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Sep 21

Local Nonprofit Leaders View Social Justice Protests as Catalyst for Real Change

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor, Not-for-Profit News

This article is the first in a series of perspectives on how to achieve racial equity locally, nationally and globally. If you would like to submit your nonprofit’s racial justice initiative for possible publication in Not-for-Profit News, please contact Shari Finnell at shari@charitableadvisors.com.

“What’s next?” That’s the question on the agendas of many nonprofits in the wake of racial justice protests joined by as many as 26 million people throughout America in 2020. Here, the following five Central Indiana leaders give their perspectives on how to address that question as part of efforts to achieve real change in our nation’s renewed quest for racial equity.

  • Alan Bacon, senior director of Social Innovation for United Way of Central Indiana
  • Ebony Chappell, manager of program and communications, Leadership Indianapolis
  • Jill English, director of Child Advocates’ Interrupting Racism for Children
  • Una Osili, associate dean for research and international programs at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
  • Lindsey Rabinowitch, director of the Faith & Action Project for Christian Theological Seminary.

Alan Bacon, senior director of Social Innovation for United Way of Central Indiana

“We have a unique opportunity to do something about racial justice.”

With as many as 26 million people joining in Black Lives Matters protests nationwide in 2020, the United States could be poised for real change in achieving racial equity, according to Alan Bacon, senior director of social innovation for United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI).

“This is a large and significant moment for world history,” Bacon said. “We saw the entire world galvanize around the notion of racial equity. A lot of organizations are now asking, ‘What can we do to help?’.”

However, Bacon said, the moment could be lost unless there is an investment in the work required to eliminate systemic racism. “There’s a lot of work to be done to ensure that it’s not just a footnote to the history of 2020,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity to do something about racial justice.”

As organizations and individuals seek to increase awareness and implement policies to promote equity they must first step out of their comfort zones, Bacon said. “We need to challenge ourselves on our biases, and challenge ourselves to support each other,” he said. “There can be a great response when the community comes together.”

While the work will look different for every organization, Bacon said, there must be a challenge to seek innovative solutions — ones to replace those that haven’t worked in the past.

In his role at UWCI, Bacon supports organizations that are implementing new solutions for long-standing social challenges like multi-generational poverty. “Social innovation is about trying to find new innovative strategies, programs and initiatives to deploy in the community to help fight poverty and help residents experience upward mobility,” he said. We’re trying to figure out what are those new approaches to get a different result … social innovation that makes the most change and most impact.”

That approach also includes encouraging thought leadership, bringing groups together to talk about challenges and solutions, and accessing diverse thought in the community, “We look at innovation from a disruptive lens,” Bacon said. “We try to be as audacious as possible, understanding that, to move the needle, you must do things differently. At the same time, the initiative must be sustainable. There is a high-risk, high reward approach to dealing with innovation.”

Like an increasing number of organizations, the UWCI has invested in an alternative grant-making process for its new Social Innovation Fund. Bacon said it allows UWCI to make informed decisions when awarding grants to agencies that are bringing new ideas on how to address poverty.

“Organizations don’t have to be accredited with United Way to participate in the competitive-based process for funding,” Bacon said. “There’s not a large barrier of entry. If you have a 501c3 status, you can participate in the grantmaking for Social Innovation.” As a result, the pool of applicants for the first round of Social Innovation Fund grants had a good amount of diversity, Bacon said.

Of the 14 grants awarded in 2019, seven went to organizations led by people of color and six were awarded to organizations led by women, Bacon said. “We were able to achieve equity by being intentional on the front end,” he said. “We’re finding ways to implement equity in current processes and programming. We have done well in regard to grantmaking for Social Innovation.”

You Yes You! Project, which was among the first grant recipients of the Social Innovation Fund, demonstrates an innovative approach to targeting multi-generational poverty in Central Indiana, Bacon said. The nonprofit focuses on building healthy relationships between incarcerated fathers and their children through programming and education, a two-generation approach designed to break the cycle of poverty in the household.

Education is another critical area for organizations to address when implementing anti-racism policies and programs, Bacon said. It’s important to understand how racism has impacted housing development, food and transportation access, contributing to the issues that many people of color are now facing, he said.

“It’s important to move forward, but it’s also important to look back and understand the history of systemic racism,” Bacon said. “If not, we will eventually become complacent and not get anywhere. We need to inform with intent. This is not just a moment in American history. We need to ask, ‘How do we build a collection of moments to make real change within our country?”

Ebony Chappel, program and communications manager, Leadership Indianapolis

Ebony Chappel of Leadership Indianapolis, recalls watching broadcasts in disbelief as protests for racial equity erupted nationwide in the wake of the death of George Floyd in May. “Initially, I was very emotional by all the things I was seeing on television and right here in my home city,” Chappel said. “The onslaught was so sudden. I went to sleep and when I woke up, it seemed as if the world was on fire.” 

Yet, at the same time, Chappel said, the reality of systemic racism in America diminished some of her surprise. “The embers have been glowing for a long time,” Chappel said. “A deeper part of me wasn’t shocked. This was history taking its course … chicken coming home to roost.”

Referring to an analogy used by author Arundhati Roy to describe the 2020 pandemic, Chappel said mass protests can provide a portal for lasting change. 

“When he referred to the pandemic as a portal, that stuck out to me so much,” Chappel said. “We also can use this time as an opportunity to implement real change with racial equity … as a portal to a different way of being. However, that depends upon our collective ability to shift and do something different.

“If everyone is focused on retaining the status quo, I personally believe it will lead to our ruin,” she said. “If we collectively decide this society is not equitable because so many people are disenfranchised, I believe it will change our world for the better, a world full of possibilities.”

