The Coronavirus Pandemic sent out an incredibly deep political-social-economic ripple that the entire world is holding its breath to understand. What long-term effects will we see down the road? Specifically, how are nonprofits affected by it all?
Nonprofits are special kinds of organizations. They’re rooted in social, political, and economic issues around the world. No matter where you are or who you are, chances are, you’ve been touched by the work of a charity in some way. So, what is happening now that the world has fundamentally changed?
We launched our Nonprofit COVID-19 Survey just after the Pandemic classification from The World Health Organization in March to try to understand the answer to this question. So far, we have data from about 200 nonprofit organizations and will continue to collect hundreds more. Submissions are open until the Pandemic ends or a vaccination has been found and distributed.
Please take a moment to fill out this survey if you represent a nonprofit organization and haven’t already. If you’re not part of a nonprofit organization but know someone who is, please share this survey with them.
The Effects of the Pandemic on Nonprofits So Far
So far, our results show that nearly every nonprofit was affected by recent events. Only three percent said they hadn’t been affected by the Pandemic.
Although almost ninety-seven percent of respondents said they were affected, not all outcomes were negative. Our initial advice for nonprofits regarding the Pandemic mentioned that organizations of all kinds would help alleviate some of its secondary effects. That alignment has helped many charities gain more support from their communities.
In fact, only fourteen percent of people saw decreases in online donations during this time. Even less have seen large donors pull their funding. It’s encouraging to see that people are still supporting the work of nonprofits.
On the other hand, there was a big loss in funding as well as programming when in-person events were limited and then eliminated altogether (in most locations). Fifty-eight percent of respondents cancelled or postponed major events. More importantly, about forty-three percent of organizations had to stop some or all of their work.
Yet, while so many organizations find themselves unable to operate or scramble to move to online programming for the first time, they’re more in demand. At least twenty percent of them have seen an increase in demand for their services. Only forty percent saw decreases in requests for services.
Those organizations who have seen an increase in demand for their services are not all in the health industry, either. Only twelve percent of nonprofits who’ve participated in our survey work in a health-related field.
No matter what kind of work they do, all nonprofits find themselves facing volatility right now. At least fifty percent of all nonprofits believe this Pandemic will have a moderate to severe impact on their organizations.
Forty percent are slightly less wary of the future, but still believe it will have at least some impact on their organization in the long run. Less than ten percent of all respondents believe this Pandemic will have little or no impact on their organization as a whole.
How Has the Coronavirus Pandemic Affected Your Nonprofit?
It’s clear that almost all nonprofits have been shaken by the Coronavirus Pandemic. The question is, “How?”
Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey on the effects of the Pandemic on nonprofits. Then, share it with another organization. Participation does not require an email, name, or subscription to any marketing mailing list. We’d simply love to gather data from you now and once gain when this Pandemic has been overcome.
We’re in this together.
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