7 proposals to keep your organization alive in times of confinement

Non-profit organizations are not alien to the new reality of society due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. The compulsory confinement imposed on us all has meant that many organizations have stopped their services or activities, or at least have reduced them to the bare minimum.

However, staying at home does not necessary mean halting all activity; on the contrary, it brings the opportunity to deal with all those things that are constantly put off and that could help the organization to grow. Here we offer a set of ideas to keep your organization active during the confinement period.

• Plan the next steps.

Dealing with people directly and the reality of many organizations often means that it is difficult to find time to bring the whole team together and plan for the following months. This halt to our activities is a good opportunity to do some forward planning of future activities via videoconference.

You may also want to consider taking some time to find alternative dates to those activities that have been cancelled or to find ways of adapting them to the new circumstances.

• Training.

Another point that is always put off due to our usually high volume of work is training. This may be a good occasion to take a look at the free guides and other materials available to many organizations or to take part in webinars.

• Going back to pending issues.

Have you been wondering about new activities, offering a new service, organizing an event and never find the time to do this? Then now is the time! Go back to those old emails or pending files and get cracking!

• Preparing calls for funding grants.

Very often, funding grants are the most complicated task for organizations. It may be a good idea to take this time of confinement to search for funding calls and start preparing the paperwork or to consider other funding opportunities for your organization.

• Developing a communication and social media strategy.

To exist, you must communicate and all organizations should have a communication strategy and, whenever possible, one for social media. Developing a communication and social media strategy requires time and dedication that is often hard to find during the rest of the year.

• Tidying up and filing materials.

When activities drastically slow down or come to a halt, tidying up and filing materials, physical or digital, that are generated during the year may be a good way to make the most of your time.

• Touch base with your members.

Social media and new technologies mean that confinement is only physical. It is always interesting to use these means to touch base regularly with the rest of the technical staff, volunteers, the governing board and, whenever possible, with the beneficiaries of your projects, to keep them updated on news and offer support in situations that are out of the ordinary.