Social media is just one of the many recent advances that have created a host of opportunities for nonprofits. Just like any technological advance, however, disadvantages have also developed. Now, competition between organisations has dramatically increased. While the ability to communicate with others has improved, it’s also much more difficult to stand out from all the other causes and movements that need the help of others to improve our world.

Listed below are two of the most common challenges faced by nonprofits today. Included in our list are a few ways that NFPs are overcoming these obstacles to achieve their goals.

Overcome Growing Pains with Cooperation, Purpose and Engagement

Every organisation needs sustainable growth. No matter how worthy your cause may be, without growth, your stakeholders will eventually lose their focus and interest your work in the long term.

To create a resilient, thriving NFP, organisations must invest in increasing their capacity to provide services. This is a difficult hurdle to cross given that some sources of funding, such as Federal and State grants, have been reduced or eliminated altogether.

To overcome this roadblock, some NFPs have embraced a more inventive mindset, becoming open to change. NFPs that are growth driven look for new ways to raise funds and search for new opportunities to build capacity. An example of this approach is when nonprofits expand the services they offer their communities by collaborating with third parties to secure resources.

Nonprofits are best able to grow when they are driven by a sense of purpose. Excitement and energy literally fill the air within these organisations as they look for unique, authentic ways to increase staff morale and volunteer satisfaction. They offer opportunities for their people to learn new skills and develop both personally and professionally. This increases team engagement and improves performance. Support for the organisation and its mission grows as performance improves.

Growth driven organisations, and their people, are always on the lookout for creative ways to do more for their service communities. These NFPs are never satisfied with good enough. They continuously evaluate their processes and experiment with new perspectives and ways of doing things as they use innovation to propel the mission forward.

Creating a Laser-Like Focus on Messaging and Brand Development

Fundraising remains a challenge for most nonprofits. Communication remains a primary means of raising awareness and securing support, but to communicate effectively, nonprofits must have a strategy to build a strong brand and focus on their values, and messaging.

When NFPs send conflicting messages, especially messages that stray from the organisation’s core values, it creates mistrust and weakens the brand. This can lead to a decrease in support for your nonprofit. Not only will your fundraising suffer, but other forms of support, such as your ability to recruit staff, volunteers and advocates for your cause, are also hampered by miscommunication and weak branding.

Good brand development begins by increasing the focus on the organisation’s core values and mission. These values, and the mission, should underpin the actions of everyone involved with the nonprofit, from the services that the NFP provides, to its internal and external communications.

Messaging should also be focused on the organisation’s values, whether the messages relate to fundraising, or other activities. As part of increasing the focus on values, NFPs should seek to understand who their supporters are as people. They should look for ways to connect and respond to their followers and other stakeholders in a meaningful, engaging way.

Messaging should be targeted to the nonprofit’s supporters and their needs. It should anticipate the questions that arise in the minds of its target audience and seek to inform and answer these questions to create greater trust and build authentic relationships.

What about your nonprofit? Are there obstacles that stand in the way of your NFP’s goals? What steps can your nonprofit take to become more innovative, and focused, to overcome these challenges?