Local nonprofits that are already implementing innovative strategies can serve as models for other organizations seeking direction, Chappel said.

“CICF (Central Indiana Community Foundation) is a good example of an organization doing something differently and not maintaining the status quo,” she said. “It’s well known that it can be very difficult for smaller nonprofits to get grant funding. There’s a lot of bureaucracy and extensive application processes that put certain groups in need at a disadvantage.”

CICF eliminated those barriers to access by disseminating money based on needs, not primarily on an organization’s ability to excel with the grant application process, Chappel said. “Their focus is on redistributing wealth and power, bringing people to the table that hadn’t been there before. As a result, these smaller nonprofits now have a stake in how decisions are being made.”

Similarly Leadership Indianapolis has been shifting its focus to ensure that city leadership is more multicultural, more multigenerational and more collaborative, Chappel said.

As organizations explore ways to increase diversity among their boards and workforce, it’s important to avoid a cursory approach, Chappel added. “You can’t think, If I put a black person on my board, then automatically the problem is solved,” she said. “It takes intentional work, including a focus on choosing people who can advance the vision of the organization because of what they can bring to the table.”

It also is important to tap into the unique strengths of board members instead of expecting them to adjust to fit into the culture of the existing board,” she said. “A new board member should feel comfortable bringing themselves to the table without feeling a need to adjust to fit that mold.” For example, board members should be willing to explore more innovative technology, if younger board members prefer it as a mode of communication.

Lastly, organizations must understand that the work of diversity is not a one-person job, Chappel said. “It demands a collective effort. If you want to make sure your computers are running well, you don’t rely on one person,” she said. “If you want to make sure the building is clean, you don’t leave that responsibility to one single person. The business of diversity belongs to all of us.”

Jill English, director of Child Advocates’ Interrupting Racism for Children

Any work involving dismantling system racism must include a focus on children, as well as the acknowledgement that inequities impact everyone, according to Jill English, director of Child Advocates’ Interrupting Racism for Children (IRFC). 

As part of her role with Child Advocates, English contributes to the organization’s mission to illuminate how systemic racism has become institutionalized in America and how it is passed on from one generation to the next. IRFC hosts a two-day, interactive workshop where individuals and leaders can learn how to confront racism. “We need to address the question, ‘How do we interrupt racism for our children since we haven’t been able to do it for one another?’,” English said.

When implementing policies to address systemic racism, organizations should engage in deep reflection and examination without an environment of shame, English said. 

“We all need to acknowledge that it is embedded in our society. Oftentimes, this work has involved calling people out, shaming them, telling them what they do wrong, what they don’t get, or what they don’t know,” English said. “We need to come from a place of caring. I care more about children than being right. We focus on moving one another to a place where we can actually start interrupting racism and putting the tools we learn in the workshop into effect so we can change the trajectory of where we are today.”

English also said that the IRFC workshop is designed to help attendees understand the scope of racism’s impact on all demographics.

As an example, Child Advocates came to the realization that white children were also at a disadvantage because of racial biases. “If 70 percent of the child population in Marion County is white, for example, and only 46 percent of the children in Child Protective Services are white on any given day, where are all the white children who are being abused and neglected?” English asked. 

“We need to see that we are allowing white children to get hurt or leaving them in dangerous situations for no other reason than that we don’t see it,” she added. “Just as we see abuse and neglect for the same situation in an African-American family, the same thing happens to a white child but we don’t see it because of our implicit biases. ‘White’ hides a lot of things. At the same time, too many African-American children are being removed from their homes. How do we help them?”

“We need to connect to an understanding that racism hurts everyone,” she said. “When it gets better for one population, it gets better for all when it’s done from an equitable lens.”

English said when organizations approach her about how to develop a strategic plan, she often encourages them to reflect on their own goals and mission. “The work of racial equity isn’t meant to be a check in a box … just for you to say it’s something you’ve done. It must be part of a journey,” she said.

She likened it to setting goals for a healthier lifestyle. “You don’t go to a gym, check it off a box and then 10 years later say I’m still working on my health,” English said. “In the same way, you can’t go to a cultural competency workshop and then expect to be done. It is an intentional daily practice similar to health. If you want to be healthy when it comes to racism, you have to figure out your organization’s goal and commit to it daily.”

English also said organizations may need to seek external help to hold them accountable in the work of diversity. “It’s hard to have a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) within an organization and give them the responsibility to hold their colleagues accountable,” she said.

Ultimately, as part of its mission, Child Advocates is intent on creating a community that allows children to reach their full potential; in an environment where their outcomes are not based on their race, English said. “We want to create a world where that’s no longer on the table.”

Una Osili, associate dean for research and international programs at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

The diversity among the millions of people who joined more than 10,600 protests this summer gave Una Osili and her family reason to hope that efforts to eradicate racism in America would be more successful — this time around.

“I’m optimistic,” said Osili, associate dean for research and international programs at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “One of the reasons this moment is so different is that it involves such a broad-based group of individuals and organizations. What we saw with these protests and calls for racial justice didn’t involve just one racial group. A lot of different communities were represented as part of a grassroots effort.”

Her parents, who were college students during the social injustice protests of the 1960s, also expressed optimism about the mass demonstrations in 2020. “When they looked at footage around the country and around the world, they noticed that the crowds were so diverse,” said Osili, whose parents currently live in Nigeria. “It was inspiring. The call to action was not just coming from black and brown people. It was coming from people of all races and of all ages.”

Osili said intentional collaboration on a large scale, building upon the progress already made by nonprofit organizations immersed in social justice work, is the next step to real change.

