Is Your Nonprofit Still Relevant?

It may not be easy to face, but many nonprofit agencies do have a shelf-life. We many know somewhere in the back of our minds that our goal is to actually solve a problem and work our way out of a job, but facing the fact that a nonprofit organization or agency we may be incredibly attached to and passionate about is no longer relevant is anything but fun. Here are some suggestions to help you evaluate whether or not your nonprofit remains relevant:

Are you duplicating services that are being better provided by another entity? If there are several organizations in your community providing similar programs and services, chances are, unless you live in a large city or a particularly needy area, there is duplication and redundancy. Take a good, hard look at whether several agencies are basically providing the same services to the same clients. If this is the case, it may be time to consolidate and eliminate some of the redundancy.

Is your client base dwindling? Hopefully, you are keeping track of who you are serving and how well your programs, performances or services are being received by your clientele. If the numbers are dwindling, it could mean that you are not doing a very good job of reaching clients, or it could mean that the need or interest in your organization is no longer there.

Have you solved a problem? This is actually cause to celebrate, but it may also mean that it's time to close the doors. Perhaps, your organization has reached a point where you can hand over your programs and services to another agency who is serving the same population. Either way, it may no longer be necessary for you to exist if the problem has been solved, or the need can be met some other way.