All Forum Posts by: MaryJane Huenergardt

Our non-profit doesn't have a CFO, no, but we have enough finance people on our board that financial decisions are thoroughly vetted and mindfully made. Also, I analyze REI deals (hence my involvement with BP--I'm one of those people searching the inches of dirt!) and feel comfortable enough to help out if needed. My question is more along the lines of whether this is a "done thing" and even allowable as, unless we're going the SRO route, not really mission-aligned.

Hi! I sit on the board of a community health/fitness focused non-profit (you can probably guess which one, as it's a regional association of an international organization with its own disco-era song) that is desperately struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. Most of the staff is furloughed. We're down to a few core employees at reduced pay--just the CEO, the marketing person, the grant-writer, and the Childcare Director (we've been offering childcare to essential workers) and a skeleton building/childcare crew remain.

It seems to me that "pandemic proofing" our community-centric non-profit would be essential to its long-term survival, and that real estate would be worth exploring as a way to both rescue and sustain it. Does anyone have any experience incorporating a real estate investment portfolio as an element of a non-profit's sustained funding strategy? I'm not even sure it's allowable, though our organization (as a global whole but not our association) does have a deep history with SROs. Perhaps incorporating the SRO track would be something to explore.

We need to raise a LOT of money to continue right now, and in my mind it could be compelling to approach major donors with a real estate plan, if it's allowed. Such a plan would allow a donor to make a gift that will keep on giving, rather than just as a short-term rescue.

Side note: We have real estate developers on our board, so I plan to pick their brains a little. I remember a conversation with an architect awhile back who told me that building a branch of our organization factored into his vision of a housing development he was working on (but never actually happened). So that might be another interesting, real estate related avenue.

Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness.

@David Braut yes that would be great! Especially once we're out of the purple zone.

As another local, I'll echo what David said about the neighborhood. It's great for rentals, but I'm not sure you'll even get what you'll have to put into it to fix it up. Also, important question for your analysis, are you going to be doing the rehab yourself, or do you know who will be doing the work? If not, please know that there are several-months-long lead times for local contractors.

David: I recognize your name! Our kids attend the same school.