Three Key Principles to Guide Nonprofits through COVID-19

As we in the nonprofit field negotiate these very difficult and unchartered times, I look to the past to learn about the future. You realize there have been moments over past decades that bring glimpses of answers. And, you realize in those moments there are some great professionals, volunteers and donors you have had the privilege to work with side by side. 

There were crises like the Oklahoma City bombing and Iowa floods during the 1990’s at the March of Dimes (MOD). I learned from MOD leaders like Danny Murry and Tony Choppa. When 9/11 stunned the nation, I will ALWAYS be grateful to Kathy Boggan and a fabulous local team of leaders—Nelson Andino, Frank DeMeo, Jean Maisano, Agnes Pasquini, Brooks Thomas and Ghana Wilson. The list grows even longer -- not only during my tenure at the MOD, but also Autism Speaks and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through years of too many floods, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and recessions. 

While all these past experiences are in no way a prediction of where this is all going with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, there are three key principles that have held up through the past crises. In respect and honor to all I have learned from, I offer the following: 

1. Focus on the immediate steps in front of you. There is a path to be found leading you to success (usually through your balance sheet with input from your closest donors and volunteers). Distracting you from those immediate steps are your emotions fueled by the moment’s uncertainty. Further compounding the pressure is the desire to follow an existing playbook that in all likelihood is no longer relevant. Focus, temperament and flexibility are essential. There are steps to take and new paths to be traveled.
2. Pull those closest to you closer. The old adage to put a volunteer between you and every challenge or opportunity has never been more real. Events chairs and committees need to be consulted—their voices matter. Your Boards need to be spoken with individually and collectively. Calls to your donors just checking to see if they are okay (and NOT to ask for money) have never been more important. Put the time in now, the funds will return later. And don’t forget your staff. They need you calm, stable, transparent and genuinely concerned for them and their families.
3. Make your mission relevant. On September 12, I will never forget a key staff member saying to me, “Everyone wants to go work for and donate to the Red Cross.” How true that was! But the same staff member also offered, “There are babies being born in the last 24 hours that need the March of Dimes mission now more than ever.” (Thank you all these years later, Agnes!). Figure out now, how you can make your ongoing mission matter and to whom. A clear narrative on your mission in this time of uncertainty is imperative. Ideally, you need your mission to be giving (and not asking) in these critical moments. 

There is a famous quote from MOD Founder Franklin Delano Roosevelt that I think applies to the world of nonprofit right now, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!” No doubt these are tough times but there is absolutely a way through this.

Hoping (and praying) that everyone is staying safe and being well.