Giving Compass' Take:

· Martha Paren at Alliance Magazine offers some fundamental principles to help nonprofits rapidly scale their responses to the coronavirus crisis.

· How have nonprofits stepped up during this time?  What type of work is most necessary throughout this situation?

· Check out these collaborative methods world leaders can employ for an effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Non-profits, often on the front-line of the COVID-19 response, are stepping up to the mammoth challenge ahead.

Those delivering services at the forefront of the crisis – from domestic violence, to mental health, food poverty to education – are having to scale up their services to meet the sudden increased need. Others are pivoting and rapidly innovating to adapt to this new world, including moving services online. New collaborations and partnerships are being formed.

As we learn what works in these unprecedented times, scaling solutions rapidly and effectively must be a central part of the response.

However, in such a fast-moving situation, many non-profits are having to make decisions about how to do so overnight.  Without the luxury of time, there are some fundamental principles that can help non-profits needing to scale rapidly.

1. Get clear on your aims
If you are having to rapidly scale or pivot your services, it is important to interrogate your objectives, as this should influence your strategy and the actions you take.

2. Focus on scaling impact
Focus on scaling up what is really driving your impact and will change people’s lives. Challenge yourself to be as lean as possible and strip out anything that isn’t essential and might slow down your scale.

3. Agree partnership parameters
Scale is often best done in partnership, as local organisations are well-placed to deliver for their communities. In these difficult times we are seeing some really fantastic and innovative collaborations springing up across the world.

4. Develop people-friendly processes
As solutions are scaled, the size of teams and delivery partners also grows. Clear processes and documentation, which enable others to implement or replicate your solution effectively, are critical for successful scale.

Read the full article about scaling solutions in a crisis by Martha Paren at Alliance Magazine.