The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
With the coronavirus pandemic in full force the past 18 months, it would have been impossible NOT to have adapted to external changes. We changed our operations, time and time again, to accommodate the (at times, everchanging) health & safety guidelines set forth by the CDC. Our program directors had to identify new, innovative ways to execute services, while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of staff, volunteers, customers, and the animals. In a few cases, this turned out to be a great exercise in finding more effective ways to provide programs and services to our constituents that will be permanently implemented into our operations.
Also, our management team had to adapt to new work conditions, such as working from home several days each week, and coming into the office other days. Our team had to abandon carefully laid-out plans that had been crafted pre-pandemic, and quickly and intelligently adapt to new strategies for fundraising, communications, community outreach, program delivery, and more. When in-person interactions were off the table, we started sending out weekly updates through e-mails to constituents. We even created an entire virtual series, available on Facebook and YouTube, to keep constituents of all ages engaged.
When fundraising events and other key income sources stopped, we learned how to make the most of alternative fundraising, such as grants, virtual events, and peer-to-peer fundraising. Through the flexibility, determination, and adaptability of our leadership and staff, our organization didn't just survive the pandemic; we were able to thrive in a lot of ways that other organizations did not. We learned important, key lessons and takeaways for our organization that we will be able to adopt and implement beyond the impact of COVID-19.