Edited by Heather Hise, Senior Consultant, Marketing & Communications

Five years ago this month, the world as we knew it changed completely.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended our personal and professional lives, forcing all of us to abandon—or at least or at least question—long-held routines and beliefs.

The nonprofit sector was no exception. While the early months of the pandemic saw an influx of donations that sprang from feelings of panic, empathy, and desperation, many people gradually became accustomed to our collective “new normal” and attention waned.

For this blog post, we asked each member of our leadership team to reflect independently on how the pandemic changed the sector, as seen from their particular line of work. As a result, you may notice some repetitive themes or patterns throughout, which serve to reinforce points and trends to consider for your nonprofit.

Big Picture
Jeff Ashley, Founder & President

While COVID certainly presented its own continued set of challenges, it also provided some unprecedented investments in and access to additional capital for the nonprofit sector. What is certain, however, is that access to some of those resources was temporary. Organizations that are currently thriving in mission achievement and experiencing positive momentum seem to have followed a set of similar practices through the pandemic:

• Acknowledged that the “long game” of building relationships and fully engaging donors pays off
• Worked hard to attract new donors with accessible entry points
• Ensured (or pivoted as needed and able) that their mission remained relevant and impactful for the people and causes they serve

Because the one-time COVID assistance funds are gone, donor impact continues to be vital and philanthropy continues to be the primary driver for the nonprofit sector. Intentional focus on engaging donors over time can lead to significant planned/estate giving that comes from assets and not simply cash flow. These focused organizations are also building long-term capacity through “generational growth” by growing endowments, adding to long-term reserves and bolstering contingency funds for when times are lean – all to preserve mission attainment.

While debates on federal resources will continue to simmer, philanthropy—especially giving from individuals and families—maintains. Organizations that understand this, that are intentional around this, and who aren’t afraid to invest in that path forward will succeed and thrive.

Campaigns
David Cobb, Senior Vice President, Campaigns, and Gina O’Brien, Associate Vice President, Campaigns

As shared in a recent blog post, the pandemic certainly impacted the nonprofit sector from a labor perspective. As we conduct campaign feasibility studies, we’re learning that many executive directors and fundraising professionals either changed jobs or left the sector entirely, and this high volume of turnover made it difficult for nonprofits to steward donors the way they knew they should. Many times, donor introductions or handoffs couldn’t be made to new staff members, and the flow of communications to supporters was interrupted or suspended. When new team members don’t have good notes, routines, or systems to rely on as they onboard, donors are left wondering why the organization they’ve supported so intentionally hasn’t been in touch lately.

A few things to remember:

• Your meetings don’t need to include an ask – just pull the donor back in.
• Staff transitions are great excuses to have conversations with donors. Reach out to your nonprofit’s top 25-50 supporters and let them know what’s going on – if not for the sake of your organization’s future, then to save you (or your successor) from headaches during a feasibility study or campaign!
• Prepare for eventual staff turnover by creating a donor stewardship transition plan, and implement a system for logging notes and dates of conversations in your CRM tool.

Fundraising Solutions
Doug Scott, Vice President, Fundraising Solutions & Grants, and Marla Highbaugh, Associate Vice President, Fundraising Solutions

• Best practices have taken a turn for the worse. COVID made it easier for donors to avoid face-to-face meetings, making it more challenging to maintain existing relationships and cultivate new ones. In addition, many nonprofits have moved away from key donor cultivation best practices, such as personally thanking donors, making direct phone calls, sending engaging cards or emails, and inviting donors for tours or other meaningful experiences. While staff turnover plays a role, this shift has been striking, especially related to stewarding recurring donors.
  
• Automation should give us pause. While efficiency is important, over-relying on automated messages and transactional communication—an ask, a gift, a thank you, then another ask—limits real connection. Strong donor relationships require intentional, personal engagement over time. People still give to people. Even when donors feel a strong connection to an organization, a lack of updates or opportunities to engage can lead them to reduce their giving, lapse, or shift support elsewhere. We can use the technological/virtual advances from remote stewardship and cultivation to reach more donors meaningfully, but this should be used to expand capacities, not replace personal, in-person activities with the top 20% of donors that fund 80% of your mission.
  
