In ten years, where do you see your NGO? Most likely somewhere prosperous, serving the needs of the group you've chosen to assist.

Of course, if you're in charge of an NGO, you'd want to see it grow—both operationally and geographically, with operations spanning multiple states, if not entire continents.  However, for many non-governmental organizations, this scenario is far from reality. Because approximately 30% of NGOs in the United States cease to exist after about ten years. And there are several reasons for their failure, the most important of which is their failure to plan for the future.

So, if you’re running a NGO, here’s how human services case management software can singlehandedly be your champion.

One of the most diverse and rewarding career paths is social work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, it is also one of the fastest-growing professions. While you are assisting people and society and empowering them, you must also ensure that you are managing everything properly. Case management in social work entails ensuring that all individuals' needs are met.

The entire civilized world is suffering from a form of collective PTSD. Social workers report being overwhelmed with cases of alcoholism, drug addiction, anxiety, divorce, depression, and suicide. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says: "Suicide rates in the United States are often the result of circumstances beyond the individual's control. People who die by suicide report an unshakeable feeling of dread, despair, loneliness, and hopelessness."

A non-profit project is a rewarding idea. Whatever path you choose for your non-profit, you will be giving back to the community in some way, which can be a very rewarding experience.

But, as heartwarming as it is, running a non-profit is no easy task. It takes a lot of strategic planning, resources, and a lot of resilience to develop an initial idea and expand on it, especially when you're on a non-profit. Given the early challenges, investing in non-profit software to streamline some of your work early on will help you stay on track until much later.

There are currently over 17 million veterans in the US. Furthermore, far too many veterans in the United States are homeless. Veterans account for nearly one-fifth of all homeless people in the United States. Many NGOs, non-governmental organizations, and not-for-profit organizations have made a commitment to serving veterans. This includes assisting them with financial, physical, and emotional requirements.

Here are some ways NGOs assist the many homeless veterans in the United States.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine recognizes addiction as “a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”

Why do people establish non-profit organizations? Some people are deeply committed to a particular cause and want to make a difference. They aspire to bring about positive social change.

However, it is important to remember that many non-profits fail within their first year, and data shows that approximately 30% of non-profits fail after the 10-year mark.

While there are numerous reasons for a nonprofit to fail, the most common are poor leadership and insufficient strategic planning.

A recent article in Social Work Today highlights a true triumph of empathy. In Innovations: New Foster Care Initiative Spotlights Parent Advocates, Debra McCall describes the parents’ pain when social workers have to remove children from their families.

“It is never easy. We enter parents’ lives at the worst possible moment—when the children they love have been removed from their homes. At that point, parents are experiencing shame, anger, and confusion. They are frightened and frustrated by the “intrusion” of the child welfare system into their lives. And they fear losing their children permanently, perhaps because that’s what happened to a neighbor or a friend.” (Social Work Today, Vol. 21 No. 1 P.3)

Social work is filled with disconcerting moral challenges.  In child protective services, practitioners are called on to investigate reports of abuse or neglect of children. Once they have investigated the allegations and considered all relevant facts, these social workers have to make daunting decisions about whether to remove the alleged victim from their homes and find alternative housing arrangements. These decisions affect the parents, the children, and the family at large. Rest assured, social workers are aware that, even as they are trying to prevent the child from suffering abuse or neglect, someone is about to suffer. The cases these professionals are called upon to handle are rarely black and white.

Pandemic related labor shortages are threatening the nonprofit sector's recovery. Many smaller nonprofits, virtually shut down during the worst of COVID-19, have begun to revitalize but find progress hampered by a shortage of qualified personnel. Large corporations have raided the nonprofit personnel ranks with lucrative pay increases, flexible work hours, and work from home options that smaller nonprofits find it difficult to match.