To Fundraise or Not to Fundraise: That is the Question during the COVID-19 Crisis
As you can imagine, I have had numerous conversations over the last two weeks about whether nonprofits should ask for money during this time. Webinars and articles abound on this topic as well; you can find links to some of these on my COVID-19 webpage.
Digesting all this advice along with my experience with nonprofits and fundraising has led me to the following answer to the question about the role of development during this time.
1. Absolutely get the message out about how the crisis has impacted your nonprofit and the people you serve. Add it to your website, send emails, use social media. If staff now work from home, publicize how people can access your services and staff. If you serve a vulnerable population or have in-demand services, let people know how they can access those services.
2. If you, like many, had to reschedule a spring event, tell people the reschedule date as soon as possible. We will likely have a very, very crowded fall events calendar. You want to get your event on people’s calendars sooner rather than later.
3. Doing something creative to reach your audience and others? Share it far and wide! The creativity of the nonprofit sector during this time has impressed me immensely. An overwhelming number of organizations have put their programming online, created creative activities to educate and keep kids (and families) busy, or just provided fun videos! Not one of them? Create a webpage, social media post, or regular email to share these other resources with your constituents. This communication will give your constituents needed information and keep your name and services in front of them so they remember you after the crisis subsides.
4. Reach out to your grant funders to see what flexibility they will offer in terms of grants you already received. Most of our local funders – and I assume most funders nationally – have said they will relax restrictions, extend deadlines, etc. Some will even let you turn a restricted gift into an unrestricted one to allow your operations to continue. This crisis impacts them too, both personally and professionally, so reaching out also allows you to check on them and give them some human contact.
5. Stay informed of new funding sources for nonprofits. Locally, several foundations have changed their guidelines to provide unrestricted money to nonprofits impacted by this crisis. The government – state and federal – seem to introduce new programs daily that help workers, small businesses, and nonprofits. Stay on top of these and apply for them as they meet your needs. Many have very quick turnarounds because they want to get money out quickly, so you need to stay informed and nimble.
6. Talk to your major donors. Don’t forget, this includes your board members. Check on them and let them know you care about them as people, not checkbooks. As the people closest to your organization, you want to keep them informed of your needs and plans during the crisis.
7. If you need money (and I mean really need it), ask your major donors and board members to help. They have a vested interest in the success of your organization and most likely still have the means to help you. When you ask, do so personally and individually, either by phone or video. No mail or email solicitations.
8. Unless you provide an essential service, I’m much less convinced that you should implement a broad-based solicitation campaign right now for a few reasons, even if you provide an essential service, for a few reasons:
a. With so much uncertainty, I think most people will continue to just hunker down to see how everything shakes out for them personally. I think few people will give to a nonprofit when they don’t know their personal financial situation. I also think you risk making people mad if they feel that you “took advantage” of this time to ask for money; that’s kind of how I feel with some of the appeals I’ve seen so far.
b. With all the information and misinformation out there, I think your message will get lost. Add to that the added pressure, confusion and stress of sheltering in place, working from home, homeschooling kids, worrying about parents and relatives, and fearing that every cough or sneeze means you caught it, and I don’t think people will focus on your Facebook campaign right now.
Things continue to change daily if not hourly. The world may look a lot different (better, I hope) in a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks. You can rethink your strategy then but for now, I recommend that you look at your core business and how you can retain the services (and employees) that your clients need. Watch your budget and adjust as needed to remain viable for the long-term, which may mean cutting nonessential services and some employees. And continue to evaluate and reevaluate as things change, both in the world and your organization.
During this unprecedented time, at least in my lifetime, nonprofit professionals have provided – and will continue to provide – a lot of the frontline support that will help children, families, and seniors through this crisis. Thank you for all you do!
I hope you and your family stay well and healthy and find ways to connect.
