Building Sustainability and Resilience with Lessons Learned from Disaster Response

Tammy Tilzey 00:00:04:00

Hello and welcome to our Coffee Talk Podcast. Today we are so privileged to have Sharmila Rao Thakkar from SRT Advising and Consulting. As our guest, Sharmila provides nonprofit and philanthropy coaching, planning and communication services to foundations, philanthropists and community organizations. She has such a great breadth of experience, and she has been leading the Staten Island Not for Profit Association, which provides capacity-building and technical assistance to nonprofits.

Tammy Tilzey 00:00:40:04

In New York City, as well as the Staten Island community organizations active in Disaster, which is a coalition of nonprofits and partners working to be better prepared to handle emergencies and disasters. And through these roles, as well as the many other experiences and achievements, you can clearly see that Sharmila has an awareness and passion for non-profits and philanthropic work in helping nonprofit leaders figure out where and how to best deploy their resources is a key passion of hers.

Tammy Tilzey 00:01:14:27

Thanks so much for joining us, Sharmila.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:01:17:14

I am just thrilled to be here. Thanks for having me, Tammy.

Tammy Tilzey 00:01:22:01

Well, as I read through your background and experiences, a couple of items jumped out and they feel so relevant to non-profits right now. You know, that was like being prepared for challenges or disasters and then also understanding how best to deploy resources I was thinking, can you start us off by talking? How about how nonprofits can take lessons learned from either COVID 19 or other types of disaster responses to build their nonprofit sustainability and resilience into their plans and their future?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:01:58:09

This is a great question, and it’s one I’ve been pondering for the last, what, 20 plus months of COVID 19. The pandemic has really I believe, highlighted the need for emergency response and disaster planning before we’re in a crisis. And so I’ve been working with organizations to really build that mindset of preparedness into our nonprofit model. Oftentimes, this is something you might see as a separate risk management or a crisis planning process, but building it into our strategic visioning, our future planning is critical for nonprofits to build not only resilience and certainly recovery but long term viability and sustainability in the sector.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:02:52:16

I mean, we’ve learned through response and recovery and now the building of resilience how important all the phases of disaster preparedness planning are to our nonprofits prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Those are the typical five steps, if you will. But I see them as mindsets, ways to build a culture of preparedness before we need it. And then, of course, adjust afterwards so that, you know, there’s this all throughout the first year anyway, of the pandemic.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:03:27:22

We heard some organizations or some of us, the roundtable saying we’re building the plane while we’re flying it. Well, you know, we don’t want I don’t think any of us would choose to be in that situation. If we didn’t have to. So I am in the work that we’re doing with non-profits and foundations, really trying to figure out how we can carve out enough space to have this dialog before we kind of move into a place.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:03:53:12

We’re going to have the next crisis. Right. We want to have space built in to be flexible, to be nimble, to really be responsive. Of course, we’re going to be activated and we’re going to have to sort of respond to what’s before us. But planning, you know, there’s that phrase, failing to plan is like planning to fail, you know, but in disaster preparedness in crises, you know, we know this from public relations and marketing and now health care.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:04:23:01

Of course, you’re not going to have all the answers, but there are steps that we can take to be better prepared for what does come before us.

Tammy Tilzey 00:04:33:00

Excellent. This sounds like a great path forward. And I could see that really changing how nonprofits like are viewed and thinking about that. If you had to change, one can misconstrue caption about what a nonprofit is or does, what would that be for?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:04:57:09

Far too often I have heard and I have seen, frankly, nonprofits operating from a place of scarcity you know, there’s a common phrase, the nonprofit starvation cycle. You know, many staff are in roles that they’re fundraising for while they’re in the role We don’t know if we’re going to be around next year. We’re budgeting year to year. It’s very hard sometimes to think about the future with that kind of a mindset.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:05:27:13

But I believe that we need to move from a place of being under-resourced, from thinking about the scarcity model to one of abundance. We are enough, we have enough. We do more than enough. And I said earlier, when we talked that, you know, nonprofits where were invaluable during this crisis because we’re used to being responsive to crises, they may not have looked like this, but that is why many nonprofits have come to existence, is because they respond to a need they bootstrap they pull communities together.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:06:06:20

They understand what it takes to get the work done. And so I would like people to know that to me, the nonprofit sector is the richest sector of all. We’ve got passionate, dedicated, committed people of all ages, all backgrounds, all walks of life.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:06:27:25

Any crisis shows us just how strong and nimble and resourceful and truly resilient we have to be. But we’re like that every day. You know, our nonprofit leaders, our community members, our volunteers, our board members, our funders, they have prepared me. They’ve been preparing for things like this. For for a lifetime. You know that phrase, you know, if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:06:52:17

