Comment
The limited resources of not-for-profit organisations
with Brian Shakes
Not-for-profit organisations have always known about the ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma of which comes first, recruiting members or providing services.
Without services, why would members join, or stay, once they’ve joined? But without members, where is the money with which to provide the services? The wonderful support volunteers provide to such organisations takes the edge off the quandary, but doesn’t fully resolve it.
Like many, if not most, not-for-profit organisations, Over 50s Association finds itself constantly having to make the choice between marketing to recruit extra members or spending the money to extend services for the existing members.
It would be nice to always be able to do both, but that is not usually the case.
Our choice has been to extend member services as and when we can, rather than spending significant amounts on promotion or recruitment. And we have many thousands of members who express their happiness with that choice by renewing their membership each year.
But what of the younger members and potential members? We find they have increasingly sophisticated expectations and needs from an organisation such as ours. That means, of course, that an increased rate of membership growth is essential in order to generate the extra funds to finance the development and extension of services at a rate that will satisfy this new cohort.
This preamble is simply to lead in to saying that, at Over 50s Association, we are now looking for extra staff and volunteers in a range of areas such as membership growth, member services, advocacy and communications.
Like many not-for-profit organisations our limited resources allow for few modestly paid part-time staff, working with many dedicated volunteers.
You may be able to help us – and not just us, but any of a number of other not-for-profit organisations in similar circumstances – in ways that ‘make a difference’.
If you find yourself responding with interest, check out our advertisement in this issue, or go to the GoVolunteer website to check our, as well as other organisations’, current volunteering opportunities.
• Brian Shakes is chief executive officer of Over 50s Association, (03) 9650 6144.
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