“There was a lot of energy and vision that came from our young people,” Osili said. “It’s up to us to deepen the conversations. The questions now are, ‘How do you sustain and build on that progress for it to be a lasting movement?’ ‘What are our values? What do we stand for?’ All of us own a piece of that to a large extent.”

With such a large opportunity for change, Osili added, all sectors must come together to collaborate — government, education, nonprofit and businesses. “If you think about the scale of the work, no one organization can solve this on its own,” she said. “Collaboration is key, yet we haven’t done so well with that in the past.”

Osili said there have been recent developments in more collaborative approaches, citing the Central Indiana Racial Equity Fund as an example. The fund, a collaboration among Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Lumina Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation, was established to address racial inequities in the criminal justice system. It also received contributions from Anthem Foundation, Buckingham Foundation, Dorsey Foundation, Rick Fuson and Karen Ferguson Fuson, Marianne Glick and Mike Woods, Glick Philanthropies, Herbert Simon Family Foundation, High Alpha, The Indianapolis Foundation, Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Lilly Endowment Inc., and Pacers Foundation.

“When organizations join forces, there can be tremendous gain and benefit,” said Osili, noting that nonprofits, including colleges and universities, can play a critical leadership role because of their previous experience and knowledge base. 

While collaboration is critical, internal work also must be at the forefront of racial equity efforts, Osili said. Organizations can start by conducting an analysis of hiring practices, processes, assets, board composition and endowments from the perspective of inclusion and diversity, she said. 

For example, research from the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy shows that   nonprofit boards are less diverse than those of government and corporate boards, Osili said. “Nonprofits are doing well on the gender side; there’s good representation in terms of addressing gender in leadership,” she said. “When you start looking at race and ethnicity, including in areas you would expect more representation like the arts, environment and international, you don’t see good representation.”

Some organizations are addressing minority board representation in several innovative ways, Osili said. Board Connector, an organization based in Chattanooga, Tenn., has developed an app to help nonprofits reach their goals for diversity. 

The Indianapolis Urban League, along with other Urban League chapters, sponsors a young leaders group that can be tapped for board membership, Osili said. “They’re ready to serve and are very knowledgeable,” she added. “Many organizations tend to go to the same people to join their boards. They’re inundated with requests.”

“At the same time, we also need to prepare young emerging leaders so they’re ready to serve,” Osili said. “It’s the responsibility of both the organization and the larger nonprofit infrastructure to provide readiness, to equip them with the tools to be successful.”

Lindsey Rabinowitch, director of the Faith & Action Project for Christian Theological Seminary (CTS)

As an increasing number of organizations lean in to address social justice and inequities, increasing awareness must be at the foundation of their efforts, said Lindsey Rabinowitch, director of the Faith & Action Project for Christian Theological Seminary (CTS).

“Part of the work involved in undoing racism is to make sure we are reading, studying and being aware of all the ways we have privilege, including systemic policies that often hold back minorities,” said Rabinowitch, who regularly reads to stay informed. 

Organizations, whether congregations, businesses or nonprofits, also need to identify their niche as part of the larger work involved in eradicating racial inequities, she said. “Some of the questions can include, ‘How can we make sure everyone has access to quality education?’ ‘What is the situation of our community?” 

While goals may be more clearly identifiable for businesses, such as addressing diversity hiring plans, nonprofits can commit to advocating for equity in numerous areas — from early and convenient voting to education and training for incarcerated populations, affordable childcare and accessible transportation, Rabinowitch said.

Among the critical areas CTS has sought to address through the Faith & Action Project is the disproportionate rate of poverty among Indianapolis residents, including children, when compared with the rest of the nation. According to recent statistics compiled by The Polis Center at IUPUI, one of five people in Central Indiana live under the poverty level. Minorities are among those most negatively impacted, 

Rabinowitch noted.

“CTS always has been a very progressive organization with a mission of shaping individuals for leadership in efforts to mitigate poverty, and ensure equal opportunities and treatment for all people,” Rabinowitch said. “We believe all people deserve affordable quality housing, affordable health care and balanced nutrition that’s accessible. We help families move out of poverty and stand on their own. We want people to have a sense of belonging and the ability to experience upward mobility.”

Rabinowitch also advised organizations to shape their conversations by being more inclusive. “We need to change this narrative on poverty — it’s not ‘us’ vs. ‘them,’” she said. “We need to make sure we see each other. We belong to one another.”

Sep 08

How to Protect Yourself and Your Organization from Fraudulent Attacks

By Sponsor Insight

Malicious cyberattacks cost the U.S. economy as much as $109 billion in 2016, the Council of Economic Advisors reported. Three years later, in 2019, individuals and organizations experienced record losses due to fraud, identity theft and other related complaints, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

During the current global pandemic, fraudulent activity has continued to increase. Today, we have a lot to be overwhelmed by, but knowing how to best protect yourself now can keep you safe for the future.

The following includes important information and tips to minimize your risks of becoming victimized by fraudulent attacks:

Why are fraudulent attempts on the rise? According to the Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), criminal activity involving pilfered credit card numbers and phishing attacks has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic — targeting both consumers and banks. Also, with the decline in travel and shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, more and more fraudulent attacks have shifted to the internet.

FIS reported that the dollar volume of attempted fraudulent transactions increased by 35% in April 2020, when compared to April 2019. It also noted that the trend seemed to be continuing.

What does a fraudulent attempt look like? Fraudulent attempts come in many different forms, including emails, robocalls, direct messages, credit card charges, ransomware and wire transfers that may appear legitimate. In many cases, scams will materialize as claims from government entities, financial institutions, or large organizations (like a utility company). The most prevalent methods of cyberattacks include randomly computer-generated card numbers, attempted purchases with card numbers previously stolen, and phishing attacks (emails, phone calls, and direct messages.)

