Lack of funding, employee burnout concern nonprofit leaders

In November 2020,  the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement conducted its fourth survey measuring the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofit businesses.

DANA began taking the pulse of the sector beginning March 16, 2020. In all, 114 organizations participated in this study.

Overall, the critical need for additional funding continues to be a major concern. While many nonprofits have applied for federal CARES Act dollars through 11 different state and county programs, 36 percent of respondents report having less than 10 weeks’ worth of cash on hand.

The smallest nonprofits have been the hardest hit in this area and represent the greatest percentage of those with minimal cash on hand. Compared with the third survey in June 2020, a greater percentage of respondents in November indicated a need for funds to pay employees.

Of responding nonprofits, more than 60 percent have reopened their facilities and, in line with the previous survey, 30 percent report they have experienced an increase in service demand.

Nonprofit leaders verbalized their grave concerns about the pressure that COVID-19 has put on their organizations. Many shared that their teams are struggling to balance home, school schedules, and increased workloads while fearing for their health and safety related to the pandemic. Employee stress is resulting in mental health issues and burnout among staff and volunteers.

Delaware’s philanthropic community continues to work toward keeping the nonprofit sector afloat. While the collaborative made up of DANA, Delaware Community Foundation, Philanthropy Delaware and United Way of Delaware is spearheading additional ways to help nonprofits both financially and with needed resources, philanthropy cannot do it alone.

Despite COVID fatigue, a stabilizing economic market and the ongoing mass vaccination effort, nonprofits leaders urge businesses and individuals not to forget about the nonprofit sector, as the impact of this pandemic is far-reaching and will last for years to come. More donations to these funds are still desperately needed.

Nonprofit leaders encourage businesses, organizations and individuals to evaluate their 2021 charitable giving and consider supporting their partners in the nonprofit sector. To make donations to these collective responses, go to UWDE.org/COVID19 and delcf.org/coronavirus.

To access the full survey findings, go to delawarenonprofit.org.