A Step-by-Step Guide for Nonprofit Rapid Response
Instructions: The following guide provides a general process for nonprofits and some mutual aid efforts to follow. While the guide is presented in a linear format, the work itself may not be. You may be working on several steps at the same time.
| Steps | Key questions to ask | Why this is important |
| Step 1: Identify existing efforts | Are there other people meeting this need in our area already? Can we build on to and bolster their efforts before starting something new? | It’s important to focus time, energy, and resources on where they’re most needed and not duplicate efforts. You may not be able to answer this question completely yet, but it’s a helpful question to ask throughout the process. |
| Step 2: Get specific on needs | What are the gaps or needs we’re seeing in our neighborhood or community? For example: Food Rent assistanceLegal assistanceTransportationOther | It helps you get clear on key needs. This also helps with mapping other existing resources. |
| How do we know? | Affirm or contradict any assumptions, so you’re working with real information. | |
| How many people need support? | Quantify or get an idea of the initial scope to help identify needed resources and capacity. | |
| Whose needs are being centered in this effort? | Ensure equity is centered in your efforts. | |
| Step 3: Define level of urgency | How immediate are community needs? For example: Is rent due next week? Are people needing food right away? | Consider what you might need to do as an immediate response (e.g., find volunteers to buy & deliver groceries for 10 families this week) vs. what might be ongoing, longer-term needs. You may be quickly responding to several different immediate needs while also exploring collaborations with others to support longer-term needs |
| Step 4: Check against mission & values | If a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, does this effort help advance our mission and values? | If not directly mission-aligned, how might you partner with others to meet needs? If not values-aligned, reconsider moving forward. |
| Step 5: ID existing efforts again | Are there others more equipped to respond in certain ways? For example: Is there a food shelf doing deliveries in our neighborhood we can connect people with? Are there other mutual aid efforts nearby that could serve our clients? | Now that you have more clarity on what you’re trying to do, it can help to check again on ways to use and/or partner with existing resources to maximize your efforts. |
| Step 6: Identify resources | What resources will be required to pull this off? VolunteersExpertise/skillsMoneyBuilding/storage spaceTech (website, secure platforms, online fundraising, etc.) Other? | This step may be a “back of the napkin” sketch approach to give you a sense of what is needed. More specific planning can happen later in the process. |
| Step 7: Assess Capacity | What do we realistically have capacity to do? Immediately Short-term (the next 2 months) And beyond? | This step helps you clarify the short-term project scope and helps you plan for what’s needed in the future. |
| Step 8: Prioritize | Based on our thought process above, what are the most pressing needs that we are best positioned to address? | It can be helpful at this stage to take a step back and define the actions you’re going to move forward on. |
| Step 9: ID next steps & make a plan | What are your immediate next steps? Who can support you with these steps? | It may be helpful to brainstorm a large list that can be edited down to immediate next steps, including a list of resources needed. Then, you can group those next steps by topic area or theme, making it easier for others to take on pieces of the work. |