How can you protect yourself and your organization?

  1. Be alert. Keep a close eye on all accounts. Most banks will alert you via call or text, but you know your purchases best. An automated alert could be generated by another fraudster. After email security has met a best practices baseline, employee training and testing is the best way to prevent a breach.
  2. Stay safe. Understand the differences between credit card and debit card use. The government limits your liability on fraudulent credit card purchases to $50. Also, it usually takes much longer to get funds reimbursed with a debit card than a credit card. Lastly, a credit card freeze is much less impactful to a person’s ability to carry on their day-to-day activities than if their bank account is frozen.
  3. Be proactive. Know how to freeze your accounts. Some financial institutions provide online or app-based access to allow you to quickly and easily complete this function. If your bank or credit union doesn’t, call immediately to ask them to freeze your account after you notice any fraudulent charges appearing in your purchase history. You can also limit the number of breach attempts through an investment in enhanced spam filtering services and Advanced Threat Protection safeguards. Enhanced email back-ups also can help prevent major losses.
  4. Know how to handle anything that comes your way. If it looks suspicious, it probably is. Be diligent when it comes to answering robocalls, opening emails, and responding to voicemails. Keep contacts up to date and block unknown callers. Take the time to learn more about how to secure your phone (Apple, iPhone, iOS, and Android). With COVID-19 related scams on the rise, it’s also important to educate yourself, friends, co-workers and relatives with the latest consumer scams reported by the FCC.
  5. Know what to look for when reviewing suspicious or official-looking documents and messages. Beware of the following:
    – Communications with terms like “stimulus check” or “stimulus payment.” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will use the term “economic impact payment.”
    – Requests to “sign over” a stimulus check
    – Anyone requesting bank information or direct deposit information by way of phone, text, email, social media or other messenger apps
    – Postal mail receipt of a [fake] check with a request to call a number or verify information online to cash it.
    – Malware or virus packages using Covid-19 as an incentive to open them.
    – New Covid-19-related websites; they could be designed to scam or defraud visitors.
    – Work-at-home infrastructure attacks. Ensure your employees have a firewall when using company or personal devices for work-related activities.
  6. Seek expert help. The time to detect vulnerabilities is not after you have been a victim of an attack. At Covi, we help our clients navigate changes in technology, including the latest cyber security measures to protect you and your organization from malicious behavior by hackers.
Sep 08

Local Nonprofits and Businesses Reap the Benefits of Committed Partnerships

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor, Not-for-Profit News

Even in the best of times, nonprofits can find it challenging to boost visibility, gain more donors and raise funds. Success often demands a complex mix of strategies, including annual fundraisers, email campaigns, and social media marketing, executed over an extended period of time.

Partnerships with businesses are proving to be a critical component in filling those gaps, according to several local nonprofits. These partnerships appear to be evolving in recent years, as businesses explore more ways to support nonprofits beyond matching gifts, sponsorships and annual fundraising campaigns.

Williams Comfort Air, a business that specializes in HVAC and plumbing, not only contributes to nonprofits with matching gift campaigns; it invests in marketing campaigns on their behalf. As part of its partnership with Outreach, Inc., which serves homeless youth, Williams Comfort Air hired professional production crews to develop radio spots and video productions and promoted the nonprofit’s story to larger audiences. 

First Person Advisors, a benefits and compensation advisory firm, recently established a foundation in partnership with Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) and Selflessly. The foundation will be funded through one percent of the company’s annual revenues, as well as matching of individual employee’s gifts of up to $1,000 a year each.

In keeping with a volunteerism tradition started in 2014, OneAmerica, this week, launched its Week of Caring at a time when volunteerism is significantly down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the volunteer efforts may look different due to social distancing requirements, OneAmerica associates are finding creative ways to donate their time, including hosting storytelling sessions for underprivileged youth and assisting with letter writing campaigns. 

The virtual format of Week of Caring also allowed associates to reach an unprecedented number of nonprofits.

“This is as hands-on as it can safely be, with associates creatively using the resources we have and maximizing technology, talent and teamwork,” said Jennifer Pittman, vice president, enterprise communications and community affairs at OneAmerica. “Nonprofit organizations need our help now more than ever, and while giving back may look different in 2020, we remain committed to our community volunteerism.” 

Business partnerships that extend beyond annual donations can have a significant impact, according to several local nonprofits.

“A lot of times businesses underestimate their influence,” said Jason Chenowith, CEO of Outreach, one of the nonprofits William Comfort Air has supported annually. “Helping us get in front of people who don’t know us is equally important as the donations we receive. As a nonprofit, you always need to get your name in front of new people. It’s an endless cycle as you try to get people exposed to what you do.”

The campaigns sponsored by Williams Comfort Air continue to open doors — long after they were first launched, Chenowith said. 

“There are times when I will introduce myself to people and they already know the name of Outreach. You can’t quantify the value and benefit of that,” he said. “We are very, very grateful for major donors but that’s not what keeps us alive. It’s an army of people who give $25 or $50 on a regular basis. When a business leverages its social power, it can make a big difference. It allows us to build relationships among individuals.”

Heather Parker, director of development communication for The Julian Center, another nonprofit supported by Williams Comfort Air, said a committed business sponsorship is critical for numerous reasons. 

“When employers are willing to reach out to their employees on their own behalf it exposes us to donors we normally wouldn’t have,” Parker said. “Secondly, nonprofits are able to tap into sizable amounts of money that are unrestricted. It gives the agency more flexibility to cover things they might not have otherwise. That’s a great benefit.”

Matt Tyner, director of marketing for Williams Comfort Air, said that the company seeks to get a better understanding of a charity because they want to share how donations are making an impact. 

