What “I don’t have the resources to do that” really means
- Tue, November 16 2010
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
In our sector, there are never enough resources to do all we want. Time is short. Nonprofit marketing budgets are tiny. Staff are scarce.
And a shortage of means is not just true in the social sector. It is true everywhere: it’s never, ever possible to say yes to everything. In a world where most everything is limited, we all have to say no sometimes.
What’s the point?
If someone says, “I can’t do that without more resources,” or “I don’t have enough time to do that,” or “We are insufficiently staffed to accomplish that,” read between the lines. They probably CAN do at least a little of what you are asking, if they said no to other things. “I don’t have the resources” most often means “you are not my priority.” “I don’t have the time” means “I choose to spend my time on other things.”
If you are not the priority, more resources or more time don’t necessarily solve the problem of securing committment from someone else. Focus less on what you hear about scant resources and more on what’s being said: you’ve made an insufficient case that you belong at the top of the list. You have a problem of persuasion. The answer? Prove you deserve the scarce yes rather than the common no.
Comments
Synchronizing resources with true priorities is a huge problem. Sometimes it’s the result of bad management, sometimes politics. It frequently can be ameliorated by simple education. If the powers that be simultaneously claim something is a top priority AND something you don’t have the resources to address, call their bluff. Show them what you could accomplish with a little resource reallocation. Then we’ll see if that something really is a priority.
You do need to make a case, but you also need to face the economic reality.
When someone says they don’t have the resources, they may be right.
For example, according to the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations, 75% of nonprofits in Texas have budgets of under $25.000. When we focus on the large nonprofits, we have to realize that the majority of nonprofit DO need more resources to fulfill their missions.
Mazarine
PS. Wrote a post with more stats about the Texas nonprofit sector here: http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/learned-texas-nonprofit-sector/