Also remember that following general public health guidance about COVID-19 and following state and local guidance restricting contact and outings are also means of acting responsibly and generously. Random acts of kindness, looking out for the elderly and infirm, phone or video conferencing check-ins-these all have value. Consider what generosity looks like in your neighborhood or what is within your capabilities-while maintaining a safe social distance and public health precautions. We are seeing tales of creative generosity in action-face masks being sewn, remote volunteering options, and socially safe distant blood drives are a few examples. Generosity can be specific to these times. And remember that the CARES Act also enables an “above the line” charitable deduction for your 2020 tax filings for gifts of up to $300 to certain qualifying nonprofits. Yet experience tells us that nonprofits need financial donations most of all-they have their own bills to pay, including staff salaries, and know best what their clients need. We may be inclined to donate what we have on hand-such as groceries, used clothing, or household items. While measures of the CARES Act provide relief to certain segments of the nonprofit sector, these organizations need resources now. These nonprofits require sustained support in order to meet the increasing need. Here in North Carolina, many nonprofits qualify as essential services-including health centers and hospitals that respond directly to those suffering, as well as human service and other nonprofits that respond to local community need-such as organizations feeding the hungry. If the need you are seeing in the media has got you thinking about being generous, or if you are anticipating using your federal cash payment for the greater good, here are some things you may want to consider: Some nonprofits are providing essential services. But how can we determine which organizations to support? The current COVID-19 crisis has the nonprofit sector facing challenges on an unprecedented scale. Stewart’s research focuses on nonprofit organizations and foundations.ĭuring periods of economic recession or following a natural disaster, the nonprofit sector can experience a perfect storm where demand for its services grows at the same time its resources are disrupted. Stewart, an assistant professor of public administration at North Carolina State University, explains how you can pick the best charities to support during the pandemic. But how can you choose between charities and how can you make your contributions go the furthest? When the group asked for volunteers earlier in the year for packing meals for the homeless and other tasks, it got 700 applications, up from the 200 monthly average.University North Carolina State Universityĭuring the COVID-19 crisis, nonprofits and charities need your support. Giving Tuesday donations here tracked by Share Omaha, a Nebraska organization that supports local nonprofits, nearly doubled this year from 2019, to over $3 million, with a third coming from first-time donors. Jonathan Cummings, executive director for Revive South Jersey, a ministry started in 2012 to tutor English, mentor and provide housing help in local communities, says a “groundswell” of volunteers signed up to deliver food every two weeks after the organization realized that many of the families it supports were struggling to afford groceries. Long-time programs like the United States Post Office’s Operation Santa, which matches donors with needy families who send letters to a special North Pole address, report unprecedented support. “What we have now is much more collective action,” said Rosenbaum.Īmerica’s Food Fund, started this year, raised over $44 million on GoFundMe, the largest campaign ever on the fundraising website. People who can work from home, often in higher-income jobs, are comfortable. The economic crisis set off by the pandemic has widened the chasm between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in the United States in new ways. “The only good thing about this pandemic is that it’s made people care a little bit more about their neighbors,” said Christopher Ivey, director of marketing for Forgotten Harvest, one of the largest food banks in Michigan. Monetary donations to the food bank are on pace to top last year’s contributions, helping to fund a larger storage space and new mobile distribution sites required to distribute food safely during the crisis. The need has grown as the coronavirus pandemic has shut down offices and other businesses. FILE PHOTO: Volunteers from Forgotten Harvest food bank sort and separate different goods before a mobile pantry distribution ahead of Christmas, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Warren, Michigan, U.S., December 21, 2020.
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