By Sean Jackson and Jacquelin Giacobbe
As New Jersey enters Phase II of our COVID-19 re-opening plan, non-profit leaders are beginning to plan for what their “new normal” will look like, both in the short-term COVID environment and beyond. What can the past three months tell us about the future of non-profit work?
In many ways, the COVID pandemic has showcased the resilience of non-profits. We prepared for remote work with a few days’ notice, adapting to use google docs, virtual meetings, and new online systems with relative ease. Even our self-proclaimed “tech illiterate” staff learned how to use video conferencing software and set up new processes for (frankly, outdated) paper requisitions, timesheets, and other systems. If you had asked non-profit leaders on February 1st how quickly we could jump into the 21st century, this would have been unimaginable for most.
For Most, the Hybrid Office is Here to Stay
For advocates of “untethering” yourself to an office from 9-5, the shift to remote work and flexibility has been a welcome change. Some organizations may look at the experiment of the past three months and decide that their office can stay remote permanently. We’ve seen that trend with internet companies, such as Square and Twitter. In addition, remote work has been correlated with increased productivity and improved job satisfaction.
However, for most non-profits, a fully remote office is impractical, if not impossible. We meet with service recipients in person, provide after school services to at-risk youth, offer case management and life skills, plant gardens together, provide emergency housing and more. Online services may work for some programs, but there are certain elements of human interaction that can’t be captured through a screen. And much of the “magic” of collaboration between colleagues and departments happen informally – a chat in the breakroom, an impromptu meeting.
A hybrid office will be the solution for most non-profits. We’ll want to balance short-term social distancing and safety needs and the benefits of working remotely with mission critical work and a culture of connectedness. For your office, that may mean some departments stay home permanently, a rotating schedule of employees in the office, or something in the middle.
Why Shared Space, and Why Now?
As we develop our hybrid office plans, many will quickly see the benefit to reducing their office footprint. How can we defend the inefficiencies of cooling a 5,000 sq ft building for 4 employees all summer, and heating it all winter? Why pay for offices that stay empty, and conference rooms and kitchens that are at half-capacity? As the non-profit sector begins to come to terms with the economic fallout of the shutdown, saving money while maintaining safe, high quality space will be critical.
And that’s where physical non-profit centers have a role. There are hundreds of Nonprofit Centers across the United States, offering affordable office space, shared amenities and meeting rooms, and programming that fosters collaboration and builds capacity.
The benefits of non-profit centers have been well documented. According to the 2019 Nonprofit Center Network’s State of the Shared Space Sector Report, the five top effects of non-profit centers are:
- Adds value: 88%
- Helps meet your needs: 85%
- Benefits people in orgs: 82%
- Benefits programs: 81%
- Greater impact: 78%
And specific organizational benefits include improvement in:
- overall organizational capacity: 86%
- achieving their mission: 88%
- achieving their goals: 89%
- productivity: 80%
- morale: 78%
Tenants of these centers report annual cost savings of $15,500, including competitive rents, shared amenities, and time savings resulting from shared services, such as not needing to troubleshoot an IT problem.
Beyond these benefits, many offer programming or support to build capacity and encourage collaboration. At the Social Profit Center at Mill One, for example, we’re looking forward to a post-COVID world where we’ll be using our large gathering and event spaces to bring in guest speakers, hold workshops, and offer programming that engages and connects our tenants to others in the region. We aren’t just another sterile office park; the Social Profit Center brings together members who have a shared passion for change and a desire to find ways to work together to achieve their missions.
Today, the future of the non-profit landscape in New Jersey is uncertain. As the economic impacts from COVID and the shutdown are felt across the state, non-profits will be forced to tighten belts and make tough decisions, while the needs of the hardest-hit communities we serve will only grow. To weather this storm, we’ll have to think creatively and work together. Joining a non-profit shared space center is just one way organizations can reduce costs, maintain high quality space, and grow their impact. As we say at the Social Profit Center, we’ll Do Good. Better.
Sean Jackson is a consultant serving as project manager, Social Profit Center at Mill One, a redevelopment venture by Isles, Inc., a community development and environmental non-profit in Trenton.
Jacquelin Giacobbe is director of communications and grants management for Isles, Inc.