It’s astounding how fast everything can change. I was looking forward to NTC and WordCamp this month, and now they’re both, sadly but necessarily, cancelled. (You can donate to NTEN to help counteract the big financial hit they’re taking from cancelling the conference.)
The silver lining is that the nonprofit community is wonderful at rallying around challenges, and folks are doing great things to create new training opportunities as well as enable nonprofits to carry on our important work (now more important than ever) with minimal interruptions. I’ve compiled some of my favorite lists of resources below, along with some thoughts on communicating amid the crisis, which I hope is helpful.
Coronavirus resources for nonprofits
Here are some conferences and training opportunities that you can access remotely:
- Organizing 2.0 is now online only.
- The Create Good conference has also moved online.
- Rad Campaign’s Nonprofit Digital Strategy Virtual Summit is free and has some highly relevant topics.
- NTC is not moving online, but many of the speakers are finding ways to present their content remotely. One effort growing out of this is Plugged In: Nonprofit Tech and Transformation, which is still coming together but will feature a number of would-be NTC sessions.
And here are a few of my favorite articles and lists of resources about the impacts of the coronavirus on our sector and how we can cope:
- Though it’s 10 days old, which feels like a lifetime, this summary from Eli Pariser on how the coronavirus will affect politics and society is still highly relevant.
- A big list of crowdsourced nonprofit and organizing resources on a wide range of topics.
- From TechSoup, a list of quick and easy ways to get your nonprofit team working remotely.
- From M+R, some tips for communications and organizing during this time.
My thoughts for nonprofit digital during the coronavirus
This is a big, potentially overwhelming challenge for all of us, but it contains some opportunities to make positive change. As Eli Pariser says in his article above:
“A pandemic feeds both the strongest progressive and conservative narratives. On the one hand, fear, scarcity, and self-protection (perhaps with guns) trigger core conservative and authoritarian political concerns. On the other hand, there’s no better way to illustrate the importance of competent governance, a firm grasp of science, and the way that all of our fates are bound together than with a public health crisis. It’s not coincidence that the progressive movement of a century-plus ago made public health a central priority. This may be a generational framing moment that shapes the future of politics for decades.”
A silver lining of this crisis is that it’s exposing all of the cracks in our system that nonprofits and progressive movements have been warning about for a long time. The need for sick leave, the brokenness of our healthcare system, the importance of ensuring clean water for all, creating better support systems for the economically vulnerable, these are all getting new attention and even temporary, imperfect solutions. It’s a time for us to push for change, and to keep pushing to make those changes long-term when the crisis dies down.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts for communicating with and organizing your supporters:
Don’t be afraid to talk about the coronavirus. We’ve all gotten approximately a million emails from every company we’ve ever engaged with, telling us their plan for the virus. But people still need to hear about it, and your organization can be a trusted voice urging people to do the right thing, because despite all the news coverage, not everyone is. Be honest, be kind, and be rational. Urge caution and social distancing without adding to the panic.
Draw the connection to your work. Whether the coronavirus directly relates to your mission, or if it impacts your work indirectly, explain the connection to your supporters. Talk about how it’s affecting your work and your thinking. Hardly anyone is untouched by this, and while everyone’s attention is on the virus itself and their personal, immediate needs, it’s also an important time to show that all these issues are connected.
Watch your tone, especially if you need to cancel an event. Cancelling in-person events, even small ones, is nearly universally the right thing to do right now. I’ve seen a wide range of tones in cancellation announcements, from caring and responsible to resentful. Make sure your community knows that you’re doing this to protect them, that you believe it’s the right thing to do and not just the necessary thing, and tell them what you’ll be doing instead.
Move online what you can. Online organizing isn’t a perfect substitute for offline organizing, but you can do a lot by investing your energy in online tools. Get people involved over email, on social media, via webinars, and even in online communities or Slack/Discord groups.
Give people something to do. At this moment, lots of folks are most focused on their own needs, but very soon, if not already, there will be a lot of very bored, cabin-feverish people looking for ways to feel in control. You can give them that! Offer your supporters meaningful ways to take action, not only the basics like signing a petition or making phone calls, but deeper ways to get involved remotely. Text-banking, phone-banking, letter and postcard-writing, and relational organizing can all easily be done remotely. Not only can they do some good in the world, it can help them feel better.
And, most importantly, take care of yourself. Your important work can’t happen without YOU. As you’re taking care of your supporters, don’t forget to take care of your own physical and mental health. Avoid news overload if you can. Take a walk if you can. Take a break, listen to music, get some exercise. And of course, wash your hands. The world needs you strong and healthy.