Israel has a thriving nonprofit sector, but every nonprofit organization (NPO) faces a number of common issues that need to be addressed for a business to be successful. There are over 35,000 registered NPOs in Israel and many of them share the same problems that they deal with on a daily basis.
Timekeeping problems
A nonprofit organization is accountable to its funders to track their operational time. Clear records need to be kept by non-profit managers of how the organization is working. Funders may require timesheets for grants, especially if employees need to keep track of the number of hours worked in order to justify funding. A manager needs to establish a clear system for recording timekeeping, whether it is on Excel spreadsheets, or some other accounting systems. This will also enable managers to have a clear idea of whether the company is operating efficiently.
Investment in staff
It is important in any organization that funding is invested into hiring the right staff and that the employees are listened to. Employees and board members are the most important assets in any organization, and without them, a company would not function. Strong leadership within an organization is essential and the managers are the backbone. Make sure you look after nonprofit managers with problems of high blood pressure and stress. 15% of people in Israel have high blood pressure, including 22% of men and 9% of women. This can lead to other health problems including the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Marketing and development
Investment into the marketing and development of NPOs is essential. Make sure that the company has a good marketing strategy. Start with the targets that you wish to achieve and assign a realistic deadline. Some attitudes are that NPOs don’t like to see donated money spent on advertising, however every major organization needs to spend money on informing their constituents and reaching new ones. Keeping a budget for marketing and development is essential, just as for internal management, since NPOs are accountable for showing where and how charitable investment is spent.
Keeping track of budget and costs
Every NPO has budget restrictions and needs to track expenses. This data is reported regularly to the tax authority and even to the Finance Committee of the Knesset. If irregularities are found in income and expenses, companies could be fined, even closed.
Every nonprofit in Israel faces the same issues when it comes to running their organization. Keeping track of the small details can help the organization run better as a whole.
