Clearly, COVID-19 is significantly impacting our communities. Every aspect of our lives – family, friends, work, school, physical health, mental health – are affected by the virus. The team at Social Change Consulting is trying to balance the needs of our families and communities while continuing to support our nonprofit clients and partners.
Because we work with several nonprofit organizations, we’ve been asked a few times by friends for suggestions on how to help others (aside from wearing your mask and social distancing).
Organizations focused on elder care and public health are going to be more drastically affected in the short-term. These organizations will likely also have evolving needs as COVID-19 continues. Please support your local organizations that are hit hardest by this outbreak. The list below focuses on additional actions you can take as the effects ripple through our communities.
Local Food Banks and Pantries
Food banks are a vital resource for individuals who are experiencing challenges with access to affordable meals. Due to COVID-19, some individuals and families that rely on hunger-relief resources may be further challenged with inconsistent or reduced work shifts. Additionally, 20 million children in the United States rely on breakfast and/or lunch at their school. As school districts are closing, these students will need additional support. Further compounding the potential issues is that the Trump Administration is moving forward with changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that will prevent up to 700,000 people from receiving supplemental food relief.
Supporting your local food bank can be especially impactful during this time. Feeding America is a national hunger-relief charity that connects 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs across the United States. On their website, you can enter your zip code and find your local food bank.
Donating food to your local food bank is always a positive and helpful action. During times of stress and increased volume, many food banks increasingly need financial donations so that they can supplement the supplies that their community needs. Other food-relief nonprofits include Meals on Wheels and World Central Kitchen.
Homeless Shelters and Homes for Victims of Domestic Violence
COVID-19 may be especially difficult for individuals that experience homelessness and have a higher chance of being uninsured or underinsured. This New York Times article, Coronavirus Outbreak Has America’s Homeless at Risk of ‘Disaster’, explains how homeless shelters are coping and trying to prepare.
Research shows that domestic violence increases during times of economic hardship. Additionally, self-quarantines in homes may lead to a higher number of domestic violence incidence. This Axios article shared that the number of domestic violence cases reported to a Hubei Province police station in China had tripled in February during the quarantine. This article from HuffPost, Home Is Not A Safe Place For Everyone, looks at the especially difficult challenges that some individuals and families face.
If you have the means, a contribution to a local homeless shelter or nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence can make a significant difference.
Below are a few organizations in the cities that we live in that could use support:
- Huckleberry Youth Programs, San Francisco, CA – offers a number of programs for young people including 24-hour crisis intervention and resolution services and emergency shelter to high-need youth between the ages of 12 and 17.
- Rahab’s Sisters, Portland, OR – creates community through radical hospitality with those marginalized by poverty, houselessness, sex work, violence, or substance use.
- Gods Extended Hand, San Diego, CA – a church that provides hot meals for those in need.
- Frauenhauskoordinierung (The Association of Women’s Shelters), Berlin, Germany – is dedicated to preventing violence against women and to improving assistance to abused women and their children.
- Trans Home SF, San Francisco, CA – is a coalition working to address homelessness and housing instability impacting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) people in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Supporting the Organizations You Already Support
Every nonprofit is going to be affected by this virus – the constituents they serve, staff, volunteers, donors, and the wider community. In addition, the financial stress that individuals will be facing, combined with an increase in political contributions for the 2020 elections, means that many organizations will see a decline in fundraising.
If there are nonprofits that are important to you, please continue supporting them. One way that helps an organization’s finances is to change from an annual donation to a monthly contribution. If you give $100 each year to a specific nonprofit, consider giving $8.33 a month (or round up to $10). This helps to stabilize income development for the nonprofit. Monthly giving is more consistent and makes it easier for the charity to pay their bills on time.
If there are not organizations that you’re currently supporting, take a look at our blog post from Year-End examples of nonprofits we know and trust.
Volunteer Virtually
If you are self-quarantining at home and have extra time, there are opportunities to volunteer online. VolunteerMatch currently has over 600,000 virtual volunteer opportunities on their website. Click here to view them – though you may need to create a user account to see them.
If you work for a nonprofit organization, think about how you may be able to utilize virtual volunteers. If your work could utilize virtual support, this is an opportunity to engage volunteers who may be looking for ways to give back.
Arts Organizations and Nonprofit Event Spaces
While Arts organizations may not be working directly with vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis, they are going to be one of the nonprofit sectors most dramatically impacted. In addition to the expected loss of overall donations, they are losing out on program revenue as venues close for weeks/months.
This endangers both their long-term financial futures and their ability to retain and pay stuff in the short-term.
While all arts organizations will be affected and should be supported, it is helpful to note that smaller organizations and nonprofit event spaces will be hit especially hard. In many cases, larger museums and performing art organizations have higher net assets or access to board members and major donors that can help supplement the organization. Some community-focused organizations have fewer assets and access to major donors, making them more dependent on program revenue for survival.
Below are a few arts-related organizations in the cities that we live in that could be challenged:
- Framed Culture Room, Berlin, Germany – a non-profit organization offering monthly cultural events, combining a live music performance with an art exhibition.
- Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Berkeley, CA – serves more than 125,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area each year, with main stage performances in Berkeley, Sunnyvale, and San Francisco; selected productions in local schools; and classes and summer camps in nearly a dozen Bay Area communities.
- Pro Arts Gallery & COMMONS, Oakland, CA – a multi-use space for the expanded field of art, debate, experimentation, and collaboration.
- Frameline, Bay Area, CA – As a media arts nonprofit, working to change the world through the power of queer cinema.
Share Your Thoughts With Us
If there are other areas of need that you think we should highlight, please let us know. Send us an email at info@socialchangeconsulting.com, and we’ll add them to a post.
Photo Credit: Benedikt Geyer on Unsplash