How to Support Nonprofits During Coronavirus

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization finally declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. There has been little support from the U.S. government to support local communities that are being heavily affected. Over 1 million K-12 students are impacted by closed schools. California, Oregon, and Washington have banned events with 250+ people. Other states will soon follow. Nonprofits that are already stretched thin are amongst those on the front lines of dealing with this crisis. 

Here are three ways you can support nonprofits at this time: 

Shelves at a local Walmart store in Spokane, WA are mostly empty of soap and hand sanitizer.

1. Donate. If you were going to attend a nonprofit fundraising event that was canceled, donate the amount you would have paid anyway. Nonprofits are facing heavy cancellation fees and fines for venues that aren’t being refunded, even as states and cities are mandating the cancellation of large gatherings. In times of crisis, nonprofits are called on for additional services. For example, World Central Kitchen was called upon to feed the quarantined cruise passengers on the Princess Cruises ship in Oakland. Health nonprofits also don’t have the luxury of shutting down because they need to help patients get access to testing, are charged with reaching out to the community about COVID-19, and those that operate health clinics have to continue treating patients. We need to ensure that our community based organizations have the funding they need so they can do their work and in order to financially survive this pandemic. 

2. Be a co-conspirator/accomplice. Asian Americans are facing hate crimes all around the country that have been perpetuated by prejudice, racism, and xenophobia. Asian Americans didn’t cause the coronavirus and the majority of us aren’t walking around with it. Oppression isn’t going to end the pandemic. Here’s a message from Nonprofit New York, which has seen an uptick in the number of hate crimes this year (both reported and unreported) all around the city: “Concerns about coronavirus should focus on the facts and ensuring the safety of our families, colleagues, and communities. Coronavirus is not an excuse for racism and xenophobia. We urge you to be kind to one another always, but especially as we make sense of how this outbreak will impact our work and our lives.” Now is the time to step in and call for an end to the hate.

3. Stay informed and get the word out to your communities. We’ve been told that the most effective ways of curbing this pandemic is to wash your hands, work from home, use hand sanitizer, engage in social distancing/isolation, and clean - everything. It’s a privilege to be able to work from home. Hand sanitizer is in short supply all around the country (if you’ve been hoarding a stockpile or live near a store that has it, consider sending it to nonprofits that need it). Not everyone has enough paid sick leave. Some staff have to continue working in order to get paid. Get the word out to your friends/family/colleagues about how to support nonprofits. If you’re in a community that hasn’t gotten the information about curbing the coronavirus, let them know about it. If you speak a foreign language, interpret or translate this information. 

Now is the time for us to engage in community care. This is how we can come together and start curbing the crisis - NOW.