In my book, if you want to get something done, you give it to a nonprofit professional or better yet you bring a group of nonprofits together and watch the magic happen. We truly know that the power and potential of the collaborative in our collective efforts to build support and care for our our communities is is that’s what that’s where it’s at.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:07:11:23

You know, I would say that what I saw happen during this particular crisis around breaking down silos and pulling community members together, that kind of trust and confidence in each other is what the nonprofit sector has. And so I guess for me, yeah, the misconception around coming from a place of less or always needing, we should be looking at what the strengths are of the sector and the people leading our organizations that are doing work on the front line.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:07:47:00

We have a lot that we can already work with that needs to be tapped into and frankly further resourced in my opinion.

Tammy Tilzey 00:07:57:29

Yes, I like that nonprofits contribute so much. And and as you said, the the people that that work there, that go through those challenges and every day connect with others and look to solve the problems that are out there, they they are the people that can get things done. I love that. And and while the challenges keep coming, the nonprofits, they they continue to adapt.

Tammy Tilzey 00:08:26:29

So what are some notable changes that you’ve seen for the nonprofits over the past few years?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:08:36:00

So certainly during this crisis, I think there were certain things that were brought to the to to a brighter light. There was a trifecta, if you will, of the public health crisis. Obviously, the economic challenges that we experienced and the call for racial justice. These challenges have always been there but I think the fact that we experienced the pandemic, it highlighted the need to focus on systemic change, the root causes of the challenges that our communities are facing in every sector, in every issue area, social services, the arts, health care, you know, building accessibility, building equity, thinking about inclusion and belonging, building readiness and capacity for any next crisis.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:09:32:17

You know, nonprofits are certainly still reeling from I mean, we’re still in the pandemic. But I think that faced with these multitude of challenges, nonprofits, as always, are called to do more with less. But in some ways it’s been more amplified. And we’ve seen more and more people who have needs and there’s less support to go around. Right.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:09:59:06

There was a period of time where you everyone was giving to certain causes, right? Health care, public health. If you weren’t working on COVID, you weren’t getting support this year. This month, you know, for example, our arts organization as with the stay at home orders. What did we see happen? A lot of those smaller organizations that couldn’t open were shuttered So I think that our nonprofits are now struggling to hire and retain their staff to bring back their programing.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:10:32:00

They’ve had to reinvent themselves some of them have taken on work they’ve never done before to get some support and funding, which is okay, but how are we going to redeploy if you will, the resources and the staff that we’ve had for me, we’ve learned just how valued are social, educational, health, arts and culture organizations. And the work they lead are to every aspect of our lives.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:10:58:14

You know, I remember people sitting at home and thinking, oh, my gosh, you know, there’s only so much work you can do in front of your computer. They couldn’t go out, they couldn’t enter, you know, they couldn’t experience entertainment. There was so much creativity that happened through online ways to engage each other, to bring back right through theater and things like that.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:11:19:18

So for me, I’m thinking that nonprofits, they are the most resourceful right that is, they’ve they’ve lived being resilient through these times, through these crises.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:11:34:14

So, you know, when having to go without both critical daily services, as well as things that create a more holistic community like theater and performance and and art after programs, the world realized how much we all rely on the nonprofit sector. And that’s sent the message to everyone, but also to our nonprofit leaders that creativity and innovation, we are the source of that.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:11:59:18

The sector, the leaders, the volunteers, the youth, the families. These aren’t necessarily notable changes for nonprofits, but it’s a notable change in how we’ve seen the sector here in New York. Our our membership organization has a campaign. Nonprofits make New York, you know, and I think so many of us realized how much we need nonprofits for daily experiences we had maybe never realized before I mean, the kids arts programs, the, you know, the park programs that you might do on the weekends yeah.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:12:42:29

The performances, the live performances. I have seen nonprofits over the past few years really flex those muscles to think outside the box, to bring people into their work, to shift on a dime. You know, we saw arts organizations put their performances on Zoom.

Tammy Tilzey 00:13:03:23

Yeah.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:13:04:16

We saw social service agencies work with insurance companies to allow them to deliver care virtually and still be reimbursed right.

Tammy Tilzey 00:13:13:08

Yeah.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:13:13:25

I remember for years, telehealth wasn’t even an option. Right. Even just electronic financial transactions were not things many nonprofit organizations had set up. You know, we were all scrambling in the beginning. So nonprofits have evolved. We’ve because we had to so we’ve had a lot of opportunities to kind of get where we are today. I guess I fear that these changes not that they won’t stick, but this is just the start.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:13:53:11

You know, some people look at nonprofits as not the place for innovation. And creativity. You know, there’s such an entrepreneurial world out there, right? We talk a lot about small businesses. We talk a lot about startups. Nonprofits have all been startups. They are the the that is their history. That is their legacy.