“We want to see them come to life,” he said. “A lot of companies are hesitant to promote their community giving, thinking it may come across as not being humble. It should be considered an opportunity to engage their donor bases. As a result of hearing those stories, some donors decide to become annual givers.”

After listening to the charities they serve, Williams Comfort Air also launched summer giving campaigns to offset revenue shortfalls during a slow fundraising period for many organizations. “There’s a lot of giving at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year,” Tyner said. “That’s why we put a significant amount of our giving into the summer months. We want to be a bit of a bridge during the periods where there’s less giving.”

When the pandemic hit, the financial support from Williams Comfort Air helped nonprofits continue to serve their communities at a critical time, he said.

Taking more creative approaches to business-nonprofit partnerships not only benefit nonprofit agencies, said Mark Minner, president and chief strategy officer for First Person Advisors. Developing avenues for employees to support nonprofits can impact morale and foster a sense of fulfillment as part of their employment with a company.. 

“From our experience, that’s just how people are wired. Giving back is really important in their lives and they expect their employer to have that same type of commitment.” Minner said. “As an employer, we have a unique opportunity and role to facilitate opportunities to make their dollars go further faster … to make more of an impact,”

First Person Advisors had already committed to developing a foundation before the global pandemic reached Indianapolis. Working in partnership with CICF and Selflessly, the advisory firm decided to accelerate the launch of the foundation as needs in the community grow.

Minner said other businesses interested in developing a deeper commitment to nonprofits can start with matching programs, if they don’t already have one in place. Establishing a foundation can take significantly more effort, but the impact is so much greater than the time to set it up, he said.

“It really has a significant return in terms of the level of connectivity people feel to the organization,” Minner said. “We can help employees make a difference. It’s great to hear stories from our employees about how appreciative they are to be able to help people.”

Aug 31

Sacred Cows? They May Not Be Worth It

By Sponsor Insight

By Jan Breiner Frazier

Every organization has its sacred cows — those employees considered above reproach. Until now, you may have been able to justify their position. But as organizations are forced to rethink their staffing models, become leaner, and figure out how to move forward in today’s pandemic-ridden economy, it may be time to face the challenge of analyzing your approach to sacred cows.

Many staff members perceive that these sacred cows are able to work according to their own rules with few consequences for various reasons: personal relationships with leadership, strong technical talent, strong relationships with key funders or constituents, lineage to another super star who is critical to the organization. In some cases, these employees are considered sacred cows for reasons no one can ever really figure out. They flaunt their power and, everyone — including you, knows who they are and talks about them in whispers. Unfortunately, these sacred cows are a fact of organizational politics — and highly destructive.

Every employee commitment survey we administer includes some item related to “fairness,” often in the context of “My manager applies rules and consequences fairly and consistently in the department.” Nine times out of 10, this will be among the lowest rated metrics for organizations that are formally getting employee feedback for the first time. And, more often than not, these sacred cows are at the root of the fairness tree.

The perception of unfairness causes many employees to question their own value and how — or better yet, if — their contributions are really being appreciated by the leadership of the organization. Employees begin to wonder why they work so hard and give so much if the rewards are not fairly distributed. Employees also may wonder just what it takes to get ahead in the organization. And those companies trying to instill healthy corporate cultures — where recognition and rewards are based on performance, team behaviors, and modeling the values of the company — negate any significant progress by protecting the sacred cows.

For those in leadership, what to do? The first step is to recognize there is a problem. When questioned, leadership can get defensive about all the reasons this individual is really valuable, a key player, too hard to replace, has too many community ties, etc. You have your reasons. But weigh the perceived value of one or two problem individuals against the cost of a harmful negative influence on your culture and the rest of your employees. Reign in the mavericks and be sure to apply the same standards to them as you do for the entire workforce. And make sure they understand you are serious.

Strong stakeholder relationships? The relationship needs to be with the organization and not one individual. Strong technical talent? Perhaps, but often behavioral nightmares for their colleagues. Spouses, siblings, in-laws and other relatives? They need to understand that they will be held to a higher standard simply because of the potential perception of favoritism.

An interesting exercise would be to ask your leadership team if there are any sacred cows in your organization and what they believe the impact to be. Then listen. You’ll know what to do.

Jan Breiner Frazier, the managing member of Planning Plus, LLC, has been a consulting professional since 1988. She has designed and facilitated strategic, annual, and operational planning sessions for a multitude of organizations. Her work with non-profit boards and associations has included strategic planning, board development, and committee structure.

Aug 24

The Nonprofit Board Chair’s Role in Building Organizational Resiliency

By Sponsor Insight

By Erin Hedges, president and founder, Hedges

As COVID-19 continues to change everything in our world and our communities, nonprofit organizations have stepped up to fill in the gaps and meet the needs of those who have been impacted. During the early stages of the pandemic, many nonprofit organizations were able to secure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans and receive generous donations from individual donors and philanthropic institutions. These economic boosts enabled nonprofit organizations to increase and expand services to meet the urgent needs in our communities as the pandemic unfolded.

As PPP funding runs out, and donor fatigue settles in, concerns are increasing about the resiliency of nonprofit organizations as they navigate the challenge of fulfilling their missions with such little certainty on the horizon. Strong leadership and strategic thinking at the executive and board levels have never been more important as nonprofits not only strive to sustain through this time, but also build resiliency for the future.

At Hedges, we describe resiliency as an organization’s ability to weather crisis, sharpen focus, adapt to changes in the landscape, and emerge with the capacity to have even greater impact. We believe the responsibility of building resiliency ultimately lies with the board of directors in partnership with executive leadership.

