Over the past four months, I’ve used this space to share my thoughts on some of the most pressing issues of our time — the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on communities of color, and a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement stemming from repeated acts of racial injustice. These events haven’t occurred in isolation but are inextricably linked, so much so that – in just an instant – they have changed our way of thinking about what it is to be a neighbor and a member of a community in America.Nowhere is that more evident than at the nonprofit level, including the Urban Affairs Coalition. For more than 50 years, the Coalition has fought for those who are black, brown, and poor by bringing together various constituencies – including government, business, civic and neighborhood leaders – to respond to the needs of those who have the least. There is no doubt that COVID has affected the regular operations of our nonprofit partners, shifting gears to allow staff to work remotely, to operate programs online, and to compensate for lost revenues.
And even worse, many nonprofits have been forced to institute layoffs. According to a study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 13 percent of all nonprofit jobs – that’s more than 1.6 million positions – were shed from March through May 2020. To put that figure in context, that’s equivalent to 8.8 percent of the estimated 18.7 million nongovernmental job losses seen in that time span.
At a time when our vulnerable communities need us the most, these realities are tough to bear. That’s why we must reaffirm our commitment to the Coalition’s mission and purpose – to help friends, families and neighbors create stronger communities.
As a home for nonprofits, both in good times and bad, our platform strengthens nonprofits through fiscal sponsorship and capacity building. We provide the administrative and professional services – a true cost savings – that allows our partners to be more nimble, effective and able to solve problems in our communities. Together, we can accomplish what no one organization can do on its own.
One of the best ways to navigate these tough economic realities,
I believe, is to head-on-tackle the challenges of the day-to-day; at the same time plan for the future. As UAC and our nonprofit partners enter a new fiscal year as of July 1, I want to be sure that together we are prepared for the year ahead – and it’s never too late to get started.To help nonprofits through these unprecedented times, the Coalition has reviewed best practices from a variety of nonprofit peers. Here are some of our top recommendations to take in key areas:
- Shore up your organizational strategy. Start with your mission and vision – do the short-term challenges you are facing still advance your organization’s long-term mission? If not, modify them. This might include adjustments to vendors, partners, staffing, service delivery areas, activity levels, program scope, and more. If you have a strategic plan, update it to capitalize on opportunities for change, innovation and creativity.
- Secure your finances. This may require reducing expenses, delaying payments, renegotiating leases, borrowing money or obtaining a line of credit from a bank, exploring new fundraising opportunities, or making other reductions in specific areas. The goal is to get a handle on the cash flow and find stability in the “new normal.”
- Raise new revenues. Now more than ever it is important to stay in regular conversation with your funders and reach out to new donors. Nonprofits will likely see cuts in philanthropic giving and government support, but be sure to keep an eye open for new avenues of funding that might arise due to the pandemic – and apply as appropriate. For example, the PHL COVID-19 Fund has awarded area nonprofits with 548 grants totaling $17.5 million since its launch on March 19, 2020. These efforts must continue, and nonprofits need to lead those who want to help, to those they can help.
As the pandemic and its economic fallout continue to disrupt nonprofit operations and delivery of services, we all know this will be a challenging fiscal year ahead. But we also know nonprofits will continue on — shoring up systems, securing infrastructure, and raising awareness along the way to serve our friends, neighbors, and communities. Even in a time of uncertainty, this fact brings hope to all of us.
Sincerely,
Sharmain Matlock-Turner
President/CEO
Sharmain@uac.org