All nonprofit organizations have their own goals. They vary in operations, execution, and marketing, to name a few. But if there is one thing all nonprofit organizations have in common, that is their need to maintain their daily functions. This includes the need to find a suitable facility and maintain the building to ensure business continuity.
It is not enough that you make sure your office, warehouse, or whatever facility your nonprofit has is kept clean and organized. You need to make sure to take maintenance seriously so that you and your members can safely continue with your day-to-day processes. For best results, keep the following nonprofit facility dos and don’ts in mind.
Do Start With a Building Assessment
It does not matter if your facility is mainly an office, a warehouse, or a whole building. There is a need to ensure that your facility does more than serve its purpose. It also needs to be clean, organized, and in good shape to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.
You may already have plans to improve your facility after garnering more than enough funds for maintenance and repair. But before you make any improvement, invest in a building assessment first. This will help you get to know your building better.
A complete building assessment is a systematic inspection, comprehensive review, and actual report telling you the current state of your facility. We can compare this to a home inspection. But note that a complete building assessment is more complex.
This involves the detailed inspection of your facility’s systems, structural components, interiors, and exterior components. You will receive a comprehensive report letting you know of all the issues found in your facility and how much the expected costs will be for every matter or deficiency detected.
Don’t Take Planning and Budgeting for Granted
You value planning before execution, and you try hard to budget your nonprofit’s finances. Why not do the same when it comes to managing your facility? Remember that the key to success, no matter your endeavor might be, is proper planning and budgeting.
It helps if you have a facility manager overseeing renovations and expansions. If not, make sure you plan and budget your renovations wisely to avoid costly consequences in the future. Do your own research to ensure you are working with the best contractors to handle the job required.
Once you manage to get a hold of the right contractors, record all work done. Be sure to write this along with their company name, the name of the people who worked on the project, and their contact details. This will make it easier for you to find the right people when you need their services.
For example, you had your plumbing system inspected and repaired. Be sure to find a reliable contractor for your plumbing issues and take note of their details. Take a before and after picture of the repair, document everything, and store all details in one folder.
Do Embrace Sustainability
Even if your nonprofit is focused on non-environmental causes, it helps that you also start embracing your corporate social responsibility. Remember that today’s modern consumers want brands to be more responsible for their environmental impact. You can attract more members, make more people happy, and gain more donors if you join the green trend.
You can do this by embracing sustainable practices when renovating your building. Think of sustainable energy sources and energy-efficient upgrades. Hiring local contractors and suppliers and partnering with local businesses will help your brand become a more sustainable nonprofit.
You can invest in sustainable energy sources by applying for green financing. Energy-efficient upgrades allow you to save energy while improving your energy savings. You are also helping the local community by working with local contractors, suppliers, and businesses.
Don’t Cut Corners
Building maintenance and repair can take longer than expected. It is so tempting to choose temporary fixes so that you can continue your operations. But if you are always cutting corners, you can end up nursing a bigger and more expensive maintenance and repair project that can put a stop to your future operations.
Stop choosing the easy way out and start investing in the proper maintenance and repair jobs. This will give you better peace of mind knowing you are not opting for the cheapest, easiest, and fastest way. Remember that your facility is where you and your employees work hard to fulfill your mission.
Your nonprofit requires a safe facility where you and your staff can manage your daily operations. But without proper care and maintenance, this can quickly deteriorate and impact your organization. Keep these facility management best practices in mind to ensure your nonprofit stays on top of your game.