The board chair is central to nonprofit resiliency and has a unique role in leading and influencing others through the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, many are unsure of how and where to focus energies among so many priorities. Here are four areas where board chairs can lead, engage and hold fellow members accountable, and foster organizational resiliency:

  • Evaluate, support, and compensate executive leadership. It is the board chair’s responsibility to ensure the full board is supporting the executive director’s success. At the very least, executive directors are entitled to an annual performance review to gain an understanding of where they are excelling and where they can improve. Too often, this process is lacking, which can leave high-performing executive directors feeling undervalued and low-performing executive directors keeping the organization from reaching its full potential. A strong board chair will lead a formal performance evaluation process, which is the foundation for a collaborative and effective working relationship between the board and executive leadership and ensures the organization has the executive talent needed to thrive. Board chairs seeking resources on this topic can begin here.

    An effective board chair will make it a priority to partner with the executive director. Monthly one-on-one meetings, in which the executive director shares what is going well, where they are feeling challenged, and what support they need, ensures the board chair is in tune with the organization and its leader. If the executive director is not meeting expectations, the board chair has the responsibility to clarify expectations and engage the board in identifying supports and resources that can help the executive director succeed. Professional development opportunities, including coaching, mentoring, and training, are a few examples.

    Additionally, the board should review the executive director’s compensation package to ensure the organization is always able to recruit and retain top talent. The Central Indiana Salary Survey Report, published every two years by Charitable Advisors, is an invaluable resource containing local compensation and benefit data. It can be downloaded here.
  • Be a fundraising champion. The board chair does not need to be a fundraising expert but does need to be a fundraising advocate. A strong board chair educates and influences fellow board members and executive leadership to double down on fundraising efforts now in the interest of the long game. First, the board chair can urge fellow members and the executive director to avoid cutting fundraising expenses as a short-term fix, as it will have long-term consequences. Second, an effective board chair sets the expectation for and executes 100% board giving to the organization. This includes facilitating conversations among board members to determine individual contribution levels or a combined board goal, monitoring board gifts, and making asks of those who have not yet given. Third, the board chair reminds fellow members they are expected to introduce individuals in their networks who may be potential donors. This can be done in a variety of ways and staff can play a facilitating role. Lastly, a strong board chair champions board engagement in stewardship efforts through such activities as donor thank you calls and letters.

    Indianapolis social entrepreneur Jeb Banner, in this article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, provides further insight into why every nonprofit board needs fundraising champions.
  • Build operating reserves. The importance of the rainy day fund has become abundantly clear in 2020. According to experts, three months of cash on hand is a bare minimum to safeguard an organization in times of uncertainty. Yet, data shows that 32% of nonprofit organizations have less than three months of operating reserves and 62% have six months or less (2018 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey, Nonprofit Finance Fund).

    While it can be difficult to secure operating capital above and beyond annual expenses, it is not impossible. A strong board chair will address the need for establishing, restoring, or increasing operating reserves to build short and long-term stability for the organization. Once there is board agreement, a policy should be created and approved to outline appropriate minimum and maximum thresholds, how funds will be invested, and how funds can be used.

    The board chair should encourage the finance and development committees to work in partnership to create a strategy and a timeline to secure unrestricted funds that can be held in reserves, most likely from loyal donors who have demonstrated support to the organization over time. Jill Robisch, vice president and senior business development officer, Nonprofit Services, The National Bank of Indianapolis, encourages nonprofit organizations to hold short-term funds in a liquid fund like a money market account that is governed by a short-term working capital policy.

    Longer-term investments should be guided by the organization’s investment policy statement and held in longer term investments, such as equities and bonds. Robisch said that, over time, organizations should work toward having enough income generated from long-term investments to serve as the organization’s short-term liquid capital. A strong board chair will also hold the organization accountable for staying focused on building the reserve funds in accordance with the policy developed and agreed upon.
  • Make every seat count. As the proverb goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same is true for nonprofit boards. Members are recruited with the expectation that they will bring their knowledge, skills, and expertise into the boardroom. And, yet, how many board seats are taken up by individuals who don’t attend meetings or are not meeting board expectations? A strong board chair will make every seat count by enforcing bylaws that call for the removal of members who do not make meeting attendance requirements or are otherwise not fulfilling the expectations of board membership. These conversations should be approached thoughtfully and carefully and provide an opportunity for the member to make a graceful transition from the board, potentially into another volunteer role within the organization with a lesser time commitment. Similar conversations should be had with members as they reach their term limit as determined in the organization’s bylaws.

    Addressing board disengagement and term limits will create room for new board members, presenting an opportunity to deepen the organization’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity at the governance level. A strong board chair will task the board with revisiting the ideal board composition for the organization, ensuring that it is diverse and representative of the community, and make needed adjustments to member recruitment strategies. The board chair also should be responsible for creating a boardroom environment that allows all members to have equal voice. Organizations struggling to diversify their boards or provide an equity culture should seek outside sources, beginning with answering these initial questions from BoardSource.

Nonprofit resiliency is not a buzzword; it is hard work. With board chairs focused on best practices in nonprofit governance, including a willingness to support the executive director and lead others toward shared goals, nonprofits will weather this uncertain time ready for greater impact. This is their time to lead.

Erin Hedges founded Hedges in 2002. The Indianapolis consulting firm is focused on increasing nonprofit capacity and impact. Hedges, who is passionate about board leadership, currently serves as Board Chair for Dove House and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Alumni Board. She also is a past Chair for Joy’s House.

