How Philanthropy is Helping to Support People through COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic tore through the wellbeing of communities across the world, people were in dire need of help. Millions lost their jobs, healthcare and support as many tried to protect themselves against the virus. Charitable and philanthropic organizations had to grapple with similar setbacks. As a result, limitations caused by the pandemic made philanthropic leaders reconsider the way they delivered help during these trying times.
Here’s how philanthropy pivoted to help support people during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Emergency Funding
The pandemic has heavily disrupted charity fundraising and income. Depreciated funding means cuts in services in the very time that people need them the most. Furloughing is often a bad option when charities need to mobilize. At the top of their concerns, charities worry about events, individual giving, earned income and their contracts’ stability.
As a result, emerging philanthropy became welcome during the first wave of the pandemic. Many philanthropists increased their payouts and offered more money to their existing grantees. Now that charity is chronic as the pandemic carries on, it no longer makes sense for emergency funding to hold charities over until the crisis is over. Now, COVID-19 has remained prolonged with effects that will extend for months if not years. Now, funders are moving away from emergency funding and close after reaching a specific monetary target. The UK’s National Emergency Trusts’ Coronavirus appeal requested donations until they met their £100 million goal. Philanthropy is now focused on supplementing government funding to address gaps, helping out with packages that support youth, financial inclusion and other social investments.
The Emergence of Less Traditional Volunteering
The major disruption caused by the pandemic and the realization that more charities can complete their work remotely led to the growth of less traditional ways to give back and volunteer. They include:
Mutual Aid Groups: Self-organizing, grassroots volunteers offered help and support to their neighbors and remained essential in delivering food and medicine to seniors and people with underlying health conditions. As the crisis morphed into an economic crisis, volunteers have helped connect people unable to afford necessities like food to more established/charitable services that provide specialty support like food banks and organizations that offer free phones and personal laptops.
Skills-based volunteering: The growing number of employees furloughed during the pandemic gave rise to a vast new wave of volunteers with transferable skills who could expand the charities’ reach and develop new programs and fundraising methods.
The Mix, a youth charity, recruited furloughed workers during the beginning of the pandemic to volunteer on its phone line to support youth who struggled with their mental health. Platform-run charities, including Furlonteer.com and Reach Volunteering, have helped connect volunteers to remote opportunities — particularly those focused on digital and communications support.
Charities go Digital
COVID-19 has dramatically reshaped the way we work. Some changes will be temporary; others usher in new practices or new modes of support that were desperately needed. Since the first shutdown, many service delivery charities that previously offered in-person support have shifted to provide digital and remote support to meet changing needs. Many charities pivoted to provide practical support like delivering medicine, financial help, and crucial data to assess online services. Like many companies, charities have increasingly adapted to an online framework. Online support including online group activities, info and advice, guidance and training videos are part of a charitable organization’s operations.
For example, NCT, a new parent support charity, typically has antenatal groups that have since formed as online classes and much of their information is reaching new audiences. The Scouts, a charity whose mission is to be outdoors, has created #TheGreatIndoors, forming over 100 free activities to help families can bond and learn together online through Facebook live events.
Many charities have combined online and offline models to provide support and cater to user preferences. This pivot helps increase provisions for those in-need while also accommodating different digital services. A good example of this is how materials used in live online group sessions that have previously been dropped off with the user. Of course, one of the most helpful ways philanthropists can support charities is to provide rapid response funds for digital expansion: whether for laptops, monitors and software or IT support.
Funding Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Digital expansion for charities has afforded some people opportunities to contribute, flexibly engage, and connect with others. However, some members prefer to meet in person or they face barriers to accessing remote services. The pandemic has undoubtedly highlighted the problem of digital exclusion.
While a complete pivot to digital services isn’t expected for charities in the future, they are encouraged to listen to their beneficiaries and understand how different needs can be met. In the future, we’ll likely see more blended services. To help ensure these are accessible, philanthropists need to support:
Addressing Digital Exclusion: Helping to support the skills, equipment through data and motivation can help include people in-need who are willing to engage online.
Supporting Digital Skills: Providing better software packages and CRM systems for data management, and better access to digital equipment for staff. This requires funding charities core costs.
Blending delivery and coordination between local organizations/charities: Charities need to provide various ways to meet different user needs and preferences (i.e. blended models, using both online and offline services). Philanthropists can work with delivery organizations to support additional costs of multi-focused efforts. They can also help coordinate with other local organizations (i.e., small community groups) to avoid duplication.
Creating better signposting: Good and noticeable signposting can help those who are confused about where to look for relevant support.
Support user involvement: For some charities, moving to digital delivery models has stood in the way of integrating service user perspectives as much as they would like to. Charities may need some help with gathering user feedback on newer digital services, so that they can ensure any necessary adjustments.