We focused an earlier piece on how nonprofit communicators were responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations have been creatively rethinking their business-as-usual, pivoting their fundraising, grantmaking, and service provision efforts to meet unexpected and increasingly urgent needs.
As innovators and designers at heart, we were hopeful about what these big changes might mean for the future of social impact work. A few months later, our hope has turned into real optimism. Change was adopted quickly to respond to what we all thought would be a short-term crisis, and it’s becoming clear that the social impact sector is in the midst of a much larger transformation.
This time around, we’re sharing seven perspectives that capture the spirit of this transformation. We hope these ideas will help your own efforts to embrace and navigate this profound moment of change.
A To-Do List for Navigating Change
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many nonprofits to get creative with how they fundraise and engage with their audiences. While a lot of that creativity happened out of necessity, it has potential for long-term, permanent change for the better. Nonprofit strategist Steve Zimmerman encourages organizations to focus on impact, people, finances, and community to reimagine and reinvent the status quo.
Laying the Groundwork for Impact with Digital Transformation
For international NGOs conducting field work in areas without reliable access to power and internet, social distancing has expedited the need for digital transformation. There will always be work that can only be done in-person, but Rakesh Bharania, director of humanitarian impact at Salesforce, argues that NGOs should still prioritize increasing their digital capacity to lay the groundwork for long-term impact.
New Ideas for Employee Well-Being
In the absence of distracting office settings and stressful commutes, many employees have thrived in this period of social distancing, maintaining or even increasing their productivity while working from home. Quickly seeing the benefits of contributing to the well-being of their staff, some companies have taken it a step further—shortening the work week from five days to four.
A Quick Reaction and What Comes After
Education leaders have spent the summer planning for the start of the academic year, working hard to find the safest, most sustainable path forward for students, teachers, administrative staff, and their families. While the moment may feel chaotic and uncertain, it may turn out to be a trial-run for new approaches to learning and the systems that facilitate it.
Learning Beyond Our Borders
Despite cultural, social and economic differences, countries can learn a lot from each other, especially in the middle of a global crisis that knows no bounds. Karabi Acharya, director of the Global Ideas for US Solutions portfolio at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, explores how we can learn new ideas and solutions from other countries as we navigate this new normal together.
Design Thinking for Equitable Futures
Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm, recently joined forces with design and consulting firm IDEO, to release a report on the impact of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement on our education systems. They used tools like design fiction and futuring to imagine scenarios and outcomes that can help us plan for what’s to come.
Coalition-Building and Advocacy for Artists
When budgets get tight, funding for the arts is often the first to get cut. The economic downturn caused by COVID-19 has been no exception. In response, members of the arts sector are reimagining how artists and arts institutions sustain themselves. By focusing on broad coalition-building and advocacy, collectives like Artist Relief are hoping to pave the way for a more resilient and empowered future.
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Check out our other Curated Resources such as 7 Ways to Be Antiracist through Design and Communications and 7 Innovative Fundraising Strategies for Uncertain Times.
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