Limited funding is one key example of the challenges or issues that face human service organizations today. It is essential that human services create awareness on the services that they offer. This will help such organizations to gain support from the stakeholders other than funding from governments. In order to ensure success in the provision of services within communities, human service organizations need to become more proactive in soliciting of funds. This paper aims at looking at funding as a challenge to these organizations and some of the solutions.
Human service organizations have continued to face the challenge of funding, mainly because they involve in offering services to the community, at the expense of making profits, which is the primary objective of the non-human service organizations. These organizations strive to generate adequate funds that can maintain and sustain the provision of services to the target communities. Over the past many years, governments have been the primary provider of funds for these human service organizations. However, the challenge comes when the government makes adjustments in terms of budget cuts. This affects the sustainability of programs of these organizations. It is essential for human service organizations to come up with other reliable ways of sustaining funding during periods of budget cuts by funders such as governments (Badshah, 2010).
Secondly, Human service organizations tend to rely most on volunteers and other community groupings for financing their operations. Although this kind of funding is necessary for the organization, such external stakeholders may deny the organization the independence in terms of deciding the projects to run, and the mode of managing the funds. Such rigidity in terms of organizational independence is a key challenge that human service organizations have continued to face for many years. Such organizations need to find flexible sources of funding that allow them to exercise freedom in choosing projects and running them(Brody, 2004).
The other challenge that human service organizations have continued to face is that of ageing computers. Today, the level of technological innovations has rendered several computers useless in terms of their ability to execute certain services. Thus, human service organizations that invested in the purchase of such computers at an earlier date tend to suffer from the need to dump the old computers and replace them with new and modernized ones. This tends to be costly to the organizations, which requires adequate funding from stakeholders.
Possible Solutions
Public consciousness is among the most real solutions to the problem of funds for human service organizations. It is common to find information on trusts and grants meant for organizations that indulge in helping other people in need, either on print or oral media. People will always be willing to donate to organizational programs if there is adequate information on the necessity and vitality of the program. Media houses will often follow up on such efforts in an attempt to examine the degree of success of such projects. In addition, it would also be financially economical to make maximum use of volunteer rather than employees. However, this is dependent on the privacy boundaries of the organization. The organization, in this instance, will only incur the cost of training these volunteers to carry out the same roles that permanent employees could have executed (Badshah, 2010).
Technological Tools Necessary for Resolving the Problem of Funding
One of the most effective ways of solving the funding issue is by using a Microsoft grant program. This program helps the Human service organization to access knowledge and resources that are necessary in solving problems related with funding. Microsoft is a technology organization, with a vast richness of software, tools, programs and technologies that are useful to the modern world. Advocating for resources on the internet is one of the ways through which an organization can provide information to funders. This could be information to do with the mission of the organization, goals, objectives and the services that the organization undertakes. The internet, for instance, could be useful in helping the organization to stabilize its financial position by getting funds from funding agencies. Thus, human service organizations need to formulate technology tools that can help increase their accessibility to funding institutions (Brody, 2004).
In order to cub the problem of outdated computers, human service organizations have the option of entering in an agreement with a computer and software provider, who will be mandated with the obligation of maintaining and updating the software of their computers. This will eliminate the need to purchase new computers, hence saving on the costs that the organization could have incurred in terms of acquiring new computers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper examines the obstacles that face human service organizations, where funding stands out as the key challenge. Creation of awareness of organizational activities and utilization of volunteers are the solutions discussed. In terms of technological assistance, organizations should embrace the use of Microsoft tools to increase accessibility to funding institutions.
References
Badshah, A. (2010, Sepetmber 2). Announcing Microsoft Elevate America nonprofits grant
program. Retrieved January 16, 2013, from technet.com: http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoftupblog/archive/2010/09/02/announcing-microsoft-elevate-america-nonprofits-grant-program.aspx
Brody, R. (2004). Effectively Managing Human Service Organizations. New York: Sage.