Aug 24

State of Indiana’s Nonprofits: Survey Reveals How Organizations Are Coping in 2020

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor, Charitable Advisors

Nearly six months have passed since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Indiana. Since that time, the majority of the state’s nonprofits have faced significant challenges in maintaining services to support their missions, according to Indiana Nonprofits and COVID-19: Impact on Services, Finances and Staffing, a new report released by the Indiana United Ways and the Indiana Nonprofit Sector Project.

Of the 512 nonprofit organizations responding to a survey, 71 percent reported major revenue shortfalls since March 1 due to the pandemic; 60  percent reported suspending or ending programs; 67 percent cancelled a fundraising event; and 23 percent had laid off or furloughed staff. While the percentage of nonprofits reporting staff layoffs and furloughs was relatively low compared to other metrics, 43 percent reported greater demands on existing staff because of an absence of volunteers.

Report co-author Kirsten Grønbjerg, director of the Indiana Nonprofit Sector Project, Distinguished Professor at O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, said the results were surprising because of the extent of the impact across a significant number of nonprofits. “I don’t think we have ever seen this kind of widespread impact before,” Grønbjerg said. “It’s drastic and intense.”

With previous economic downturns, Grønbjerg said, a portion of nonprofit organizations may  have been impacted because of declining revenue. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has left few nonprofits spared, except those that provide essential services.

“Our findings point to an increased need for services that the pandemic itself created. I think the safety net nonprofits play for the community took a beating. How well they’re going to recover is the big question,” she said. “The CARES Act has been an important component in allowing them to continue to operate.” About half of the nonprofit organizations surveyed received loans under the Payroll Protection Plan under the CARES Act.

Kathryn Habecker, co-author of the report and impact and advocacy manager at Indiana United Ways, said that a significant number of Hoosiers were struggling even before the pandemic hit. New data on Indiana ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families show that “more than one-third of Indiana households faced significant economic hardship well before the pandemic hit. Many already were just a paycheck, car repair, or medical bill away from disaster,” she said. “Unfortunately, many more have joined their ranks over the last three months.”

While the report detailed the extensive impact COVID-19 has had on nonprofits, it also revealed how organizations are implementing creative strategies as a way to continue to support the growing needs of residents impacted by the pandemic, Grønbjerg said.

Statewide, collaborations have been developed among nonprofits, United Way, foundations, local and state government officials, schools, chambers of commerce, hospitals, universities and major employers to determine how to best meet of the community, said Grønbjerg, citing a COVID-19 coalition that meets twice a week in Bloomington.

In the coming months, Grønbjerg said, these types of collaborations will become more essential since nonprofits play such a critical role in the community, especially during a time when eviction and utility shutoff moratoriums have started to expire.  

“We view these developments as silver linings on otherwise very dark clouds. If nurtured and sustained over time, these collaborative efforts may provide the basis for stronger communities with better safety nets going forward,” Grønbjerg said.

Aug 17

NFPN Perspectives: 20 Years of Supporting Central Indiana’s Nonprofit Community

By Feature, Uncategorized

By Shari Finnell, writer/editor Charitable Advisors

When Bryan Orander launched Not-for-Profit News in 2001, the internet had not yet reached its saturation point; only 52 percent of American adults reported using it at the time, according to the Pew Research Center. And Orander considered the e-newsletter as nothing more than a project to keep him busy while starting his consulting business, perhaps a tool that would help a few people find jobs, he recently said.

As NFPN celebrates its 20th anniversary year as an online weekly publication with more than 14,000 subscribers, Orander reflected on how the nonprofit sector of Central Indiana has navigated various changes during that period, including internet saturation, the economic recession of 2008, technology advances, evolving giving patterns, and, currently, the impact of a global pandemic and unprecedented racial equity protests.

Orander, founder and President of Charitable Advisors, a consulting firm, said no other period in the past 20 years fully matches the challenges faced by nonprofits today, but there were similarities during the economic downturn of 2008.

“From our vantage point — from 2008 to 2010, we saw job ads drop off, donations being directed to basic needs and away from the arts and the environment,” he said. “We’re now seeing a lot of the same things. Right now, at least, COVID-19 relief funds are being directed to human services and basic needs. That makes sense.”

Studies reveal that many nonprofits weathered the 2008 recession fairly well, Orander said, which gives him reason to hope that many of them will survive the current turbulent period. Here are some of Orander’s perspectives on the trends that continue to shape the nonprofit sector in Central Indiana.

Increasing dominance of the larger nonprofit: Orander said some of the same patterns that have dominated the B2B sector, including the decline of small businesses, seem to be playing out in the nonprofit sector.

“Looking at the bigger picture over the past 20 years, it appears that the nonprofit sector has evolved with more clearly defined, substantial nonprofits. It’s almost a case of the-haves and the have-nots,” he said. “The organizations that are able to hire the best people, invest in advanced technology and implement the best techniques are getting better and better at raising money and attracting donors. Meanwhile, a lot of other nonprofits are being left behind. And that gap is getting bigger.”

Changing profile of donors: Citing a 2019 report published by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, Orander noted that the number of people donating has decreased from two-thirds of U.S. households in 2000 to slightly over half in 2016. “While overall charitable donations continue to slowly increase, the number of people donating is decreasing. We have a donating class and the rest,” he said. “People with less means are giving less, while people of means are taking over a bigger share of the giving.”

While overall giving hasn’t declined, Orander said, nonprofits need to be more strategic about how to target wealthier donors. “You have to be sophisticated at soliciting donations, and that seems to leave smaller nonprofits in a tough position because most have not developed major donors.”

Models of charitable giving are evolving: During the past 20 years, Orander also has noticed changes in the giving model — with some donors moving from a focus on organizations that align with their values to a model that generally focuses on a donor’s loyalty to a cause. “There are continuing studies on this, but it appears that charity and cause in terms of giving are viewed differently among different generations,” Orander said.

