"The agency received both public and private support. The mayor said the problem was that the nonprofit failed to maintain its external fundraising. 'They started out great and kept going until they ran into fundraising problems,' he said...
"Apparently some national funders backed out, for reasons unrelated to the project. The mayor said the agency didn't come to the city to for more funds to make up the difference."
This quote is taken from yesterday's Hartford Courant in an <a href="http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-plccondon0217.artfeb17,0,6022723.column">editorial</a> about a nonprofit that was engaged in neighborhood revitalization and is closing its doors.
So who is responsible when the well dries up? Is it the nonprofit's board or staff? Were these folks not strategic enough to think beyond one year at a time. And if the mayor says the city wasn't approached (as though they would have responded), was that the board's or staff's failure?
One thing that was clear from the article: this nonprofit's job is not done, there is still a need. So don't the board and staff have a responsibility, as the organization's owners, to find a solution for the future? Even a sell-out to another organization is a solution that keeps services coming.