your various services will remain available to them.
Financial reforecasting
Revenues are taking a hit for organizations across the board, from tickets being refunded to income-generating programs being cancelled. You need to get a quick and accurate handle on your revenue outlook for the year to make strategic decisions.
- Request a session if you’d benefit from troubleshooting your forecasting model with a financial expert to make sure you’re incorporating the necessary considerations and constraints.
- Request a project if you’re ready to dig into data, but you don’t know where to start. Finance professionals can work with you to create a smart Excel model or do a deeper analysis on your true program costs.
Creative fundraising campaigns
You’ve been planning your spring gala for months, and you’ve now made the difficult decision to postpone until the fall. What can you do in the meantime to compensate for lost revenue that was meant to get you through the fiscal year? You can count on our creative professionals to help jump-start your giving with a creative fundraising and messaging campaign.
- Request a session if you’d like to brainstorm a pithy campaign title or high-level messaging to get the ball rolling with your development team.
- Request a project if you’re looking for a graphic designer to add visual flair to your campaign or a social media expert to build out a strategy and draft the most compelling calls to action.
HR policy updates
The way we work has drastically changed, and many organizations are operating without the right policies in place. Maybe your staff is completely new to the concept of working from home or you’re looking to establish new pandemic-focused protocols for the safety and health of your employees and clients. An HR expert can help.
- Request a session if you have a policy that you’d like reviewed or want to suss out what policies might be helpful to implement during this period of change.
- Request a project if you doesn’t have HR capacity and you’d like to work alongside an expert to flesh out new policies and protocols to help keep your organization running effectively in this new environment.
Delivering programs virtually
Organizations must be nimble in accommodating shifts in program delivery, both now and in the long run. Taking advantage of the right types of technology can go a long way to support that and other efficiencies, but you need to know what you don’t know, what could really make a difference, and what’s worth prioritizing.
- Request a session if you’d like to walk through some options with an expert who is familiar in tech platforms designed to connect people virtually.
- Request a project if you’re looking for a tech professional to lead a requirements-gathering process, help assess your needs, and make informed recommendations that will work within your parameters.
Wherever you and your organization are at this moment, please know that Taproot and pro bono support can help you build a more sustainable future through these uncertain times. Our volunteers are waiting at the ready with their hands raised.
