Nonprofits are being tested during the Covid-19 pandemic like never before. Few organizations went into the emergency with extensive reserves. Now, with fundraising events canceled, ticket sales gone, and contracts on hold, many organizations are struggling to survive financially.
Looking for a lifeline, charities are turning to loans, lines of credit, and emergency grants. Not all are getting what they need. Cornerstone Family Programs & Morristown Neighborhood House in New Jersey applied to its bank for a Paycheck Protection Program loan the day the federal program started. But the bank needed more information and didn’t submit the charity’s application before the first round of money was exhausted. Cornerstone had to furlough some employees and reduce the hours of others. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, the organization that publishes the Chronicle of Philanthropy, has received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program.)
Yet amid the pain and uncertainty, innovation abounds. Giving cash directly to people in need, an idea that’s been gaining traction over the past decade, has exploded in popularity during the crisis. And across the country, nonprofits have transformed their work — sometimes in a matter of days — to respond to urgent new needs in their communities.
The DC Dream Center usually provides mentoring and exercise classes. Now, the group is serving more than 200 meals a day in a neighborhood hit hard by job losses. “I am just stepping out in faith with the information I have now,” says Ernest Clover, the center’s executive director. “This is what I believe we should be doing.”
In the following articles, we show what nonprofits are doing and how leaders are coping.
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NewsHow Nonprofits Are Dealing With Money, Staff, and Board Issues During the Pandemic
Organizations are turning to loans and lines of credit, trying to avoid layoffs, and coming up with strategies to ride out tough times. -
The Face of Philanthropy
They Witness Deaths Daily: Now Comes Covid-19
An all-volunteer force known as the White Helmets is working to educate Syrians —already devastated by nine years of civil war —about Covid-19. -
Management and Leadership
Community Groups Step Up to Meet New Needs
Across the country, organization are moving fast, sometimes completely changing how they work in a matter of days to aid people hit hard by the pandemic. -
Innovation
Covid-19 Spurs Big Rise in Wealthy Donors and Foundations Giving Direct Cash Aid to the Poor
Both conservatives and liberals are joining forces for an idea that once got little traction. Now the question is whether the results will persuade donors to keep supporting such efforts for many years to come. -
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. -
Coronavirus Diaries
How One Leader Works to Protect Vulnerable Clients and Her Employees
Claudia Medina is head of Enlace Comunitario, a nonprofit in Albuquerque that aids victims of domestic violence in Latino immigrant communities, many of whom are undocumented. -
Coronavirus Diaries
A Rural Leader Responds to the Crisis in an Area That Has Long Struggled With Poverty
Lance Cheslock leads a Colorado social-service group in an area with a lot if migrant farmworkers, double the national unemployment rate, and few philanthropic or government resources. And that was before the pandemic. -
News
Editor’s Notebook: ‘Reinventing Every Day, Over and Over’
Readers are telling us that nonprofits are moving quickly to change how they work and advance their missions during the pandemic. The Chronicle is reimagining its offerings to help.
