Coworking spaces were once solely the domain of creatives and freelancers, providing staff with a flexible space for brainstorming, networking, and interacting with fellow like-minded professionals. These spaces are lucrative as well as practical: According to one study, a huge 41 percent of employees generated a higher income once they started working at a coworking space.
Pretty impressive, right?
Now, non-profit organizations (NPOs) are getting in on the action and are starting to use such spaces so they can stimulate and motivate their workers who crave an inviting, open space where they can bounce ideas off like-minded people. These spaces can improve creativity and spark innovation, they offer a cost-effective and professionally looking office-front for NPO’s.
Here are a few reasons why coworking spaces supercharge non-profit organizations.
Accessible Real Estate
Non-profits are continuously looking for ways to cut costs, especially when it comes to expensive office space that comes at a premium. Coworking spaces instantly reduce the need for large offices and provide a practical and affordable workspace solution with excellent kitchen and leisure amenities. By cutting real estate associated costs, NPO’s can spend more on marketing, fundraising, talent acquisition, and on their ongoing project goals. Coworking spaces also offer flexible hours so NPO’s can work on their projects at a schedule that is most convenient to them.
Networking
Just like commercial organizations, non-profits can benefit from the networking opportunities that coworking spaces provide. These spaces attract talent from various niches, including design, marketing, and finance. A small community of NPO workers can exchange ideas and even outsource work with the professionals they meet in a coworking space, thus improving productivity and allowing employees to expand their professional network.
A Virtual Office
Coworking spaces provides staff and volunteers with an office when they need it, but gives them the flexibility to work from home or when on their travels too. A virtual office enables NPO’s to have a receptionist answer their calls with their organization’s name, they may also have a supported mailing address, and still return to their coworking space for important projects or presentations. Hiring a virtual office can allow NPO workers to be constantly connected to their organization’s stakeholders all while on-the-go, or unavailable for whatever reason.
An Innovation Premium
Having a shared creative space can encourage workers to be more productive. Firstly, surrounding themselves with other creatives will help spur their imagination and provide them with constant inspiration. Then there are none of the usual temptations and distractions that you might find in a conventional office or when working from home. In fact, studies show that coworking can have a positive impact on workers, with a massive 92 percent saying their social circle has changed since they started working in a coworking space. That’s not all. 86 percent say they feel less isolated while 75 percent have noticed an improvement in productivity since they started working in this type of environment. The benefits for NPO’s are the same: Staff and volunteers will be able to expand their social networks and integrate with a team of like-minded professionals. The benefits will be experienced by everyone in the NPO, from administrative staff to fundraising teams to marketing professionals to management.
A Professional Business Front
Having a designated space to meet clients and donors can improve the prospects of an NPO. A coworking space can make a non-profit look more professional when compared to holding meetings in a public place and can provide a place to network, collect donation or speak to the media about the NPO’s collective goals and aims.
Learn More
Let us develop a creative environment for your organization that will boost productivity. We can create a flexible space that will ignite the imagination of your organization. Want to find out more? Contact us and discover why collective coworking spaces can benefit your NPO.