5 Small Tips for Big Nonprofit Growth

“So you wanna get big. That makes sense—the bigger your organization, the greater your impact. What nonprofit doesn’t want that?

But nonprofit growth is hard. According to recent data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, just 5 percent of U.S. nonprofits have expenses of $10 million or more, while 66.4 percent have expenses of less than $500,000.

The vast majority of nonprofits may be small, but even the big guys had to start somewhere. And it’s no accident they got so big. Growth is attainable—especially if you know where to start (and you’re willing to get your hands dirty). Now, obviously, it’s a complex problem with challenges that differ from organization to organization. We won’t try to solve that problem here. But we can point you in the right direction.

Here are five ideas for growing your nonprofit:

1. Learn to Do More With Less
For the most part, even the biggest nonprofits operate on tight budgets. What really separates smaller, newer nonprofits from their larger, established contemporaries is manpower. If you want to grow, you’ve got to get the most out of what staff you have. “Be selfish with staff time,” said Katie Bisbee, chief marketing officer for DonorsChoose.org, a New York nonprofit that helps public school teachers crowdfund for supplies and services they need. “With a lean staff, you have to make sure you’re maximizing time to generate the most progress toward your mission. We constantly look for ways to scale the work we do.”

Read the full post here.