Learned and Learning – COVID-19 Lesson #1

Lesson #1

In crisis situations, nonprofits should emphasize community over mission.

While it’s not news that nonprofits depend on donors for funding, we tend to forget how donors depend on nonprofits as well. Truth is, no one knows the community you serve better than you do. So when your clients are adversely affected by a change in circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, donors depend on you to inform them about any changes in your community’s hierarchy of needs.

We’re hearing a lot about how nonprofits, like funders, are “pivoting” to address these changes. As closed businesses and lost jobs began to impact the economy, demand for certain social services grew exponentially. As a result, many agencies saw their clients’ most immediate needs shifting. Rising quickly to the top of the list were food, health care, shelter (rental/mortgage assistance), day care, and computer/internet access for children continuing school at home. By making a corresponding shift in operations or partnering with others, some nonprofit organizations found new ways to serve their communities. YMCA of Greater Houston, unable to operate its onsite programs, responded by partnering with Brighter Bites and Houston Food Bank. During April, employees turned nine YMCA facilities across Houston into food distribution centers, helping get 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce to 60,000 families.

People drawn to the nonprofit sector tend to be problem-solvers, and are accustomed to tackling difficult problems with minimal resources. The Harris Health System — in dire need of medical face shields at two of its hospitals — approached University of Houston’s College of Architecture and Design where students developed a prototype within 24 hours. Within days, they were supplying hundreds of these essential personal protective equipment (PPE) devices to local doctors and nurses.

These emergency pivots and collaborations can produce unexpected collateral benefits for nonprofits in both the short- and long-term. Motivated by compassion and innovation, such actions build goodwill and raise brand awareness in the greater community. And at a time when people are feeling disconnected and helpless, they offer a way to keep leadership, staff, donors, and volunteers close and engaged. Nonprofits that continue serving their constituents, in whatever way they can, will no doubt emerge from the current crisis even stronger as a result.