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September Pro Roundup: Research That Shows COVID-19 Impacts on Nonprofits and the People That Support Them  

wondering how COVID-19 impacts on nonprofits and how they provide services to the communities they serve?

However, do you know how deep those changes run and how they will continue to impact how we live, work, and play? 

We’ve rounded up some research for you to dive deeper into what has changed in the landscape due to the pandemic, and how it might impact the work you do at your nonprofit.  

Are You Ready: Financial Management, Operating Reserves, and the Immediate Impact of COVID-19 on Nonprofits  – Mirae Kim, Dyana P. Mason

While the nonprofit sector is typically a few months behind business trends; the covid-19 impacts on nonprofits was an exception. Much like other sectors, nonprofits felt major disruptions in their work. Many had to suspend services or quickly adapt to virtual means of delivery, partnerships and contracts were breached, and fundraising events shut down.  

If you want to know how to position your organization financially for greater resilience to any and all outside factors, check out the findings of this study.  

In it, you’ll learn what nonprofits experienced an immediate impact on their financing and programs. Particularly arts and culture nonprofits vs. human services nonprofits.  

The Impact of COVID-19 on Large and Mid-Sized Nonprofits – Independent Sector 

The pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of our lives, and that is clear when we look at all the ways in which nonprofits have been impacted. Not only did we see a reduction of services, with 71% noting as such, but we saw a decline in revenue.  

This report shows that the majority of organizations saw a decline in revenue from events, individual giving, and grants received, which hampered their ability to retain their employees, therefore leading to staff lay-offs and furloughs, which lead to a reduction in services.  

If you want to learn more about the financial, employment and operational impacts of COVID-19 and what kind of assistance would be helpful to rebuild the sector, read more here. 

Persevering through Crisis: The State of Nonprofits – The Center for Effective Philanthropy  

No one has been immune from feeling the COVID-19 impacts on nonprofits. However, did you know that certain organizations and populations have been impacted more than others?  

In May 2020, a survey was conducted by the CEP which found that the pandemic served to deepen longstanding disparities along racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender lines.  

So, while COVID-19 has impacted ALL nonprofits to some degree, it has negatively impacted nonprofits that serve disadvantaged communities.  

It was also determined that organizations that received funding from foundations experienced less financial turmoil than those who relied on gifts from individual donors.  

Read more here.  

Adjusting to Remote Volunteer Management: Topline Report of the Technology Evolution in Volunteer Administration Survey – Mark Hager 

In our own research (the Volunteer Management Progress Report) we find that nonprofits, volunteer programs specifically, are lagging in their technology use.  

However, the COVID-19 impacts on nonprofits appear to have forced the sector’s hands in adopting a more robust use of tech tools.  

If you are curious to see how you stack up against other volunteer administration professionals, the results are in from a recent survey! In it you’ll learn about how the field is using technology and the struggles of using technology during the pandemic.  

Straight from the experience of 546 CVA’s (Certified in Volunteer Administration), this is one report you don’t want o miss if you are interested in learning about tools you can use to make your job easier.  

Read more here.  

On the Frontlines: Nonprofits Led by People of Color Confront COVID-19 and Structural Racism – Building Movement Project 

Not only did 2020 bring us a deadly pandemic, but it also shined a brighter light on the ongoing racism people of color (POC) face in nearly every social construct that is the foundation of the United States.  

This report finds that POC-led nonprofits tend to be smaller, community-based, and less resourced, all while staying active in responding to crises due to the pandemic and systemic racism.  

Despite the challenges they are facing, POC-leaders are shifting their priorities to meet recovery efforts due to the pandemic and calls to end systemic racism.  

To learn more about what they are doing to ensure an equitable and sustainable future for all, read the full report here.  

Immigrant-Serving Organizations’ Perspectives on the COVID-19 Crisis – Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing Our Future 

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic run deep and include health, social, educational, and economic crises, to name the least.  

It has been found that these challenges have disproportionately affected immigrants and their families.  

Some reasons why include not being eligible for programs and not speaking the language or having access to a translator to receive services. The organizations that do exist to assist immigrants are filling in the gaps, but they are dealing with their own challenges from COVID-19.  

In this report, you will learn what is happening in immigrant communities, what government responses have and have not taken place to support these families,, and what organization’s have done to respond to this ongoing crisis.  

Read the full brief here. 

The Impact of COVID-19 on Volunteering – VolunteerMatch 

The state of volunteering has made many shifts over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably and understandably, people were more concerned about volunteering when the pandemic first shuttered our communities in March 2020.  

However, just two months into the pandemic and attitudes had started to shift and nonprofit leaders, government officials, and volunteers were less concerned with how it would impact their organization, particularly how they engage volunteers.  

If you want to see how you currently stack up to where we were as a sector in the early days of the pandemic, we highly recommend taking a look at this report.  

Read more here.  

COVID-19 and its Impact on Volunteering: Moving Towards Virtual Volunteering – Erik L. Lachance

No area of life has been left untouched by the pandemic, including how people spend their down time.  

Where one person might spend that time reading, writing, creating art, working on cars, etc., (all things you can do safely during a pandemic!), some people spend their leisure time volunteering, and COVID-19 has certainly put a stop to that for some people.  

In this report you’ll learn about the opportunities and challenges nonprofit organizations face in applying a virtual volunteering strategy during the pandemic and beyond.  

Read more here.  

Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Update – KFF

While this study isn’t directly related to how the pandemic has impacted the nonprofit sector, it’s still relevant to consider the mental health of the sectors employees and volunteers as we look to the future! And, it’s clear that the changes in daily life that were instigated by the pandemic also had a negative impact on mental health.  

Not only did we see an uptick in stress and worry, but we also saw how many barriers there are to accessing mental health treatment.  

Outside of the stress and worry of contracting COVID, school closures, lack of child care, and the economic downturn have all led to an increase in mental health challenges. Unsurprisingly, the population hit the hardest have been younger people and women.  

Want to learn more? Read about the full findings here.  

The Future of Work After COVID-19 – McKinsey Global Institute 

Another report that’s not limited to nonprofits, but still important to consider when wondering how to rebuild after the pandemic.  

It’s no surprise that the way we work now has changed from the way we worked pre-COVID. Even our essential workers found themselves facing strict, new protocols that change how they get their job done.  

COVID-19 has accelerated three trends in the workforce:  

  • Hybrid work will continue 
  • E-commerce has changed where low-wage jobs are, and 
  • AI use has increased to automate more work 

If you want to learn more about how these trends will impact the future of work, read the report for more.  

Additional Resources from VolunteerPro and Tobi Johnson 

VolunteerPro has been keeping it’s community members and the general public up to date on the latest COVID-19 developments with regard to how to engage volunteers during this time.  

Please review our list of resources below: