Charities that have been nurturing relationships with donors, communicating transparently, and making the most of technology have laid a strong foundation to weather a crisis like the pandemic. Here are the lastest Chronicle articles and advice to guide nonprofits that are just getting started as well as those that want to deepen these efforts, so you can stay afloat and secure your future.
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FundraisingStreet Canvassers Switch to Telemarketing and Donor Stewardship During Pandemic
At big groups like Oxfam America and Doctors Without Borders USA, face-to-face fundraising has been an established way to recruit new monthly donors. Even with opportunities to raise money by phone, these charities still have an extraordinary amount of ground to make up, industry leaders say. -
Case Study
When Supporters Can’t Gather, Nonprofit Finds Success With Mask Donation Campaign
Donors who make a gift of at least $29 get a branded mask for themselves, and the group donates two masks to partner charities. The campaign is just one way the organization tries to connect virtually with supporters during the pandemic. -
Ask an Expert
What to Do About Membership Appeals and How to Prioritize When You’re the Only Fundraiser
A fundraiser and two consultants answer readers’ pandemic-related fundraising questions. -
Research
Since Pandemic, Donors More Inclined to Support Health Nonprofits, Cut Back Other Causes, Poll Finds
Environmental and education groups are least likely to get gifts while donors say they are holding steady in their support of social services. -
Fundraising
How 4 Nonprofits That Aren’t on the Front Lines Are Raising Money During the Crisis
Fundraisers describe what they’re doing to stay connected with constituents and make their case for support — and how donors are responding. -
Fundraising
Share the Stimulus? Campaigns to Donate Relief Checks Draw Mixed Reactions
Some nonprofit fundraisers see the cash infusion as an opportunity to ask those who don’t need financial assistance to donate some or all of it to charity. Others aren’t so sure that’s a good idea. -
Tips and Tools
7 Low-Cost Ways to Stay Connected With Donors
A family-foundation head offers real-world examples of effective donor communications during a crisis. -
Individual Giving
How the New $300 ‘Universal’ Deduction Works
The new measure applies to cash gifts only in an attempt to jump-start giving for coronavirus and economic relief efforts by middle-class donors — and to support all other causes hit hard by the crisis. -
Ask an Expert
Ask an Expert: Eligibility for Federal Stimulus Funds and the New Charitable Deduction
Do big endowments disqualify nonprofits from the Paycheck Protection Program? Are stimulus funds available only to groups whose revenue has dropped? We got answers to readers’ questions from the leader of an advocacy group for nonprofits and two fundraising consultants. -
Virtual Forum
Fundraisers Urged to Seize Opportunities During Current Crisis
The new stimulus law provides some fresh openings for raising money during tough times, according to Peter Fissinger, CEO of Campbell & Company and a panelist at a recent Chronicle online briefing. -
Q&A
Arguing for the Importance of the Arts During a Public-Health Crisis (Q&A)
Robin Bronk, CEO of the Creative Coalition, talks about the group’s efforts during the pandemic and what it’s been like working from home in New Rochelle, N.Y., the country’s first coronavirus containment zone. -
Tool Kit
Chronicle Advice on How to Respond to Covid-19
Chronicle resources to help your nonprofit adapt its policies and operations, keep donors close despite social distancing, and continue serving the community during difficult times. -
Individual Giving
Pandemic Spurs Surge in Gifts From Donor-Advised Funds
Funds at community foundations as well as those run by commercial sponsors are seeing a rise in the amounts donors are channeling to charities hurt by the economic and health crisis as well as in the number of grants awarded. -
Advice
Ask an Expert: Communicating With Donors and Planning for the Future
A seasoned development director and a veteran consultant answer reader questions about fundraising during the pandemic. -
Direct Marketing and Appeals
Charities Adjust Mailings to Address Pandemic Response
As nonprofits assess how the spread of Covid-19 is affecting their mission and their finances, many are facing a difficult decision: to mail or not to mail. -
Fundraising
GivingTuesday Launches Giving Day Supporting Pandemic Response
The day of giving, generosity, and solidarity in response to emergency needs caused by Covid-19 is scheduled for May 5. -
Reporters Notebook
What We Heard at AFP’s Virtual Conference (Reporters Notebook)
Navigating donor communication during the pandemic was a major theme throughout the virtual gathering of fundraisers. We tuned in and took notes from our homes. -
Fundraising
How to Raise Money if Your Nonprofit Isn’t Responding Directly to the Pandemic
Experts say it’s up to fundraisers to explain how their groups are affected by the current crisis. They say now is not the time to pull back on communications with supporters. -
Advice
Covid-19, the Economy, and the Nonprofit World: A Virtual Forum
Three experts in fundraising, managing, and philanthropy share advice on how to talk to donors now, recoup lost revenue from canceled in-person events, and manage staff and board members during the crisis. -
Fundraising
Coronavirus Upends College Giving Days as Institutions Pivot to Raise Money for Students’ Basic Needs
For colleges and universities hoping to engage students and young alumni in lifetime giving, these fundraising drives can be especially valuable. But as institutions respond to the coronavirus by shuttering campuses and moving students to online learning, many are changing the focus of their upcoming giving days to spotlight urgent student needs. -
Resources
Fundraising During the Corona Outbreak: Answers to 5 Pressing Questions
Trying to decide if you should to cancel an event? Wondering what to say to donors, how to stay connected, or whether to ask for money? Here’s advice to guide you. -
Advice
Experts Urge Charities to Talk to Their Donors Now
Fundraisers might struggle with what to say, but in times of crisis, it’s critical to maintain open lines of communication with supporters. The future of the relationship may depend on it. -
News
What We Have Learned From Crises That We Can Use in the Coronavirus Age
Most important: Reach out to big donors now because those who feel ignored sometimes stop giving altogether when the economy and the situation around the world brightens. -
Opinion
The Coronavirus Outbreak Could Prove Why Donor-Advised Funds Serve Society Well (Opinion)
While many people criticize the funds for sitting on assets, if history proves right, donors will send lots of money to charities doing essential work as global health and the economy are at risk. -
Tools and Resources
Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Curated Guide to Help Nonprofits
A collection of advice and tools to help nonprofits deal with the uncertainties surrounding the virus, including managing and leading, communicating, fundraising in a crisis, taking events online, and remote work.
