Helping All Boats Stay Afloat
by Laura Bradley Davis, March 24, 2020
As we struggle to adjust to a strange new reality, we’re all concerned about our loved ones, our communities, our country and our world.
While acknowledging our own individual (and unique) stresses, I’ve also been thinking about what I—and we—might do to ease the collective suffering caused by this global pandemic.
For many individuals, charitable organizations and small businesses, this crisis is causing devastating financial hardship, which will further deepen the social inequities that already plague our country. From scarce access to food and medications, to lost wages and the threat of unemployment, to the stresses of caring for children home from school—all of which disproportionately impact those facing economic insecurity—the needs presented by this moment are intense and widespread.
One of my clients is a philanthropic services firm that manages large foundations. They’ve sent out the call to foundations to give more generously, rapidly and flexibly to help ease the effects of this pandemic on nonprofits and the vulnerable populations they serve. But few of us have our own foundations, so what can we do in this frightening moment when our natural instincts are to retrench, withdraw and protect ourselves and our clan?
Let’s fight those impulses and think broadly. If nothing else, this virus reminds us that we are ALL interconnected and helping others helps the collective. So, I wanted to share a few ideas for how we can be solution oriented. If each of us does just one of these things, someone else will benefit, and there will be ripple effects!
1. Refuse the refund, and double down. Whether it’s tickets to a concert, theater performance, an upcoming fundraiser, or your kid's spring soccer clinic, refusing a refund on cancelled tickets and programs will help the organization (and individuals) that rely on that income. In addition, you can double down by making an extra donation to those organizations, to your favorite nonprofit, or by increasing a recurring monthly gift. If you planned to donate at year-end, don’t wait! Do it now—they need your support!
2. Renew memberships to museums and other nonprofits (hello, KQED). Do it NOW, don’t wait until they devote time and resources sending you a fifth renewal letter to keep your support. Subscribe to your favorite news outlets – if we didn’t know it already, we need thoughtful, accurate news now more than ever (stop reading news on social media and embrace paying for one of society's most essential institutions: quality journalism!)
3. Donate to regional support funds. Several regional funds have been set up to direct support to community-based organizations that are providing key services in this crisis. Pooled funds are one of the best ways to direct support where it is most needed. Here are links to some of those funds:
In the Bay Area
North Bay: Marin Community Foundation COVID-19 Fund & Community Foundation Sonoma County Resilience Fund
East Bay: East Bay Community Foundation Just East Bay Community Fund
San Francisco: SFF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund GIVE2SF & Tipping Point
Silicon Valley/Peninsula: Silicon Valley Community Foundation COVID-19 Coronavirus Regional Response Fund
In Southern California
Los Angeles: COVID-19 LA County Response Fund
San Diego COVID-19 Response Fund
In New York: NYC COVID-19 Response Fund
In Seattle: COVID-19 Response Fund
4. Continue paying service workers (nannies, care-givers, dog walkers, cleaners, gardeners, hair/nail salons) even if you’ve temporary paused or cannot receive services.
5. Pay ahead. Buy gift cards to local restaurants and/or pay ahead for future services (like personal care appointments).
What else? I’d love to hear both how you're you doing and what you're doingto be part of the solution.
With hopes of health, safety, and well-being for all.
Laura Bradley Davis, LBD Consulting