Navigating essential care needs with limited charitable resources

Whether you sit on the board of trustees or serve on the senior management team, you will inevitably face difficult decisions about how to stretch limited resources to meet the vital health needs of cancer patients. You may recall a moment like this—was it discouraging, or did it guide your team toward clearer thinking and a stronger path forward?

As the demand for cancer care expands, pressure on resources increases—often due to limited funding or a shortage of staff to meet rising needs. Unlike corporate organizations driven by financial gain, charities dedicated to patient care must consider much more complex and sensitive factors.

Your mission must remain focused on one purpose:
providing cancer patients with essential health services, clean water, and the supportive care they need during treatment.
This creates important questions to consider:

• Should financial sustainability take priority over expanding life-supporting programs?

• Can team hours be reduced without compromising safety or the quality of care?

• Are the immediate needs of cancer patients more important than the cost of maintaining these services?

The challenge lies in comparing the life-saving value of one program with another.

Trustees have a legal duty to act in the charity’s best interest.
Senior management, working closely with patients and caregivers, often feels the emotional weight of these decisions even more deeply.

One of the strengths of a charitable governance model is the room it provides for thoughtful, compassionate decision-making. Most staff and trustees choose this mission because they truly care about helping those fighting cancer. Yet this same passion makes difficult decisions even harder—especially when they impact the individuals who depend on clean water, safe treatment, and consistent health support throughout their cancer journey.

Donate Now