(Photo by iStock/marrio31)
Social sector leaders face immense challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Direct service nonprofits like food pantries face a growing need among the communities they serve and a shrinking pool of volunteers and resources to get the job done. Performances have been cancelled. Major fundraisers have moved online. And organizations face a new reality of conducting business virtually. How do nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and social justice advocates move forward during COVID-19? What management skills and well-being practices will sustain leaders? SSIR has compiled a list of articles with suggestions for fundraising, collaboration, and creative thinking to help social change leaders navigate this difficult terrain and build resilience in their organizations.
1. Before the Next Recession, Philanthropy Needs to Redefine Efficiency
“During and after the Great Recession, organizations became more ‘efficient,’ doing more with less money and staffing. But if that kind of efficiency saves money, it comes with its own price.”
2. Outrun the Recession: Seven Tips for Surviving the Economic Downturn
“The steps that organizations take to manage through tough times tend to endure. Making the wrong choices will have long-term consequences, but so will making the right ones.”
3. Fundraising in Tough Times: How to Survive in a Challenging Economy
“So what can we fundraisers do to minimize the impact of this difficult period on our organizations, and at the same time maximize our income? For starters, let’s agree that panicking and crawling into a hole is not a reasonable option. Nor is pretending that economic troubles will create multiple opportunities for venturesome fundraisers, who need only invest more in raising money. Instead, I believe, a cautious middle course is the only rational way to respond to the crisis.”
4. Crisis Mentality
“Understanding why sudden crises more readily pull heartstrings and loosen purse strings than do more persistent issues can help nonprofits keep their donors’ commitment when louder, more vivid causes burst onto the scene.”
5. Podcast: Nonprofit and Government Collaborations Move at the Speed of Trust
A discussion between California Mayors Libby Schaaf of Oakland and Michael Tubbs of Stocktonon about how the public sector and nonprofit leaders can work together in a time of anxiety and disruption.
6. The Essential Skills of Cross-Sector Leadership
“How can we best help such collaborations address our pressing challenges at the magnitude and complexity at which they exist? ... Developing effective cross sector leaders is a critical piece of the answer to effectively meeting these challenges.”
7. Is Your Nonprofit Built for Sustained Innovation?
“The answer to nonprofits becoming proactive and effective at innovation lies largely in committing to a continuous, intentional approach.”
8. Design Thinking for Social Innovation
“Design thinking can lead to hundreds of ideas and, ultimately, real-world solutions that create better outcomes for organizations and the people they serve.”
9. Centered Self: The Connection Between Inner Well-Being and Social Change
This series, launched in collaboration with The Wellbeing Project, India Development Review, and The Skoll Foundation, explores the important but often overlooked connection between inner well-being and effective social change. As the COVID-19 crisis tests the limits of the world's capabilities, it will become more pressing than ever to foster well-being at the individual, organizational, sector, and societal levels. Read the first article in the series, "Connecting Individual and Societal Change," to explore the topic and be sure to sign up to receive alerts when another article is released.
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