Empowering Nonprofits to Continue Serving Their Communities
As we embark on a journey that’s new for most Americans, there are unknowns of what the coming weeks will bring for our communities. The concern of spreading Coronavirus / COVID-19 has people staying home and not participating in their usual activities. Events are cancelled, schools are shut down, restaurants are empty, and many have put their regular volunteer commitments on hold.
However, area nonprofits serve vulnerable populations that still need their support (maybe now more than ever). The big question for nonprofits right now is “How will we continue serving those who need us in a time where our traditional means are not possible?”. To support our community in these uncertain times, we must think differently. We must attack the same problems with new solutions.
Today, ask yourself, how can I still volunteer my time?
- Can the past services provided on-site be done so via delivery or even drive-thru?
- Can I serve through online channels or from my home?
- Is the nonprofit taking safety precautions on-site?
- How do I fill a volunteer spot left empty from at-risk volunteers unable to come out?
This is a time we all need to dig deep and think differently about how nonprofits can carry on with your help, and how we can come together as a community to help support their efforts, and the beneficiaries of the organizations. Those needs do not go away.
There are three primary opportunities nonprofit have considered today:
Remote volunteerism,
Virtual fundraisers
Creating a safe-space to volunteer during this time of social-distancing.
Why volunteer from the couch?
I mean, if I can write this blog from the comfort of my home, in my PJs (with my kids running around in the background), why can’t someone support a nonprofit from home, too? We encourage you to think differently on how to get involved. It may mean that, temporarily, you fill a role to a virtually-volunteer so that an employee can do the work typically done by in-person volunteers.
A few ways volunteers may be able to serve remotely:
- Data entry
- Bookkeeping
- Social media
- Digital marketing
- Event planning & logistics
- Phone calls to partners, beneficiaries, volunteers, donors
- Emails to partners, volunteers, donors
- Pickup materials to work on at home
o Assembling
o Sorting
o Creating
- Delivering to those who depend on your service
Fundraising events and donation drives online!
Many upcoming fundraisers have been canceled/postponed, but all hope is not lost for charitable donations. People around the community are coming together to share how they can continue supporting local businesses, and we believe that together we can ensure the same community support for local nonprofits!
What does this look like?
Participating in one of the following types of online fundraisers:
- Virtual walk to raise awareness and donations
- Fulfilling a wish list for a nonprofit through Amazon
- Participating in an online gala or auction
Onsite volunteering can be “coronavirus friendly”.
Whatever can be moved to remote volunteering should be. The reality is that some work must be done in-person. For those, here are adjustments some nonprofits have made to ensure volunteers can serve while still doing your part to prevent the spread of this virus.
- Discourage the older and immunocompromised volunteers from coming out all together, but give them ideas of how to help from home (see above!)
- Ensure 6 feet of separation between volunteers on location
- Ample opportunities for hand-washing and hand-sanitizing
- Volunteers to frequently sanitize surfaces
- Option for no-contact pick-up and drop-off for delivery events
The bottom line is that things are going to be different for a while, and that’s going to be a challenge. But we are not helpless. The nonprofit community continues to be the most resourceful and resilient groups there is, and people have proven to find ways to give, whether that’s their time or money, or both. We will continue to thrive and support our communities… just maybe with a little more distance and hand sanitizer than usual.
And for now, Swoovy is here to help drive awareness around the safety-friendly onsite and remote volunteer needs so nonprofits can keep doing what they do best - caring for our community! Download Swoovy for daily opportunities on how to get involved.
