The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Inspired Connections' blended ideas for nonprofits surviving the economic tsunami and donor drought we face:

• Get some of your frontline people on the phone to do some phone banking and meet immediate donation needs. One Symphony had its musicians spend two nights calling past donors and rebuilt old relationships while at it.
• Focus on providing services most critical now, and perhaps scale back on others.
• Rally board members to pick up some of the slack. Have them reach out to 10 people to keep you in the game. Longer term, recruit the right board members who, when oriented appropriately, understand their role is to build relationships, open doors and support staff in making things happen. (Inspired Connections believes that a strategic relationship management effort will be embraced more openly and willingly by board members versus a simple give or get mantra. Just click here to send us an email. We'd be happy to share more.)
• When you make cuts or trim back an event for economic purposes, be honest and open about it. Creating an image of frugalness will pay off. (And get smart about the little things that will save you money like making sure you're putting in an appropriate guarantee for food/numbers if you're working with a hotel. Nonprofits lose thousands easily when they don't watch their registration numbers.)
• Show donors where and how the money is being used and where it is still need. IC says…tell them why they should care, how your organization is relevant to them or their community.
• Don't back off those hurting. Everyone is hurting. Appeal to being able to give just a bit.
• Diversify giving groups. Some nonprofits in this community depended a great deal on the development community or real estate. Just like the businesses in that sector, the nonprofits are feeling the significant hit. When times are tough, it's even tougher to get in and build relationships in new sectors. So start diversifying and don't stop. See "don't take your eye off the future" below.
• When you start identifying new groups, figure out the best ways to engage them. Old media, traditional media, and new media – how will they respond? You may even be able to recruit a committee simply to help you get up to speed on your outreach capacity and opportunities. Some may even want to be testing their skills or learn new ones. Appeal to some trailblazers.
• Collaborate. Some groups have merged to weather the storm. This is not a willy-nilly prospect, but one that has to be thought through. A merger can be to improve service and efficiency, but must be grounded in trust with special attention given to sharing/blending/understanding cultures.
• Don't fall into the old trap of being concerned about asking for operating or capacity building funds. Donors should be more savvy about the concepts of "sustainability." That's what operating and capacity funds are all about. Speak the lingo, make the case. Educate!
• Don't take your eye off the future. While extreme measures may need to be taken now, if you forget your future, you won't have one. Assign one key team member to keep their eye on being ready for the future.