In December, a 30 year old youth organization in our community, Havasu for Youth, announced that they were struggling to keep their doors open. Deep funding cuts from city government and United Way had reduced the operating budget by half. The strong and supportive community efforts just were not enough to maintain cash flow.
This story is not unique to our community. Organizations across the country have spent the last few years trying to weather the recession and survive, while need for services increased. Some organizations closed, while others merged. Some found opportunity in new partnerships or refocusing programs for greater impact
As a Board Director for Havasu for Youth, part of my job has been to ask tough questions:
- Are we creating impact for the youth in our community?
- Can we create sustainable impact with the resources available to us?
- Who else is working with youth and can we partner?
- If our program is not viable, how do we responsibly close down?
It is difficult to think of closing an organization, to which we have committed so much time and energy. We hear the stories of how our programs have made a difference for middle school students who learned to cook, peer tutors who learned job skills while helping younger students, and youth we were able to play sports or dance thanks to scholarships. Each new donation starts us thinking, that maybe we can sustain. Some potential partnerships offer tantalizing possibilities if they can be put in place quickly enough. The roller coaster of emotions is tough on the board and staff.
Have you ever been a part of making these decisions for an organization? What questions did you consider? How did you choose to move forward or say goodbye?
Two Plus Two Can Be Five 