Coworking is great for non-profits. Here’s how to convince your board to pay for it
Coworking is an excellent choice for small non-profits with 1-2 person teams. So as an executive director, how do you get buy-in from your board of directors?
We hear it on occasion during tours:
“I love it… but I just need to convince my board that we need to be here.”
We get it! The concept of coworking isn’t exactly on everyone’s radar. If your board is stacked with folks who have been situated in their company’s own office space for most of their career, it may be up to you to expose them to the beauty of coworking for non-profits and the benefits it could bring to your organization. Let me break it down for you by listing the top four things you can do to get them to give you the green light on joining.
Bring them in for a tour
The first step to getting people to understand what coworking is all about is to bring them into a coworking space. Being flooded with endless virtual interactions on a day to day basis, whether it’s email, social media, texting, conference calls, or anything in between, we have somehow forgotten that in-person interaction and communication are still effective.
So book a tour, bring a board member or two, and let us walk you through the space to answer your questions live and in person. You can even grab a coffee and meet a couple of members while you’re here. Your board is sure to be wowed just seeing the networking opportunities that arise in a coworking environment.
Schedule a meeting here
We have three beautiful meeting rooms available here at Groundwork. Our memberships include a certain number of hours in the meeting rooms every month. They’re great for board meetings, staff training, workshops, and more. Looking to book for a full day or even a weekend? We can do that too! As a member, you’re privy to discounted rates that non-members do not have access to. And that’s another perk to coworking for non-profits– you’ll save money!
Give them a breakdown of coworking membership costs vs private office costs
It’s a no brainer. Having your own office is going to cost more than a coworking membership. If your board members are numbers people, you’ll want to give them the breakdown of how much you’ll save by joining a coworking space. Everything from coffee and snacks, printing, mail service, and meeting rooms are included in our Dedicated Desk and Flex memberships. Eliminating those costs alone is a steal, nevermind the building maintenance and logistical issues and costs that could come up with owning your own office.
In addition to saving money, you’ll make big productivity gains. We’ll take care of the office upkeep, maintenance, and day to day operations while you focus on your work. Is there anything else standing in their way?
Tell them about the other amazing organizations and businesses that are thriving as coworking members
We offer a number of affordable, if not free, programming on a regular basis. Consider bringing a board member or two to one of our events to meet other members. This is the perfect opportunity for them to get familiar with what businesses and organizations are here, how well they are doing, and hear it from them first hand why they benefit from coworking.
Need further proof that coworking for non-profits is a good choice? Just look at our amazing non-profit members, including Leadership South Coast, EforAll South Coast, South Coast LGBTQ Network, Southeastern Massachussetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), Gnome Surf, and Civic Support.
Try a day for free
If they’re still not convinced, bring them by for Open Coworking on the second Thursday of every month. It’s free and open to the public from 1-5pm. We also offer a free trial any day of the week to folks who are seriously interested in membership.
So expose your board into the world of coworking, and show them how beneficial it can be for your organization. If you have questions or need us to provide additional documents and information, contact us here at Groundwork.
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