We all want to make an impact on this world. If you’re a nonprofit, your mission was likely birthed out of that central desire. In one way or another, you want to make this world a better, safer, and kinder place. Experiencing that kind of growth and seeing that kind of impact takes hard work. According to recent data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, just 5 percent of U.S. nonprofits have expenses of $10 million or more, while 66.4 percent have expenses of less than $500,000.

A large percentage of nonprofits may be small, but even the big dogs had to humbly start somewhere. And it wasn’t just by chance that they experienced growth. We all know that it takes the right amount of hustle and hard work to bring something to life. For a smaller nonprofit, you have to be resourceful. You have to be lean. You have to make a little go a long way.

Life or death will hinge on learning how to do more with less.

For the most part, even the biggest nonprofits operate on tight budgets. What separates smaller, newer nonprofits from their larger, established contemporaries is simple. It comes down to manpower. It’s the reason we have bestsellers with book titles that usually have the word “grit” or “hustle” in it. It’s why the phrase “all hands on deck” will never die out. We know that doing more with less is vital to the future of any nonprofit. If you want to grow, you’ve got to get the most out of what you have and scale the work you do.

One of the most cost-effective ways for a nonprofit to make the most out of their marketing efforts: harness the power of User-Generated Content

Let’s face it — today’s technological advances are mind-boggling. Take a drive downtown and you’re bound to see a kid (or maybe even a full-grown adult) riding a hover-board on the sidewalk. We’ve now got self-driving cars, cloning, virtual touch screens floating in mid-air, 3D printing for nearly anything (including printing human organs, car parts, and spaceships), and the ever-increasing use of artificial intelligence that look more and more like real human beings as the day goes on. It’s truly amazing all that we’re able to do in the tiny amount of time we’re able to do it. 

Some say we’re living in “the age of awareness,” where we can do more, know more, and say more to virtually anyone.

Here at Think Native, we believe in the power of brand champions. What exactly is a brand champion, you might ask? Well, they’re your company’s biggest fans. They’re the people who help create a shared sense of camaraderie and community among your consumers, by sharing stories that clearly communicate your message. Because they already believe in you and see themselves within your vision, they’re natural leaders in getting your work out to the world.

I think we can all agree that human beings, like many species, are social in nature. So much so that for thousands of years our survival depended on our ability to band together to do elemental things. We built shelters to keep safe from predators and foraged for food for sustenance and herbs to create medicines.

There’s something in us that is innately wired for connection. 

Personal loneliness and the pain of isolation are rampant in our culture. People are more connected than any time in human history through their laptops, phones and devices but still lack the one essential experience that satisfies the soul: Interpersonal Communion. Robert D. Putnam in his book Bowling Alone (2000), makes the case that "we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and the social structures that would normally create bonds of friendship and meaningful community have largely disintegrated." The symbolic metaphor of bowling alone describes the problem. More Americans are bowling than ever before, but they are not bowling in leagues where people form relationships and communities can be strengthened.

If you’re wondering how your organization could benefit from using Think Native, here are 21 reasons why.

The art of storytelling is perhaps one of the most important traditions we possess as human beings. We’re all suckers for a good one, it’s why we trade hours of precious sleep to stay up late bingeing our favorite Netflix series. The power of narrative speaks to something deep-set in all of us. Hidden within every story is a wealth of wisdom that has something to offer us. These hidden gems instruct us to pay attention to what’s most important, leading us in the way of a congruent kind of authenticity. Simply put, story gives us meaning.