Nonprofit work is hard. Leaders who take on this work bring a high level of passion in order to succeed. It’s inspiring when that passion begins to move the needle and make a difference in a community.

But it’s a constant struggle to keep a nonprofit moving and advancing. I have worked and supported nonprofits for more than two decades, and have experienced this struggle personally. 

In May, I was asked to speak at Philanthropy Miami’s Ignite! Conference on the topic of “Small Budget, Big Impact.” That’s what many of us are called to do: make a giant impact with few financial resources. 

In the United States, there were 2 million registered nonprofit organizations in 2023. That’s almost double the amount of nonprofits this country had in 1998. 

However, 75% of nonprofits have an annual operating budget of less than $100,000, according to the National Council of Nonprofits. Only 8% operate with $1 million or more. 

That’s a lot of small budgets in our nonprofit sector. That’s a lot of one- or two-person teams operating mostly through passion. 

With those odds, it’s easy to get sidetracked from the mission. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with fundraising, grant writing, and meeting with donors that you forget the people you serve. Those people who got you passionate about the work to begin with.

Today, I want to share my tips for staying focused on the mission. For us at Heart2Heart, that means staying focused on the seniors we serve. 

Stay Connected

Recently, I got a call from a senior who got evicted from his home. Of course, I have a team that usually fields calls like these and connects seniors to resources and to our pool of volunteers. 

However, I had talked to this particular gentleman over the years, so he felt the need to call me directly. That conversation served as a needed reminder about the struggles seniors are dealing with everyday.  

While I can’t take every phone call, I think it’s important to stay connected to the individuals your organization serves. Know individual names, their circumstances and how your organization helped. 

Every time I speak to a donor, I have a very specific story that I can share about one senior we’ve impacted. If I find myself at a loss for a story, that’s an indicator that I haven’t spoken to a senior in a while, and I’ve become disconnected to the needs and the voices of the community I serve. 

Some nonprofit boards discourage their executive directors from being too “low to the ground.” They would rather the leaders stay focused on fundraising, public relations and managing the team. 

I think even those leaders should take a day or two every quarter to volunteer in the field or to take phone calls. How else can you understand your community?

Keep it Simple

I like to plan and visualize new projects and collaborations. Setting the vision for the organization is one of my strengths as a leader.

However, because of that, I can easily get sidetracked by the “new.” There are lots of initiatives that I wish our organization could take on. However, each new project is a big investment of time. If we don’t have the capacity or we’re not equipped to tackle it with excellence, we’re sunk before we’ve started. 

In those moments when I’m distracted by new ideas, I have to remind myself to keep it simple. You have to keep doing what you’re good at to succeed over the long haul.  

Chick-fil-A can’t run out of chicken. Wendy’s can’t run out of hamburgers. The dedicated customers of those franchises count on the products they’re famous for. 

In the same way, a nonprofit organization can’t forget its main audience. Don’t spread yourself thin by trying to do too much. 

Build on your strengths. 

Manage Your Time

Finally, every nonprofit leader needs to be a good steward of their time. 

It’s easy for leaders to run from meeting to meeting and never stop to take a minute and reflect. Many of us are good speakers who can speak off the cuff about our profession with confidence. 

However, it’s important to get time “in the gym” for our profession. We need downtime to research, read, strategize and plan. We need to stay up-to-date with current events and laws that affect the people we serve. 

We can’t skip that part. We have to stay in the know of our profession. It’s hard to keep that time built into our weekly schedules with everything else we’re responsible for. But it’s vital for serving our people well. 

How do you stay focused on your community and avoid “mission creep?” Share your ideas in the comments or email me at juan@h2houtreach.org.