How Nonprofit Leaders Can Keep Their Organizations Afloat

How Nonprofit Leaders Can Keep Their Organizations Afloat

by Joan Garry - April 21, 2020

It’s hard to imagine the extent of the destruction and pain Covid-19 will cause to people around the world. In the United States alone, more than 30,000 lives have been lost and millions of jobs have evaporated, and this is only the beginning. Nonprofits will provide an essential lifeline to help people get through this crisis and will be an essential part of recovery efforts. In crises, we need the knowledge, skills, and service of these organizations. Just as critical as the government, yet more nimble, they are now an essential tool for societies to address vital needs.

Many nonprofits have big and important missions, but most are under-resourced. Of the 1.5 million in the United States, 65% have budgets under $500,000. The domestic violence shelter, the food pantry, the local free clinic - these groups are typically run on shoestring budgets with volunteer staffs. Your jaw would drop if you knew how many executive directors work 65 hours a week and are paid for 20. And again, this is on a good day. And these are not good days - not even close.

Nonprofits are struggling in a way that I, a veteran in this field, have never seen before. In Verona, Wisconsin, the Badger Prairie Network can’t keep up with the demand for its food pantry services; both food and financial donations and hours worked by volunteers are down. At Ray of Sunshine, an equine therapy program for those living with cancer in San Diego County,  immunocompromised clients can’t come, and leaders are struggling to raise the money they need to keeping paying staff and caring for the animals.

How can underfunded, understaffed nonprofits continue to serve their communities during these dark times?

Anticipate

Cathy (who asked that I not use her last name) runs a residence for women with dementia, many with serious underlying conditions, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her clients are without question the most vulnerable to Covid-19. Although she and her team have been vigilant and no one has been infected so far, she has already prepared a draft letter to share with her community should one of the residents fall ill.

The letter affirms that her organization is a caring one and that its high quality of service is undiminished. It notes that “the safety of our residents has and always will come first” and goes on to outline all the precautions that her team has taken so far, as well as more extensive measures (beyond government recommendations) that it would be considering in the wake of such a tragedy. It also promises continued open communication and commitment to its mission.

A good leader solves problems. A great one anticipates them. Right now, nonprofit leaders must ask the hard questions, consider the worst-case scenarios, and brainstorm all the different actions they can take right now to be ready if that happens.

Create 

Ellen LaPointe began her tenure as the CEO of Fenway Health two months ago. She’s learned more in the past two months than most new leaders learn in the first year — about the resilience of the staff and the deep, shared commitment they have to their clients. She offers a great deal to her new team in terms of strong management and leadership skills but in these early days the staff has taught her about what is possible.

Before the pandemic, Fenway had decided to virtualize some of its medical consultation services. The team projected that this transformative initiative would take a year. However, when confronted with the new normal of social distancing, they realized they would need to speed up that process. Working feverishly, they introduced the new telehealth program in just five days.

In crisis, nonprofit leaders must act with speed to innovate, execute, and deliver what people need.

Nurture

Karen Pearl is the CEO of God’s Love We Deliver, which prepares and delivering nutritious meals to New Yorkers homebound with chronic illnesses. When New York became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, she nurtured a variety of stakeholders, including employees and donors, via video conference; it was something like Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chats in the 1930s.

She explained in detail how operations had changed, shared the stories of drivers going the extra mile, and described how carefully kitchen volunteers were cooking and packing. She brought her “tribe” closer to the organization and we can only expect she will continue to keep them close.

During challenges, leaders need to keep stakeholders close. The ability of your organization to recover once the clouds lift will be directly tied to how well you do this.

Pivot

It’s time to be nimble about crisis-time services and staffing. Are there new ways to be of use to your existing clientele and others in need? Can older volunteers, who are at higher risk for the virus, participate virtually, or can you find young people with more time on their hands than they had before - for examples from colleges or the arts community, or the gig economy workforce - to pitch in?

Drew Dyson, the executive director of Princeton Senior Resource Center, moved his education program, the Evergreen Forum online by offering tech support to professors and to his clients during the transition. A team of remote volunteers worked with hundreds of seniors to introduce them to Zoom and the initiative was a huge success. Instead of the anticipated 200 registrants, they had more than 500. You can bet that, even once the pandemic passes, PSRC will be offering more online programs to reach more clients previously not physically able to visit the center.

Amit Paley and his team at The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour toll-free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth, executed a similar pivot. They set their 40 hotline volunteers up with secure laptops in their homes in less than a week.

Ask

Gifted Wishes is a Seattle-based group that creates moments that matter for hospice patients. Gala revenue is the largest percentage of its small budget. Many others are in the same boat. Fundraisers are being cancelled left and right.

If your organization is struggling, it’s important to be honest with donors about what you need to stay open. In a moment when many people are facing unforeseen financial challenges, this can be a hard ask. However, there will still be some individuals or grant-making foundations that can help cover potential shortfalls. Remember, too, to ask your board members for advice and assistance in securing government assistance loans for which you might be eligible and making connections with impact investors focused on Covid-19 relief and recovery.

Closing your doors along with the critical services you provide will compound the crisis for many, so don’t be afraid to continue fundraising.

Our nonprofits must survive so the least fortunate among us can recover from this pandemic. Even if your cause seems less relevant now - maybe run an animal shelter or a chamber orchestra - your organizations will be even more important as society again begins to function and people seek out love, communion, and beauty in the world.

So keep reminding everyone about the ways in which your organization is unique, how you are working to repair the world, and why you need help now.

Joan Garry leads The Nonprofit Leadership Lab, runs a consulting and coaching practice, and is the author of Joan Garry’s Guide to Non-Profit Leadership: Because Non-Profits Are Messy (Wiley, 2017).