• "I've made many sacrifices, but I have never compromised." - Karl Lagerfeld

    Budget cuts are everywhere and no matter how one approaches the process, it is a painful and challenging operation. A big temptation is to institute across-the-board cuts that require every department to cut the same percentage. This can be the easiest approach and appear to be the most democratic but it can also lead to decisions that are ultimately not in the organization's best interests. For example, cutting development staff just when raising money is harder than ever, or cutting programs at the core of your long-term volunteers’ and donors’ commitment. More challenging, but sometimes more strategic, is to look at cuts on a line by line basis and to consider the long-term and ripple ramifications of each cut. At Abdale Consulting, we call this part of “Strategic Realignment” and we bring a fresh eye and a strategic perspective that can help an organization get lean yet remain viable.

    Another temptation is to make a series of small cuts in hopes that the funding environment will change before bigger cuts are necessary. This can demoralize staff and encourage anyone who can to jump ship, and diminish the agency’s credibility with existing and potential donors. Wiser in the long run may be to bite the bullet just once, make bigger and deeper cuts upfront, and reassure the staff that remains that their jobs are secure. 

    There is also an opportunity for executives and senior staff to lead by example and defer some compensation or take short-term salary cuts along with cuts to programs. The last thing an organization needs today is to be perceived by its volunteers and donors as the nonprofit equivalent of a bonus-taking Wall Street firm where executives put their own self-interest above the needs of their clients. 

    The biggest challenge of all is to not let fear sit in the driver’s seat when making these decisions. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” has never been truer or more applicable. Fear makes us small in our thinking and makes us distrustful of others just when alliances and collaborations are essential strategies for survival. It obliterates our ability to see opportunities and shows us a future filled only with wreckage and ruin.

    Courage is what’s needed now – courage, faith and creativity. Faith that the money follow wherever our mission leads, as long as we keep our heads, operate with integrity and maintain the balance between altruism and pragmatism.  Creativity flows much more easily when we trust in our selves and the rightness of our cause.

Comments (9)

  • Posted by Anonymous
    4/17/2012 3:46:38 AM
  • Posted by Anonymous
    4/5/2012 5:37:54 PM

    I opine that identifying phone calls from people you don't know can be difficult. This is why I strictly suggest using reliable reverse phone lookup directory to find out the name and address of these unknown callers. This is what I am saying.

  • Posted by Anonymous
    3/18/2012 9:43:26 PM

    The newest style of Coach Purses Outlet offer Cheap Coach Purses online. Coach Outlet have cheap Coach Diaper Bags, Coach Hobos Handbags, Coach handbags outlet, Coach Totes Handbags, Coach Outlet Online for cheap, Coach Poppy Handbags, Coach Outlet Online and Coach wallets. Coach Tote Bags are one of the most popular and versatile handbag styles. Coach Purses Outlet are well received by the females, especially the young. Stylish design, colorful painting, practical function attract the public's attention soon. All cheap coach purses we offer here are stylish trims and innovative designs. Coach Outlet Store Online are mostly welcomed and loved by women and even men. Cheap Coach handbags use the unique and fine leather material which is extraordinary in the world. Take your time to select coach outlet store online our best Coach bags cheap for sale with discount wholesale and free and fast shipping. Online register as a member on this website and enjoy your online shopping. Welcome to enjoy shopping our Coach bags! Our aim is Best quality top service. Just take action! Don't miss the opportunity to own one of these fasionable Discount Coach Handbags on discounted price. Free shipping and non sale tax! Buy discount coach purses now and enjoy the fashion world!

  • Posted by Anonymous
    1/15/2012 9:20:51 PM

    I don't know about you, but if I'm getting calls from knuckleheads I can't identify on my cell phone, I'll occasionally do a cell phone lookup to deal with such people. That's how I handle it!

  • Posted by Anonymous
    12/21/2011 2:15:14 PM

    Following my investigation, thousands of people all over the world receive the business loans at different banks. So, there is good possibilities to receive a bank loan in any country.

  • Posted by Anonymous
    1/11/2011 9:38:39 PM

    orted directly from deIsgner jewelry online store orted

  • Posted by Anonymous
    9/26/2010 1:23:20 AM

    Grandmother lived in the vegetable garden outside the village. Archlord gold We are just riding a motorcycle off the road, black from the vegetable plots ran the fastest to meet us. Because we go to when they are already fast at noon, so let's eat. I finished the meal, we went out looking for black to play.ugg

    When I saw the black when it's like I feel it seems hungry.world of warcraft gold I went to took a steamed bun, and then breaking off a small piece of the next, it said: "The black, if we should want to eat then." Finish, I put bread and threw the air. Black look, at once erected the whole body up. ugg stiefel
    2 small black claws on the air, and then big mouth,maple story mesos jump up, suddenly bite of the bread. I jumped up and patted its head, saying: "Well like, black, you're a hummer!" It is a large black tail Shuaile Shuai and gently biting the bite of my Yijiao that agreed. "This time you can not unilaterally!"ugg schuhe

  • Posted by Anonymous
    9/18/2010 10:33:08 PM

    Franchisees say McDonald's expansive menu—it offers everything from high-priced salads and cheap snack wraps to cappuccinos

    and smoothies—appeals to a broader swath of consumers. In its latest quarter, McDonald's
    revenue rose 5% and its net income was up 12%, while Burger King's latest quarterly

    ugg
    Several restaurant chains have gone private this year, perhaps due to relatively low
    valuations that have attracted buyers. Rubio's Restaurants was recently taken private by

    ugg boots
    sold to Columbia Lake Acquisition Holdings, an affiliate of Apollo Management VII LP; and earlier this week, Logan's

    Roadhouse, a casual-dining chain, announced it would be sold to Kelso & Co.

  • Posted by Anonymous
    5/13/2010 10:11:33 AM

    This is a very good program. I learned something. Thank you!
    mychristian louboutin

Add Your Comment

* denotes required input

Comment Guidelines: The following HTML tags are allowed: a href, b, br, p, strong, li, blockquote. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Email addresses will never be published. Thanks.

Categories