A few things I have found helpful, 1. Look through your budget and re-plan to cut off what may not be necessary and keep it as bare bones as possible, in order to preserve your cash flow 2. Communicate with your community for support, including your volunteers, staff and board, as well as current donors. 3. Develop a fundraising plan if you don't currently have one, that is backed by the board and includes the whole of organisation. 4. Always reassess your fundraising and ensure you're as much as possible no longer in a position where one funding being lost can put you in a precarious situation

I would begin by prioritizing critical activities through an immediate assessment and engage stakeholders, including partners and donors, to explore alternative funding options or in-kind support. Drawing on my expertise in proposal development and financial management, I would diversify funding streams, implement cost-saving measures, and utilize community-based approaches like the Saving for Change model to sustain operations. Transparent communication with beneficiaries and partners, along with data-driven adjustments through monitoring, would ensure the project continues to deliver meaningful impact despite resource constraints.

Just my opinion, explore other funding avenues such as grants, donations, sponsorships, crowdfunding, or partnerships with other organizations.

It is important to understand to what extent this decline in funding is a one-off or whether it is linked to a change or modification in our own activities, and as such, whether it is likely to lead to others in the near future. By putting the funding cut into context, it also helps to understand what impact it may have on other sources of funding. For example, if it comes from a public entity that we know is in financial difficulty, we can imagine that it will have no impact on other sources of revenue. On the other hand, if it comes from an entrepreneurial partner and has its origins in a difficult economic situation, it is not unlikely that other companies may be affected by the same situation.

Members of our organization use to offer their competencies to ensure implementation of some of our projects. They are willing to serve as volunteers or organize events to raise funds

I will prioritize the most impactful and activities with the most return on investment and realign my budget to such activities

I've been in the Board of a non-profit entity for two decades: chairman in the recent years. Funding has always being a concern. How do we managed that? In the lack of direct funding, we established partnerships and sponsorships with several companies and entities, exchanging services and products for publicity. Need space? We have the sponsorship of a fancy co-working space. Need accounting, lawyers or external auditors? We do have top firms helping us on a pro-bono basis, we authorize them to use our logo as sponsors, giving more visibility to their social actions. From local top firms to companies such as Grant Thornton. We also receive funding and free products from top Tech Companies. Creativity and good relationships pay off.

There are some main techniques I did in the past - Prioritize the activities that carry-out the most benefit to the project - Prioritize the budget reallocation lines within the approved categories first to avoid delayed for approvals. - Revisit the actual cost of similar activities in the last quarter to get the most accurate projection. - Explore alternatives funding such as match-fund or in-house experts in the same operating areas to reduce the overhead staff cost and support staff growth with agreed compensation.

Get to the reality quick on what it means to the overall program offering and budget. Go back to your mission and vision and face the brutal facts through a SWOT - involving staff and board. Decide: do you downsize, grow in a different area (within your mission/vision) or do you look at partnership/merger. In the end, the most important consideration is those you serve and those you employ. This is not about ego, history or name. Last: you may need an unbiased facilitator to ask the right questions and assist in the process.

If faced with a funding cut, I would prioritize critical activities, cut unnecessary costs, seek donor support, explore new funding sources, use volunteers and donations, adapt the project to work efficiently, and plan for future challenges.