Tammy Tilzey 00:14:12:06

Yes.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:14:12:25

We know that hasn’t been a startup all of a sudden, you know, we hear about this mindset, but that’s the mindset with which nonprofits have existed since the beginning. And so you know, notable changes for nonprofits are actually now noticeable. I think but for those nonprofits that have been around and those leaders that have been doing this work, I say it’s about time they get the attention right.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:14:46:05

From supporters and donors, from community members, from elected officials that, you know, if you want to do something different and you want to see something make change in our communities, it is nonprofits that are the most talented and resourceful people. They’re used to operating in these kinds of models.

Tammy Tilzey 00:15:10:19

I like that. And I agree with you that, you know, this has been an opportunity to to see and recognize, as you said, you can’t hardly walk down the block without somehow seeing the results of something that has been influenced by nonprofit organizations. And so the pandemic has definitely shown us that and allowed, as you said, the people leading those organizations to shine a as you think in that as you’ve been coaching and working with nonprofit organizations, yours is as well as others, are there key elements of success that you’ve seen, help, nonprofit be successful or that you usually recommend for nonprofits to focus on the become more resilient and and build back better or tap

Tammy Tilzey 00:16:09:21

into that creativity?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:16:12:01

So just today, I met a new nonprofit leader that reminded me what it takes to stay the course, to shift to bring change and to lead through challenges. And you know what that was? It was definitely preparedness and readiness and being flexible, but it was really a courage. It was transparency and conviction. That I heard in her voice that re-energized me.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:16:51:10

You know, again, these are characteristics that I think we all must have. But sometimes when you’re in it and you’re doing the day to day or you’re perhaps surrounded by others that tell, you know, or it can’t be done, that kind of energy, that kind of courage and conviction has to come from someplace. So within is the first place but I would say the leaders, the organizations that have continued to be successful are those that surround themselves excuse me.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:17:23:12

They are those that surround themselves with like minded other leaders, other individuals that have that passion, courage and conviction. And, you know, we’ve learned a lot through this crisis that we’re not always going to be on the same page with even people that we consider partners leading through such diversity and such challenges to one’s beliefs. Has never been more of a, I think, a learning ground than it has during this crisis.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:18:08:16

And so listening to me is one way, in addition to having that internal sense of courage and conviction, and all the other characteristics that come from a crisis. Right. Flexibility, transparency, being nimble, being able to respond and turn on a dime all of those characteristics were amplified during this time. And then for anyone that’s, you know, does public relations or has lived through a crisis, they know you need those things all the time.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:18:39:21

But what I saw happen during this crisis is the value, the incredible value of community and the interconnectedness of our various sectors, of our various types of organizations, of all types of leaders, community members, we really had to sort of go back into that collective care for each other. It wasn’t about competition. It wasn’t about who got the grant and who didn’t or who does it better.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:19:16:20

It was we all are in this together, and we need to be thinking about the greater good being more collaborative, making the commitment to each other and to our communities. That’s not always easy in the sector because we’re so used to, you know, fighting for the limited resources. Right. Sometimes the same organizations in one community are approaching the same funder, and only one gets picked somehow during this.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:19:53:23

This this period of time, there were so many resources that became available. Right. You hear about the multimillion dollar relief funds that were started you know, we’re now seeing nonprofits that have the money to do what they always needed to do. And I ask why just now. Right. Great. What was what was different? What why why were why were they successful?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:20:23:10

Or some of those groups that were able to get the funding and are continuing to be funded? They were ready. They were nimble. Yes. They have courage to say I can do this, we can do this. So, you know, I do believe that characteristics that we should continue to focus on involve something we started at the beginning, you know, having a culture of preparedness, making sure that you have established protocols, policies, procedures in place I know we all feel strategic planning can help us get there, but what can be even more invaluable is scenario planning for both programs and activities, but also our budgets and our financial situations.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:21:13:20

What kinds of case studies can we use from this experience? To strengthen our operations, our administration, our programs, our funding, our financial system, our financial stability I think that all the networks and relationships we felt need to be documented. Let’s not let those disappear. How are we going to continue to work together to continue building, recovering, but also continue building, really recover, but also continue building resiliency I think that those organizations that sacrifice their core values may not be successful in the long run.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:21:56:24

So perhaps revisiting those core values and ensuring that they align with current work and future work those kinds of things allow us to really ensure that we’re going to keep doing what we said we’re going to do, but be nimble for what might come before us. You know, I really believe those leaders that are adaptive, that think about and also think about what they need to make the right decisions and then surround themselves with board members, volunteers, other organizations, other community members.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:22:34:28

You know, like I said earlier, we cannot do this work in silos. And so the collective impact of collaborating and thinking about what we’re doing together for the greater good, those are the communities where I saw success and where I think we will continue to see success in meeting the needs of of of our communities as we as we continue through the crisis and beyond the crisis.

