Avoiding the Death Spiral

Synopsis: When organizations experience a reduction in funding, the results are never “pretty.” People, programs, and entire departments are often eliminated in an attempt to cut costs. Non-profit organizations are especially vulnerable. In this resource guide, learn to recognize the signs of the death spiral and identify steps that you can take to avoid it.

Learning Objectives: After reading and learning from this resource guide, you will be able to:

1. Describe what is meant by “people vote with their feet.”
2. Explain why the death spiral starts with the leader of an organization.
3. List and describe the 10 stages of the death spiral.
4. Describe the 9 signs and symptoms of the death spiral.
5. Describe steps that an organization can take to avoid the death spiral.