Giving Compass' Take:

• CAF America (Charities Aid Foundation of America) is conducting monthly surveys of its charity partners worldwide to understand the impact of COVID-19 and where donors can help fill gaps. 

• Are you reaching out to organizations to learn how best to help? What are the most significant barriers for organizations during this time? 

•  Learn how funders can help nonprofits weather coronavirus. 

Charities across the globe are feeling the impact of COVID-19, from reduced contributions, canceled events, broken supply chains, and an inability to meet the expectations of the populations they serve. But even despite these setbacks, organisations are proving not only how necessary their services are as they serve needs during the pandemic, but their resilience and donors have the opportunity to support these charities and become a part of their success story.

Our organisation, CAF America (Charities Aid Foundation of America) is conducting monthly surveys of our charity partners worldwide to gauge how each is dealing with the crisis, detect trends across the industry, and determine how together with our donors and partners we can save our sector.

Never before has humanity faced a global pandemic in which philanthropy has played such an important role. More than 53 per cent of 880 charities that responded to our most recent survey (May 2020) provide direct services to those affected by the pandemic including frontline relief services such as healthcare and essential services such as shelter, food, and nursing homes.

First, the troubling news: nearly 95 percent of charitable organisations have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, and there is a growing concern that some may not continue to operate if funding doesn’t increase (15 percent of organisations surveyed have already closed their doors, up from 10 percent in March); 17 percent did not receive funding in the past month at all, and those that did saw smaller grants or had challenges connecting with donors. One such organisation experienced a revenue fall of 80 percent with no finances to maintain employment or pay for expenses. Nearly 30 percent have had to furlough or lay off employees.

Read the full article about opportunities for donors to help during the pandemic by Ted Hart at Alliance Magazine.