April 2020 – Rick Szilagyi, Principal

Dear clients and friends:

I trust this finds you and yours remaining healthy during this trying time. We have had the opportunity to work with many organizations relative to the “alphabet soup” of current funding and employment programs – the PPP (Payroll Protection Program), the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan), and the FFCRA (Families First Corona Response Act). Along the way, an item that I routinely complain about, has again caused confusion. The term “nonprofit” is held by many to be synonymous with “charity” and 501(c)(3). When the PPP was first detailed, it was said to apply to nonprofits. Later, it was clarified to apply only to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(19), and Native American Tribal Groups. The EIDL is there for other organizations.

Opportunities

In spite of security concerns, the audio/video conferencing platform, Zoom, continues to gain in popularity, and we have noticed changes that we are sure are aimed at increasing security.  Regardless of the platform, all of us are becoming more frequent users of Zoom, WebEx, Skype, etc. for family get-togethers, business meetings, and even weddings.

While in-person events are being postponed or cancelled, please don’t overlook the opportunities afforded by online events. In addition to many other classifications, we ARE social beings. Besides online meetings and webinars to address COVID-19 related issues impacting your stakeholders, likeminded individuals want opportunities to meet, in general. One of our clients just worked with presenters on a webinar that resulted in over 700 registrants. Some are moving to online membership meetings, given that face-to-face meetings just can’t happen right now. Others are hosting “office hours” with more of an open agenda. And… please… it is OK to charge a fee! Why?

Here today… here tomorrow

A-C-E-S is how we frame the work we do with our clients for their constituents.

  • Advocacy (self-explanatory)
  • Community (creating the opportunity for the involved population to gather)
  • Education (also self-explanatory)
  • Sustainability (just as important as the first three)

The final element is sustainability. Your organization needs to be here tomorrow. There ARE costs associated with delivering on advocacy, community, and education, but you need funding today in order for you to continue to deliver tomorrow. You are not guilty of an indiscretion by charging a registration fee. You ARE guilty of poor management and planning if your organization is not financially viable tomorrow.

If we can help, please let us know. Stay healthy!

The Lexian Management newsletter is for informational purposes only.

Always consult your attorney, accountant, and/or insurance provider to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or concern.