4 Top Reasons for Nonprofit Coworking

Guest post by Susana Bruhn, Community Builder at the Nonprofit Village at 31w31                     
 
Coworking spaces are popping up all over Kansas City and now in 2018, we are seeing boutique spaces like designWerx, the Nonprofit Village at 31w31 and The Laya – Spa and Coworking Center. These new spaces offer cost-effectiveness with dedicated offices and conference rooms, but also focus on industry and lifestyle. Boutique coworking spaces, like those focused on nonprofits, offer unique and richer experiences for clients.
 
So why should your nonprofit consider moving to a boutique coworking space? Here are four great reasons.
 
Coworking is a Growing Trend
In 2011, there were 1,130 coworking spaces with 43,000 members. In 2017, coworking membership topped one million in an estimated 13,800 spaces around the world. Sharing infrastructure costs is a leading reason that nonprofits choose to cowork. These cost and time savings allow nonprofits to be more mission focused.
Source: 2017 Global Coworking Survey.
 
Coworking Members Are Happier
A 2016 coworking member survey found that 89% of members were happier since joining a coworking space. Nonprofits exist for a common purpose: social good. Shared office space with fellow nonprofits reduces the isolation and loneliness associated with remote work and reinforces their cause of community. 
Source: Emergent Research.
 
Coworking Members Are More Motivated
The 2016 research also found that 84% of members said they were more engaged and motivated when coworking, 67% said coworking improved their professional success, and 69% said they feel more successful since joining a coworking space. Coworking spaces can provide a clean, calming, and conducive working environment, which enables nonprofit members a chance to work in a stimulating and focused way.
Source: Emergent Research.
 
Coworking Members Collaborate
71% of coworking space members surveyed said they have collaborated with other members in the last 12 months. For nonprofits, collaboration creates even bigger change when it comes to social issues. By sharing ideas and resources, organizations can achieve more than they could on their own.
Source: 2017 Global Coworking Survey
 
The clients of boutique coworking spaces are likely to see greater benefits for the focus is on community and not function. Especially for clients who have been working at home and in coffee shops, these spaces offer a flexible, convenient, and professional work environment that encourages productivity; the separation and balance between work and life; and a positive social interaction with a strong sense of community.
 
Mehgan Flynn, Manager of the Nonprofit Village at 31w31, sees collaboration as a key outcome, “The type of people we're convening at The Nonprofit Village coworking space is very specific, all are nonprofit professionals or work toward social causes - there is a common need to be connected in the community, have access to collaborative opportunities, and be efficient with their use of resources. Bringing these dynamic people together, under one roof, is the purpose of our space.”
 
Susana Bruhn is the Community Builder at the Nonprofit Village at 31w31 which is designed to meet the needs of Kansas City's diverse nonprofit community.
 
Nonprofit Village at 31w31 offers three free days of coworking for Nonprofit Connect members. Read more here.