Nonprofits on the front lines of the local pandemic response are critical to Broward’s bold recovery.
Yet just as they work to feed residents in need, combat senior isolation and deliver other vital community services, these organizations face serious struggles of their own during the coronavirus crisis.
Because of the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders and temporary closings, many nonprofits have lost the teams of volunteers they rely on to carry out their missions. And as the economy has dipped, so too have the donations and fund-raising that fuel nonprofits’ important work.
But thanks to support from visionary philanthropists who partner with the Community Foundation of Broward, we have been able to provide more than $5 million in critical resources to sustain and grow the work of struggling nonprofits during the pandemic – just when our community needs them the most.
And now the Community Foundation is embarking on a new effort to strengthen nonprofits so they will be better prepared to face the long-term repercussions of this crisis and whatever challenges emerge in the future.
The Community Foundation recently launched resilience training for nonprofits – informative sessions to help community organizations create or improve crisis and risk management plans to guide them through good times and bad.
“The Foundation believes that nonprofits are the lynchpin in the community to care for our residents in times of crisis,” said Sheri Brown, Community Foundation Vice President of Community Impact. “Regardless of the type of crisis, we want our organizations to be prepared to address and overcome challenges they might face.”
More than 80 participants representing dozens of Broward nonprofits attended the Community Foundation’s first resiliency training session, held online via webcast. Our expert consultants from Risk Alternatives guided these nonprofit leaders through an informative session that explored the differences between crisis management and risk management.
Participants learned strategies for creating resiliency plans that empower nonprofits to anticipate and prepare for future challenges, instead of just reacting to emergencies. In future training sessions, Broward nonprofits will have the opportunity to receive more expert coaching to create their own tailor-made resiliency plans, enabling them to be better prepared for future challenges. Stay tuned for more details!
This new resilience training is an exciting extension of our new Hidden Heroes Awards, which recently honored 12 representatives of dedicated nonprofits who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. In addition to the individual honors and prizes for our hidden heroes winners, the nonprofits they represent can now each receive up to $25,000 from the Community Foundation to create their own resilience plan, through our new training program.
Both the Hidden Heroes Awards and our new resilience training sessions are aimed at furthering innovative efforts to help Broward bounce back better than ever from the coronavirus crisis – and to be ready to take on future challenges.
“We cannot predict what the next ‘big one’ will be,” Sheri said. “So our goal is to fortify nonprofits’ resilience so they may sustain operations and provide much needed services for the community.”
You can help Broward face this crisis, and whatever lies ahead, by creating or adding to a charitable Fund at the Community Foundation. Contact Vice President of Philanthropic Services Nancy Thies at nthies@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.
