Repositioning For Strength Infographic describing the impact of nonprofits in Northeast Florida. 46% have experienced an increase in demand for services, 32% have lost revenue due to decreased demand for services, 9 in 10 have received some form of COVID-19 financial assistance, 21% had to cut hours or lay off staff, 2 in 3 lost revenue due to cancelled events, one third reported difficulty operating in a virtual environment, 2 in 5 nonprofit leaders say “staying solvent through 2021” keeps them up at night. A graph depicts predicted revenue change across organizations in 2020, with all organizations predicting a 15% revenue loss, orgs with budgets under 1 Million dollars predicting a 25% revenue loss, and orgs with budgets over 1 Million dollars predicting a 3% loss.

The Concerns Keeping Nonprofit Leaders Awake at Night

March 2, 2021

“I’m worried about my staff; I think we’re all tired and that COVID fatigue is setting in.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with other nonprofit leaders to create new ways to serve our communities and I want to know how we can keep it going.”

“I wish more emergency funding sources would consider providing funds to cover lost revenue.” 

Sound familiar to you? You’re not alone; nonprofit leaders have been sharing similar sentiments with me since March of last year; an eerie anniversary for many of us.

It’s hard to put into words just how much has changed since then. As many before me have said, the human toll for those of us who have lost loved ones, missed family moments, or felt isolated can be overwhelming. Alongside these very real moments of personal grief, our professional roles as nonprofit leaders have demanded we act to alleviate some of that same human grief for our communities. We have risen to the challenge time and time again. We provide essential services when we teach an online yoga session, or release new research about the environmental impact of local policies. We provide essential services when we guide someone through a virtual art experience, or when we strike up conversation with the next person in line waiting for food. It is so important for us to share the message that nonprofits are still essential with our supporters and stakeholders. I believe that we have to do this advocacy together, as a sector, for it to take root. 

Updated Survey Data

Repositioning For Strength Infographic describing the impact of nonprofits in Northeast Florida. 46% have experienced an increase in demand for services, 32% have lost revenue due to decreased demand for services, 9 in 10 have received some form of COVID-19 financial assistance, 21% had to cut hours or lay off staff, 2 in 3 lost revenue due to cancelled events, one third reported difficulty operating in a virtual environment, 2 in 5 nonprofit leaders say “staying solvent through 2021” keeps them up at night. A graph depicts predicted revenue change across organizations in 2020, with all organizations predicting a 15% revenue loss, orgs with budgets under 1 Million dollars predicting a 25% revenue loss, and orgs with budgets over 1 Million dollars predicting a 3% loss.

To make it easier for you to share this message, I encourage you to download, read, and share the Executive Summary of our latest survey data. Please use it as an advocacy tool; use it to talk to your board about applying for PPP, or to contact your elected officials about federal, state, and local grants. We use this research to talk to local media, to talk to elected officials representing Northeast Florida, and to educate key groups of supporters and philanthropists across the region. 

The other key takeaways in this report:

  • 60% of local nonprofits lost revenue across all income streams in 2020
  • 57% of local nonprofit leaders shared that worrying about employee health and well-being is something keeping them up at night
  • More than 70% of nonprofits have been continuously operating since last March; most of us never closed our doors

You can also view the full presentation and slides in our February blog post. The Nonprofit Center staff is available to deliver short presentations on our Repositioning research for key stakeholders of our member nonprofits. Please contact Jaime Hamilton via email; she can help you schedule a time for a Nonprofit Center staff member to deliver that presentation. 

Sincerely, 
–Rena

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