what do you do if your ngo doesn't have money?

If you are going to run any NGO for really a good cause or to fill up some niche, then it will certainly get the recognition. If it gets the recognition and the support from the community for whom you work, generating funds is not a problem. The cause for which you work and the ideologies you have behind is more important. If you start doing the real work, funds will automatically flow.
If you are not able to generate the funds, it is obvious that there will be problems in running an NGO. In the present day context, it is common that the staff turn over is very high in most of the organisations. This is because the staffs are lured by the other sectors which are offering a handsome pay. It is possible in the NGO sector also to pay like that if the organisation is highly professionalised and does really a good job.