We are standing between the past and the future. Our pre-pandemic way of being and doing is over. We need to let go of our pre-pandemic thinking. We need to let go of the limitations of the past and open ourselves up to new possibilities.
For decades, nonprofits have been under-resourced and under-staffed. Government reimbursement rates don’t cover the full cost of providing services—nonprofits have been subsidizing the government for years. When the state was in a deficit position, they expected nonprofits to do more with less. Now that the state has a revenue surplus, we need to expect the state to pay a fair price for services. If you have a contract or hope to have a contract to provide services, speak with someone at the state agency now and share the real cost of providing services. State agencies are in the process of finalizing their budgets now.
The state has a surplus and the federal government has passed relief and recovery funding, with plans for more. There’s plenty of funding. Now the challenge is to find the opportunities that align with your mission and have the capacity to apply for them.
We have become accustomed to thinking incrementally. Let's stop limiting ourselves and think big. What would it take to accomplish your mission: staff, facilities, funding? Opportunity surrounds us, if we can see it and seize it.