How Foundations and Nonprofits Can Help Workers Through the Pandemic

Plus, the rest of our new issue, and Chronicle journalists reflect on a year of social distancing ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] [Read this newsletter on the web](. [image] [Coping With Covid Fatigue]( A year into the pandemic, nonprofit workers are struggling. Here’s what leaders and foundations can do to help. Plus see everything else in our [March issue]( posted online today. WHAT SUSTAINS US [Chronicle Journalists Reflect on a Year of Social Distancing]( In mid-March, our newsroom joined office workers nationwide to head home to do our work — and take care of our families and friends. Here’s what keeps us motivated. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by GolfStatus.org [Nonprofits Use Technology to Leverage Golf Fundraisers amid Pandemic]( Building and expanding donor databases for future asks, learn how GolfStatus.org’s event management technology is positioning nonprofits to advance their existing partnerships and garnering additional corporate support. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere A nonprofit that claims to rescue trafficked children is actually a bungling organization that has duped its supporters and the media, according to a Vice investigation. Operation Underground Railroad, which raised more than $21 million in 2019, tells donors tales of derring-do in faraway places, but insiders say it uses shaky sourcing and makes tactical mistakes that camouflage its missions. The nonprofit says it recruits former members of law enforcement and elite military units, but critics say its operations lack the discipline and planning of such organizations, including a lack of meaningful surveillance to verifying that its beneficiaries have actually been trafficked. The group is under investigation, reportedly for misleading fundraising appeals, by the attorney general of a county in Utah, where it is based. Operation Underground Railroad said it strives to comply with all laws governing nonprofits and that it is transparent about how is uses its donors' money. ([Vice]( After some deliberation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened the door to selling some of its works to pay for general operating costs, feeding a controversy over a museum's obligations to its collection. Professional museum groups have relaxed strictures on the practice of selling works to scrape up cash during pandemic-related closures, but critics say monetizing museum pieces could become a questionable substitute for the hard work of raising funds from donors and could even jeopardize the tax-exempt status of museums' assets. The Metroplitan's director said the institution would not put on the block any items it had not already planned to sell and will impose strict rules on how the proceeds can be spent. ([Washington Post]( Proposals for a new type of public-works corps, possibly patterned after the Civilian Conservation Corps, are proliferating in Washington. President Joe Biden's executive order on climate change directs Cabinet secretaries to plan for a Civilian Climate Corps, while members of Congress are filing bills to create their versions of the program. Goals include patching up the country's threadbare infrastructure, creating a new green-energy infrastructure, and putting some of the millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Projects would focus on both urban and rural communities, and some proposals even have the backing of Republican lawmakers. ([New Yorker]( Plus: Read a Chronicle article about how [national-service advocates]( are hoping for an expansion under the Biden administration. More News - $40 Million Gender-Equality Fund by Melinda Gates and MacKenzie Scott Picks Finalists ([Associated Press](. Plus: Read about Google's $25 million effort to support innovative ideas that [empower women](. - Multiple WE Charity donors raised money for same borehole well in Kenyan village ([CBC]( - The Athletes Have More to Say ([New York]( - Boston School System Launches Outside Investigation Into Allegations of Student Emotional Manipulation, Suspends Relationship With Nonprofit ([Boston Globe]( Vaccines and Advocacy Taking the Vaccine Into the Fields to Help Vulnerable Farmworkers ([New York Times]( Advocates Fight Covid-19 Vaccine Concerns Among Agricultural Workers ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) Giving - Walmart Heir Alice Walton plans new nonprofit medical school ([Fayetteville Flyer]( - Phil Knight’s Preference for Privacy Means the Public Doesn’t Know the Actual Cost of U. of Oregon’s Lavish Nike-Fueled Track Stadium ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) Legacy Obituary: Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, Champion of Women in the Arts ([Washington Post]( Path to Recovery: Raise More by Spending More on Fundraising [Join our webinar]( — Nonprofits faced intense financial pressure even before Covid-19 threw the economy into a recession. About half of charities had less than a month of operating reserves in 2018. These days, despite strong headwinds, some groups are overcoming financial challenges — and even expanding their revenue and reach — by making smart investments in their fundraising programs. How can you win support for a bigger budget — even in uncertain times? Join us on Thursday, March 18, at 2 p.m. Eastern for a strategy session in which expert guests will demonstrate how spending more on fundraising can lead to big returns. They’ll share tips for making the case for investment to leaders, what kind of results to expect, and how to measure the return. They’ll also offer specific guidance on where to invest now to boost your results during times of social distancing and position your organization for growth. Don’t miss this chance to learn from two executives who have overseen major fundraising expansion — in terms of staff and revenue — at a small and a large organization. [Register today and get the early-bird rate](. Editor's Picks LESSONS IN ADVOCACY [New Program Trains Athletes in Advocacy and Philanthropy]( By Emily Haynes [image] Players on the Indiana Fever WNBA team are the first group in the new program designed to train professional athletes in how to choose a cause they care about and inspire people to support it. WOMEN'S EQUITY [Google.org Will Award $25 Million for Innovative Ideas That Empower Women]( By Alex Daniels [image] The winners of the Impact Challenge for Women and Girls, which will be announced in the fall, will each receive between $300,000 and $2 million. HEALTH AND SAFETY [Nonprofits Step Up to Bolster Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts]( By Emily Haynes [image] International aid groups, social service organizations, advocacy nonprofits and others are all doing what they can to ensure vaccines get to people of color, the homeless, and other people in need. INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISING [Events in Which Donors Raise Money From Friends Saw Steep Revenue Declines in 2020]( By Emily Haynes [image] With social gatherings banned or curtailed for much of last year, just four of the top 30 athletic and other large-scale fundraising campaigns managed to outpace their 2019 revenue. AMERICORPS [National Service Advocates Hope for Expansion Under Biden Administration]( By Michael Theis [image] In January, the Biden administration issued an executive order to direct federal agencies to develop plans for a Public Health Job Corps that would be modeled on AmeriCorp’s disaster-focused FEMA Corps program and would be administered under AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Conservation Corps program. Job announcement Deputy Director of Development at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. [Visit jobs.philanthropy.com]( for more details. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by Ellucian [Advancement in Uncertain Times]( How can institutions break silos and foster a sense of shared responsibility for supporting and furthering the institution’s mission? Advancement teams are key to helping chart the path forward toward solutions. Subscribe to the Chronicle The Chronicle of Philanthropy is dedicated to helping nonprofits care for their clients and staff, manage financial setbacks, and stay connected with donors. Please consider subscribing, so that we may continue to provide essential news, resources, and analysis to the nonprofit world. [Subscribe Today]( Job Opportunities [Major Gifts Officer]( Municipal Art Society of New York [Deputy Director of Development]( Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus [Development Director]( Climate Nexus [Major Gifts Officer]( Lycoming College [Search the Chronicle's jobs database]( to view the latest jobs in philanthropy. 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