If you actively participate in any third sector organization, whether as a volunteer, donor, or manager, you probably know how difficult it is to maintain the entities' operations and, especially, promote their development.

In the national scenario, the fact is that most institutions work to find resources to meet immediate demands and needs. On the other hand, the people involved spend the entire day busy with routine activities and, therefore, rarely stop to develop a prior planning of short-, medium-, and long-term actions. For this context to change, and for the management of the organizations to occur in a more assertive and organized manner, professionalization is the only possible alternative. Want to know more about the topic? Then, continue reading and check out, in the article prepared by the CodeBlog team, the importance of professionalizing the third sector and how to apply some techniques and processes to facilitate the qualification of the services developed.

Strategic planning: the first step towards professionalizing an entity

Undoubtedly, any and every organization needs good strategic planning.

Contrary to what many people think, this process does not only think about the future, but serves to put the "house in order" from the day it is created, even if the results do not arrive so quickly.

Essential for guiding an entity's decision-making, it is fundamental that this tool is well crafted.

Generally, strategic planning should be done every one or two years (at most). In addition to the time aspect, it must present some basic elements, such as: an analysis of management's strengths and weaknesses; opportunities and threats in the external environment; a clear view of the mission; the entity's vision and values; the main challenges to overcome (along with respective strategies) and also an action plan with a budget and forecast on how control and performance evaluation will be measured.

Thus, it becomes much easier to rely on solid foundations to optimize fundraising in practical and strategic terms.

A challenge called: fundraising

Fundraising is considered one of the greatest difficulties for third sector organizations. In view of this, to secure it in a truly efficient way, the first step is to have a broad view, capable of identifying the progress of all processes.

For example, if your institution has bookkeeping flaws, it could probably lose out on fundraising. Likewise, if it is not complying with the law, or if there is static in communication, the same occurs. In other words, this is a true assembly that must operate in a fully adjusted manner to guarantee the success and development of an organization.

In addition to a broad vision, to improve fundraising, it is necessary to invest in good relationships. To do this, talk about the organization with people you know and even with others who are not part of your social circle, and promote the projects developed and the work of your entity.

The more people who know your cause, the greater the chances of impact.

Moreover, thinking that fundraising only involves collecting money means ignoring the potential of donors who prefer to contribute to third sector organizations in other ways, such as allocating goods, furniture, equipment, etc.

It is necessary to keep in mind that, while obtaining money is crucial for the sustainability of an organization, other types of resources must also be considered.

Furthermore, entities do not survive on donations alone. It is necessary to go further, organizing events, bazaars, and projects to maintain competitiveness in the market.

For this, having creativity and setting goals according to the organization's reality is essential.

The importance of accounting

Even though many organizations ignore the importance of accounting, this process is fundamental for fundraising. After all, the more transparent an organization is, the more trustworthy it becomes.

In this context, accountability is a decisive factor for maintaining support from public agencies, private companies, and small donors, since before taking action, it is common for people to seek information about an entity's work through websites, social networks, or people within their circle.

It is also worth mentioning that acting with transparency means presenting all results, whether positive or negative. Therefore, any type of action directed toward the institution, even donations of goods and volunteer work, must be present in the accounting reports.

Complying with the laws is an obligation

It is necessary to highlight that acting in accordance with the law is crucial for the development of any organization, since committing any oversight could compromise not only resources but also the trust of small and large supporters.

For example, a process that is constantly ignored, but very important in the legal scope, is updating the institution's bylaws. Everything an entity does or intends to do must be in the document, such as directors' compensation, designing projects to increase revenue, etc.

Furthermore, it is important to update yourself on the Law of Promotion and Collaboration or the Regulatory Framework for Civil Society Organizations (Law 13.019/2014), to find out if your institution's bylaws are in total agreement with current rules for establishing partnerships with public authorities.

It is also important to know about tax immunity and tax exemption, and the necessary conditions and applications to prevent organizations from paying certain taxes.

To do this, counting on a lawyer who has experience in the area is an excellent alternative.

Technology as an ally of professionalization

Technology advances can no longer be ignored. Devices like computers, tablets, and cell phones are increasingly indispensable in our daily lives. If this happens in people's private lives, why would it be different for companies and organizations?

Within the third sector, technological tools serve to ensure internal control, simplify activities, increase engagement with the community, optimize campaigns aimed at obtaining donations and volunteers, and much more. To do this, there are countless solutions that can help, such as presence on social media, adopting cloud computing, and management systems.

Want to know more about how technology can help professionalize your entity? Then, contact the specialist team at CodeBit and discover several specific solutions to meet the demands of the third sector.

In concluding, keep an eye on CodeBlog. Soon, we will have plenty of updates here.

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