For all of us in the mission-driven sector, March 2020 feels like a lifetime ago. We’ve seen so much change in such a short period of time, and the immense challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted us all.

12-months ago, as the world came to a screeching halt to protect the health and well-being of our communities, many mission-driven organizations found themselves asking once-in-a-generation questions:

How will we fundraise and meet our budget in a challenged economy?
How will we deliver our programs in a virtual world?
How will our strategic vision and plan need to be adapted to meet an uncertain future and what will be a new, new reality?

These are just a few questions that confronted mission-driven leaders during the pandemic. Now, we find ourselves anticipating recovery. With that, we have new questions to answer. Chief among them: how will mission-driven leaders re-imagine and re-orient their organizations to navigate a new post-pandemic normal?

As our Founder and President Leo Latz has proclaimed, “This is the Year of ‘RE’ – a year to RE-invent, RE-think, and RE-tool for a new reality that is just around the corner.”

It is in this context that Latz & Company has found silver linings. As with previous once-in-a-generation crises, once acute hardship passes, doors of opportunity are often opened. It is for this reason that we believe 2021 is the year for nonprofits to innovate.

Here are three reasons:

Rising Markets and Increased Wealth

Over the decades, annual giving has been strongly correlated with the performance of the S&P 500 Index. As the market continues to rebound, grow and achieve new all-time highs, major donors with increased wealth will have increased capacity to make transformational gifts. The nonprofits that demonstrate how they will thrive in the new normal will be best positioned to make asks of innovation-interested philanthropists.

New Realities Mean New Programs and New Cases for Support

Across the mission-driven sector, the needs of constituents have shifted, both in terms of how programs are delivered and the overall services demanded. This not only provides mission-driven organizations an opportunity to innovate to address new realities, but it also creates an opening for organizations to re-tool their cases for support to be more relevant and compelling. Now is the time to test new ideas – both programmatically and philanthropically – and to invite your major contributors and stakeholders into the innovation process. More than ever the axiom, “People will support what they help to create,” will be true.

The New Post-Pandemic Normal Will Require A Refreshed Vision

Every successful captain needs to know where their ship is headed, and that is especially true after the proverbial storm of the century. We believe that this metaphor also applies to mission-driven leaders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the sheer magnitude of disruption and change we experienced during this past year, we believe every organization should, at a minimum, be re-visiting their strategic visions and testing their relevancy and resonance with stakeholders. Moreover, if your organization does not have a strategic vision, now is the perfect opportunity to re-imagine what an aspirational future looks like for your organization and the people you serve.

To learn more about how your organization can leverage innovative strategies in this year of opportunity, please contact Latz & Company professional at 888.949.LATZ (5289) info@latzandco.com.