For a nonprofit, coworking makes sense. When you choose to join a coworking space, it puts you in the midst of other business owners who may align with your mission and join you in doing good within the community. On top of that, shared office space allows the members of your organization, who may also be professionals in the community, access to these same business professionals and entrepreneurs for the benefit of their individual networking and collaborative networking for your nonprofit.
If you’re on the fence about whether you’d benefit from setting up shop for your nonprofit in a coworking space, here are a few reasons to consider.
Conference Room Access
For nonprofits, having access to available meeting space typically tops the wish list. There aren’t a lot of places that can accommodate board meetings involving large numbers of people. While places like the public library and some office locations of your board members may be available for the occasional one-off meeting, consistent meeting space is important and it matters.
Coworking spaces provide ample meeting space for nonprofits and make for easy scheduling in advance to guarantee consistent meetings throughout the year. Depending on your coworking space membership terms, use of the conference room may be absorbed within the cost. On top of that, you gain access to teleconference equipment, white boards, Internet, and close proximity to kitchen areas should you choose to cater your meetings. Additionally, on-site office amenities make it easy to get things done quickly and gives you room to be creative in the space. Need more hand-outs? Work/place has a printer available for you! What’s best is since you’re a member of the coworking space, your office and the conference room are in the same building making transporting laptops and materials a breeze.
All-Hours Access
While your staff may be able to meet at any hour, your board may not be. This is where coworking spaces shine. There is no need to scramble to find available meeting space that doesn’t fit everyone’s schedule or that’s not open on weekends when you may need to host a Saturday or Sunday board meeting. Depending on your membership level, you’ll have 24/7 access to the coworking center and conference room. This takes the edge off of planning meetings around locations like the public library which may not have space on the weekend and may close earlier than your board members and staff can meet.
Hosting Events & Benefits
If you need to host a fundraising party, Work/place has the bandwidth to accommodate it. Hosting your events at a coworking space is mutually beneficial for you and the owners of the space. It gives you a space to use that’s designed for group gatherings and it shows off the coworking space to those you invite who may be looking for workspace themselves. It’s a win-win (which we like!).
You again have access to the kitchen for catering and audio/visual equipment for presentations. It’s also a great way to make a lasting impression on your guests.
Collaboration & Support Within
Nonprofits thrive on community support, fresh perspectives, and the generosity of individuals and businesses. Within coworking spaces, you can find all three without having to leave your office. As you get to know other business owners in your coworking space, you might find that they are passionate about your cause and want to donate, serve on your board, provide necessary services (i.e., marketing, web design, publicity) or know other people who can help advance your cause.
These are just a few of the benefits to using a coworking space as a nonprofit. At Work/place, our flexible coworking space and floor plan makes all of these benefits possible for your nonprofit. If you’re ready to focus on using your money to drive your mission and serve your community and less in overhead office expenses, contact us today to see our facility!