Tammy Tilzey 00:23:08:15

Yeah, I, I think that’s key. I love that breaking down the silos and, and as they exist between nonprofits that work next to each other, also with the funders and just the other, like you said, the other the other players there and thinking creatively, creatively about that, I, I really appreciate you bringing this and this view of how these times can really help us and the sector, you know, adapt and and be confident, transparent, courage, courageous of the challenges in front of them and confident in the value that they provide.

Tammy Tilzey 00:23:56:19

I really liked, you know, how you mentioned that as well. And oh, wow. The time just it just passes so quickly when we talk. I know we can talk for hours about this and many other topics, but you’ve covered some foundational elements and some specific examples here of of how nonprofits can change the way they approach planning and operating and that it can result in a more resilient future.

Tammy Tilzey 00:24:21:07

So thank you again for spending time with us today and sharing your knowledge and advice with our community. It has been just so inspirational. I want to let everyone know in our show notes, you’ll find a few links to articles that this from Sheila has written for Foundant, as well as the National Center for Fil-Am Family Philanthropy.

Tammy Tilzey 00:24:43:00

Excuse me, we are also including your contact information and your website. There is just such a, as I mentioned before, wealth of topics going deeper on this as well as others that that folks may want to reference. And before we close though, do you have any final thoughts or advice to leave with our listeners?

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:25:10:20

I do. You know, to truly make change and build resilience, taking the lessons learned from any crisis. I believe we need mutual respect trust and confidence in and between our funders and donors, nonprofits and nonprofit leaders. And I spoke earlier about the courage to step out a way aside, to do things differently, to allow that creativity and innovation to come forth and we also need to be able to speak up about what we need and don’t need.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:25:47:20

And honestly, it sometimes means saying, no, we cannot do that. That’s tough because we’re so used to saying yes, yes, yes to everything because we want and need these resources to really build partnerships in resourcing our nonprofits who are in turn serving our communities. We need to address root court. We need to address root causes and change systems a top down, though one size fits all approach we’ve learned will not work.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:26:18:14

We saw this crisis really amplify and elevate the value of communities and nonprofit organizations benefited from scenario planning and case studying. We need to create a community of peers and connections before we actually need them. It’s just crucial we also need leadership development. I think an investment in and resourcing our nonprofit leaders and boards, they have a role in supporting our leaders and building that culture of resilience, which is preparedness, not just being responsive.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:26:57:12

It’s in things like fundraising, fund development, budgeting, storytelling, marketing. These are our best ambassadors and advocates. I believe if we are able to take this time to learn and document that learning and those best practices, we’ll have a blueprint a roadmap for the next time this happens. There was one phrase during the pandemic that we’re any crisis now because we’ve had multiple since then that led me and the many teams I worked with.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:27:36:10

Now I’m a stickler for perfection. And the phrase practice makes perfect was one I grew up with, but I learned that practice makes progress and I also learned that we can’t let perfect be the enemy of the good that we really need to start where we are and use what we have to do what we can. That’s what our sector has been doing all along.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:28:05:21

And certainly during this crisis, modeled and exhibited for the rest of us.

Sharmila Rao Thakkar 00:28:16:09

So I really thank you for this opportunity, Tammy. I feel passionately about our nonprofits and about our philanthropic partners I know that together we have done great things and that together with this perspective, we will continue to do great things.

Tammy Tilzey 00:28:36:04

That’s great. I, I agree. Thank you so much for articulating that so beautifully that that is, is one of my favorite quotes. Don’t, don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good and making progress. Thank you again. So much. And let’s call that a wrap. If you’ve learned something from today’s Coffee Talk podcast, I know I have, please share it with others.

Tammy Tilzey 00:29:03:07

Who might enjoy and benefit from it as well. We look forward to connecting again in future webinars, podcasts, and also encompass our community discussion platform. And in case you missed it, we recently announced a new software solution for a nonprofit so excited about that nonprofit core. And if managing your nonprofits accounting, CRM and fundraising, the one application sounds interesting to you and the foundant.com.

Tammy Tilzey 00:29:30:25

To learn more, we wish you all the best success. And again, thank you. Thank you so much for all you do.