In the age of remote work and ever-shrinking nonprofit teams, outsourcing is the holy grail. According to Statista, the global market value of the outsourcing industry was about $92.5 billion in 2019. Outsourcing to freelancers through organizations like Fiverr can change your nonprofit game for the better. Your team will be able to focus on what’s most important, without having to spend time learning how to do every single task. Let’s walk through how you can implement outsourcing into your organization.
What is it?
Outsourcing is simple. Let’s say your organization wants a service done, but no one on your team has the skills or time to do it. That’s where a freelancer comes in. A third-party source will provide the service on behalf of your organization.
Often these freelancers are members of your network or friends of friends, but often they tend to be “whatever you can get” instead of the best of the best. With a service like Fiverr, you get to connect with freelancers from anywhere and find the perfect person to suit your needs.
Why more nonprofits are outsourcing to freelancers
With many nonprofits putting their limited resources towards hiring team members who are good fundraisers, things like graphic design, bookkeeping, or information technology-related tasks are considered less essential. For smaller organizations, outsourcing can save a nonprofit.
Benefits to outsourcing
Balancing your mission and your organizational structure is a constant challenge for nonprofits, but it’s not impossible. Outsourcing can solve a lot of your problems.
1. Save money on labor costs
In the long run, outsourcing is actually cheaper. If your organization hires a full-time position to cover what a freelancer does, you would be wasting time and money on payroll. A freelancer could do the job in less time and would be cheaper in the long run if you only need the job done a few times a year.
2. Help out your team
Additionally, outsourcing can take the stress off of an already overloaded team. Odds are, if you have a small team, many are probably wearing many hats. Team members might have to take the time to teach themselves how to do something, wasting both your time and theirs. By working with a freelancer, their time can be better spent focusing on what they thrive at.
3. Get tasks done, and done well
The great thing about freelancers, is they are experts in their field. When working with a freelancer, they have portfolios or references to vouch for their work, and they specialize in a field because they know what they’re good at. The job won’t only get done, it will get done well.
4. Learn from outside experts
Freelancers also bring new insights to your organization. Since they have most likely worked with other organizations before, they know the industry standards, while having the latest technology. This means they can help you find out where your organization might be falling behind.
5. Focus on your mission
Lastly, outsourcing your labor is the number one way for you to focus on what really matters: your mission. When you don’t have to dedicate your time to putting out fires left and right, your nonprofit will be able to thrive with your full attention.
