As a nonprofit organization, you deal with multiple audiences – your staff and volunteers, your donors, and the people you serve. In today’s episode, I’ve got three quick tips to help you with ALL of them! The conversation you need to have with your staff and volunteers before your organization opens back up in these coronavirus times Giving Tuesday coming up May 5th and your feelings about asking for money at this time And a little trick that you can use every day to get more of the people you want to serve or people who support you to like your Facebook page… It’s so simple, but SO GOOD.  Let’s start with that conversation with your staff and volunteers. A lot of states are opening back up again… It’s SUCH a confusing time with what we’re all supposed to do with this coronavirus stuff…some states are opening back up for business, while others are on lockdown until June. There are conflicting instructions on what we’re supposed to actually do, it’s hard to… well… KNOW WHAT WE’RE SUPPOSED TO DO! Everyone – including the government and health officials – are all just figuring it out.  Disclaimer – I am not a doctor or an expert on the coronavirus. I do not work for the CDC. Follow the recommendations for your state. What is your state doing? What are the recommendations of your governor? Those are the guidelines you should be following. If going back to work and opening back up at your nonprofit is on the table, the first thing you need to do is have a conversation with your staff and volunteers. I read a statistic this week that said 1 in 3 volunteers is 55 years old and over. I know a lot of nonprofits have a lot of volunteers that are over 60. So, if you’re the leader of your organization, you have to take this into consideration – if your volunteers cannot, should not or don’t want to come to serve at your organization, how will you adjust the way you serve, how will you adapt? Get the pulse of your volunteers and staff. A great way to get honest feedback is by asking them to all weigh in with SurveyMonkey. You can sign up for a free plan. The beauty of using SurveyMonkey is you can get clear honest feedback from your volunteers and staff to your clear questions. You can ask them questions like: when will you be ready to volunteer? Next week, in a month, or decide later. Then you can adjust your services based on how many volunteers will come in, and how you can incorporate social distancing. It’s not going to be business as usual, but you can start inching a little closer to normal. You know your organization’s specific situation. Get feedback from your volunteers and staff, pay attention to what your governor is recommending, and take into consideration the details of how you nonprofit can operate – if you think about those things, you’ll feel a lot more confident about what to do and how you’re supposed to do it.  Ok let’s shift gears and talk about your donors… This year, there will be not one, but TWO Giving Tuesdays. In addition to the original Giving Tuesday in November, there will be another Giving Tuesday May 5th, which is next week at the time of the release of this episode. I’ve been hearing a lot of nonprofit leaders voicing concerns and feeling conflicted over the idea of asking for money right now, especially if they don’t necessarily need it.  First of all, I just want to say, yes, a lot of people have lost their jobs or have had to shut down their businesses. But not everyone. Not everyone is out of a job. On top of that, people realize that now more than ever, nonprofits need support. That’s why there are two days of giving this year on the calendar!  It’s OKAY to ask for money right now during these “giving events.” and here’s the truth about it all: If you don’t ask, somebody else is going to. You might not be on the brink of closing your nonprofit’s doors, but you don’t have to wait until you’re on the edge to ask for money. Remember what you do! You are helping your community. You are helping people