• Funding diversity is critical. The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in organizations that relied too heavily on just one or two revenue sources. It highlighted the risks tied to stock market fluctuations, changes in government funding, or shifts in grant-making priorities and reinforced the importance of maintaining operating reserves and evaluating staffing structures.

Grants
Jenny Bowen, Associate Vice President, Grants & Research

• Securing funding to meet needs is getting more difficult. COVID era and CARES Act funding have ended, but human need has not. In fact, need has steadily increased and it’s a grim picture for those in need of affordable housing and access to food and health care. As millions more rely on nonprofits for basic needs, nonprofits must seek additional funding and resources to meet demand. In the current climate, funding requests to private and corporate foundations have surged as federal funding remains in question, with an almost certain decline ahead.
  
• It’s time to rethink resource development. In addition to diversifying funding, nonprofits that have historically relied on government grants may need to learn about and navigate changes to hold on to what’s left and sustain operations. While it’s vital to continue researching viable opportunities to efficiently and successfully apply for funding, nonprofits must face the fact that what worked in the last decade may no longer be relevant. This may be the time to venture outside the norm, consider new partnerships and funding sources, and anticipate how changes may affect the organization’s mission and its ability to fulfill it.

Talent & Leadership
Lisa Resnik, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Consultant, and Susan Francke, Associate Vice President, Talent & Leadership

• Employers now realize remote work is possible. More candidates, especially younger ones, want a hybrid option at the very least. While they’re not opposed to working in the office, they want the flexibility of working offsite at times. It can be difficult to recruit for jobs that require employees to be fully onsite. While some nonprofits have embraced that shift and others have not, our client partners’ willingness to allow some form of hybrid work can help the ability to recruit.
  
• The interview process is now digital first. Prior to COVID, interviews were predominantly in person. Thanks to video conferencing, the initial stages are now more effective and efficient. However, some candidates find the Zoom experience to be “sterile.” If a candidate doesn’t perform well in the first round via Zoom, we can typically share feedback with the employer from our initial vetting interviews (also held virtually), where candidates often feel they can be more themselves and at ease with us one-on-one.
  
• Digital-first processes include sacrifices. While video conferencing is helpful in an early stage, we recommend that the final stages of the interview process be in-person. It can be more challenging to build quality relationships with our client partners, thoroughly understand their culture, and get a good feel for the quality of our candidates in virtual-only settings.

Marketing & Communications
Heather Hise, Senior Consultant, Marketing & Communications

The use of video in marketing and communications rose like crazy during the pandemic as we were more attached to our screens than ever. For example, the TikTok app had been downloaded 315 million times by quarter 1 of 2020, but as of May 2024, it had more than 2.7 billion downloads. Let’s face it – in a TikTok world, it’s not easy being a feature-length film. But that’s exactly what nonprofits need to be – players of the long game that draw people in and keep that steady “drip, drip, drip” information flow to stay top-of-mind and relevant. Nonprofits don’t want to be a passing trend (remember the Phil Collins song played out on cabinets?).

With the “storytelling” buzzword more pervasive than ever, organizations large and small are trying their very best to capture and hold shortened attention spans. Whatever communications platforms you use, it’s critical to ensure your storytelling is consistently woven into every touchpoint with the people who care about your mission. From board reports to social media, and volunteer requests to annual appeals, telling compelling stories about the people or causes you serve will never go out of style.

Strategy & Planning
DeVon Hankins, Strategic Partner, Operational Performance & Innovation

Nonprofits can no longer just “check the box” for strategy and planning. The economic landscape—and donors—are pushing teams to be more thoughtful, not only about the delivery and efficiency of resources, but about how those resources are being used. We’re now beyond the point of simply keeping the doors open; nonprofits must move past “sustainability mode” and start thinking about their legacy impact.

Organizations owe it to their donors—as well as the people and causes they serve—to stick around long enough to see their vision through. This requires a solid plan so they can operate in a mission-forward manner with longevity in mind. Otherwise, they risk losing donors and other funders to organizations with more thorough and efficient plans.

The pandemic caused everyone to reflect and think about what’s important, both now and in the future. If they haven’t already, nonprofits need to have that conversation and operate in such a way that they weave themselves into the community fabric so they can take care of many generations to come.

Did we miss a major insight? Email us at [email protected].