NFPBS News

Why you should consider outsourcing.

Outsourcing Maintaining a full-time staff, office space and support services can be expensive and may be difficult for many not for profit organisations. Outsourcing specific departments or indeed the whole areas of administration can provide the advantage of sharing a range of equipment and expertise, giving significant cost savings, whilst at the same time supplying an excellent standard of service. Which functions can be shared? Accounting Database management Event management Mailing fulfillment Meeting administration Membership services Communications Why do it? The Advantages “It’s about raising standards as well as cutting costs.” Sharing support services can improve organisations effectiveness by increasing their efficiency and making better use of resources. Time, skills and money can then be redirected to core activities. Improved or wider range of service. Access to a higher level of expertise and to the latest technology, having greater specialisms available at a fraction of the cost of employing direct. Keeping up to date with developments in specialist fields. Greater confidence in quality of service as the responsibilities of providers are formally specified, for instance in a Service Level Agreement. Potential savings through economies of scale. Greater bargaining power with suppliers when buying in bulk. Leaner workforce. Staff who used to multitask on areas where they felt they lacked suitable skills can concentrate on more specialist work. More productive use of management time. The Disadvantages Time and resources can be drained from existing work, particularly when setting up then running a new organisation. Possible redundancies when staff are no longer needed. Smaller partner organisations may fear that priority will be given to larger clients. Fear of losing out in this way may be particularly common where support services are provided by staff who are already working for a larger client. Change can be worrying for staff and volunteers, particularly when it involves a loss of control. Call us today to find out how we can help you 03707 369369