Your community partner is requesting additional resources. How will you navigate this unexpected demand?

Whatever you do, don’t ignore this. Your team needs to develop great listening skills and document the situations that your community partners are experiencing. Gather as much information as you can because these are the “front line workers” so to speak. They are more in tune with the needs of the community than executives in an office. Do your best to support them and find ways to help them succeed.

The community partner's request for additional resources should be met with positive action, as it demonstrates a commitment to addressing critical needs. Fully understanding their requirements, as suggested, allows for informed decision-making that can enhance support without undermining organizational stability. By strategically planning and reallocating resources, nonprofits can balance immediate demands with long-term goals. Transparent communication and exploring alternative solutions, such as partnerships or in-kind donations, are crucial in navigating these challenges effectively, ensuring that both the community partner and the organization benefit.

To navigate an unexpected demand for additional resources from your community partner, start by assessing your current resource availability and constraints. Have an open discussion with the partner to understand their specific needs and urgency. Explore potential solutions together, such as reallocating existing resources, finding additional funding, or leveraging volunteer support. Communicate transparently about what is feasible and set realistic expectations. Prioritize the most critical needs and create a plan that balances both organizations' capacities. Regularly review and adjust the plan to ensure ongoing collaboration and mutual support.

We ask for additional resources as partners or get requests from partners, one critical partnership-bolstering activity is to explore together what all the possible alternatives are -- what forms might that resource take? I often coach and advise nonprofit professionals that choosing between three or more alternatives yields a better option than choosing between two options or offering only one. The process of having this discussion can yield multiple pathways forward and even more resource for the community partner.

Acknowledge the need then Pray! Seek the Lord in all things. It takes a lot of the heavy lifting and guess work out of it. The beauty of who he is, is that nothing takes him by surprise, if there is a need that He wants met- it will be met, and you may just be the instrument he chooses to do that with. Or there may be a better suited partner to handle that situation. It seems simple, so simple that many will scroll right past this, but sometimes we overthink things before we seek clarity.