A Nonprofit’s Guide to Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis and the ensuing shutdowns have been hard on all of us. This includes large publicly traded companies, private organizations, and even government groups. But if there’s one sector of the economy that’s been hit especially hard, it’s nonprofits.

If you run a nonprofit, now’s the time to really buckle down and hold on. Though things do seem to be loosening up, there are still turbulent times ahead. How you respond will, to a degree, dictate your results.

5 Tips for Surviving the Pandemic

In a recent editorial piece for CNN, John MacIntosh, managing partner of SeaChange Capital Partners, did not mince his words. It’s his belief that COVID-19 is a defining moment for the nonprofit world.

 

“Covid-19 is poised to become an extinction-level event for America’s nonprofits,” MacIntosh writes. “Cultural institutions have been forced to close their doors. Organizations working in and around public schools or in senior centers cannot provide services because their clients are not showing up.”

He also goes on to mention that fundraising events have been canceled. Many front-line social services – such as homeless shelters – can’t be delivered remotely and pose grave risks of infection. Problems abound on nearly every front.

But all is not lost. There are solutions and strategies that can be implemented to limit the negative effects and generate some positive momentum for nonprofits that have been significantly impacted. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Don’t Go Silent!

Now is not the time to be quiet. You need to speak up early and often.

Don’t feel like you have to say anything profound – but do make sure you’re a positive light in the midst of darkness. Offer up encouraging thoughts and transparency. Offer to help in whatever way you can. (People will remember the brands who stepped up and served more than the ones who released politically correct boilerplate statements.)

2. Pick Up the Phone

People crave a personal connection; they value direct engagement. And for all of the wonderful things email can do for a nonprofit, it’s not a form of direct engagement. It’s a mass mailer. If you truly want to connect, pick up the phone!

“Make a list of people that should get a personal phone call, and then assign the people on that list to various staff and leaders in your organization,” consultant Rod Arnold suggests. “The personal touch — even if it’s just to let them know they’re on your mind — will go a long way toward keeping your supporters engaged.”

3. Lead With Empathy

 

Remember that you are not the only one suffering right now. There are people who have lost loved ones, battled the virus themselves, seen their jobs disappear, lost all of their savings, etc. Make sure you always lead with empathy in your communications. Make it about them – not you.

4. Look for Ways to Slash Expenses

Now’s as good a time as any to look for ways to cut your expenses and save money. There are plenty of options, but you’ll have to carefully consider your nonprofit and the specific factors you face (both now and down the road).

Membership Works suggests taking advantage of nonprofit sales tax certificates and refunds, applying for government and foundation grants, downsizing office space (going remote if possible), and other tactics.

5. Plan for the Long-Term

 Be careful not to focus all of your energy on weathering the current crisis at the expense of the future of your organization. While survival is the goal, you also need to think about where you’ll be in one, three, or five years from now (in relation to the choices you’re making today). Survival doesn’t mean much if you’re compromising on your mission.

 Putting it All Together

 Nobody knows where this pandemic will lead us. Will the winter bring a resurgence of cases? Will a vaccine allow us to resume to normal? Is this just the first of many pandemics in the near future? It’s hard to predict the answers to these questions. However, if there’s one thing that we do know, it’s that proper planning yields superior results.

Now’s the time to dig your heels in and develop a calculated and nimble response plan for overcoming these challenges so that your nonprofit organization can thrive and continue to help people in the future.