For example, he said, younger people are more likely to be loyal to a cause, such as environmental concerns, while older people tend to support nonprofit organizations that align with their passions and beliefs. Since younger generations may be more passionate about a specific cause, they may decide to give through an engaging online campaign or work for a for-profit employer that is dedicated to their cause.

Crowdfunding also has changed the charitable giving model, Orander said. “There are so many ways that people can give online; there’s now a fuzziness between charity and giving. A lot of people don’t discern the difference between giving to a food bank or to a worthy person through an on-line crowdfunding platform.”

Businesses competing with nonprofits for new hires: As a professional recruiter, Orander also has some perspectives about how hiring trends are impacting nonprofits’ ability to compete for talent.

“A positive trend is that the younger generation wants to be involved in a worthy cause. They want to make a difference, so they would traditionally be more likely attracted to nonprofits,” Orander said. “However, for-profit businesses have realized that their prospective employees want to be part of a making a difference, so they often affiliate themselves with a cause.”

Socially responsible companies have become so mainstream, that “the lines are kind of blurry between working at a nonprofit with a cause or a for-profit that has a cause,” Orander said. “Employees may determine that, either way, it’s possible for you to make a positive difference. But with some employers, you can make more money and still make a difference.”

Impact of starting a new nonprofit: While it’s not impossible, it is much more difficult to start a nonprofit with real impact than it was 20 years — even without the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Orander said. “It may not be difficult to create one, but it’s harder and harder to rally the people and the resources to do anything with it,” he said. Many new nonprofits are created in response to a personal or family tragedy or loss and not because the community doesn’t already offer those services, Orander has observed.

The Future: As Orander looks forward to continuing NFPN’s role in the Central Indiana nonprofit sector, he foresees developing more opportunities to connect people, organizations and resources, with a focus on informing and inspiring through the news and stories it delivers.

“When we first surpassed 10,000 subscribers, I knew we were really helping to connect and inform people in the local nonprofit community. We had become the go-to place for jobs and news,” Orander said. “It felt like we were making a difference. I feel the same way now. It’s been an interesting and humbling experience.”

Aug 10

COVID-19 leads to unprecedented response in support of Indiana’s most vulnerable

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, Editor, Charitable Advisors

Nonprofit organizations on the frontlines of supporting immigrants, refugees and other foreign-born residents have been regularly encountering challenges to ensure critical, sometimes life-saving, information is adequately relayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to language barriers, these individuals are more likely to be employed in jobs that put them at higher risk for infection, are denied unemployment benefits, lack health insurance, and have fears about accessing medical care and resources — all factors that jeopardize their ability to navigate the pandemic, according to several local nonprofit organizations.

“Those of us who are fluent in English are struggling everyday to understand COVID-19,” said Dana Harrison, interim executive director of the Immigrant Welcome Center. “‘What did the governor say? What is going on with schools?’ It’s changing daily.” For foreign-born newcomers, those COVID-19 directives — from stay-at-home orders to how to protect themselves from the virus — can be extremely difficult to understand, Harrison said.

Rethinking the ceiling for grantmaking in a time of crisis

During the past 18 years, board members of The Clowes Fund have been invested in understanding the challenges facing immigrants and refugees as they shifted their focus to supporting those populations and workforce development initiatives.

When the pandemic hit the U.S., a subcommittee of Fund board members and staff immediately gathered to determine how it could best meet needs in the community. Realizing they didn’t have the resources of larger foundations, The Fund was intent on making a significant impact through a more concentrated effort.

“We used to be one of the largest foundations in Indianapolis,” said Elizabeth A. Casselman, executive director of The Clowes Fund, Inc. “That’s no longer the case. We work hard to find our lane. We were looking to find the gaps and then identifying the organizations that were working to fill those gaps.” The result was a plan to distribute unsolicited funds to current grantees, allow for more flexibility with an unrestricted grant format, and focus on program areas with the highest needs, including immigrant services and workforce development.

Just a few weeks later, the Fund awarded 21 small emergency grants totaling $220,000 to numerous organizations, including Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, the Undocumented Hoosiers Fund of the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance, administered by Broadway United Methodist Church, and other organizations that serve populations who may not be eligible for other types of relief funding.

The unexpected grants came as a welcome surprise for many of the organizations that received them — giving them the support to continue their mission in the midst of an uncertain and turbulent period.

However, the extent of the damage caused by the pandemic weighed heavily on the board members, who started questioning if they had done enough, Casselman said. “There was a strong sentiment among Clowes family members and non-family members that it does no good to sit on these assets when there’s such a great need. We were worried we would look back and say we took too safe of a position.”

They were already familiar with the math that guided decisions throughout the foundation’s 68-year history — across four generations of the Clowes family. “With a foundation, the only legal requirement is that we must distribute at least 5 percent each year,” said Casselman, referring to the value of net investment assets. “Yet, all too often it begins to be interpreted as the ceiling rather than the floor.”

From a strictly financial standpoint, a conservative approach — the 5 percent floor/ceiling — also would have been the most responsible decision for ensuring that the foundation exists into perpetuity, continuing to support the intent of the founders’ mission, Casselman said.

“If you have several years of 6 to 7 percent, you can pretty quickly erode your funds,” Casselman added. “We realized those policies served us well in the long run. But these are exceptional times. And exceptional times demand an exception response.”

As a result of that strong sentiment among the board, including family and non-family members, the Fund doubled its grantmaking commitment by spending an additional 5 percent more than its typical grantmaking through a $3.2 million draw from the corpus of its endowment in 2020. Through The Clowes Fund COVID-19 Plan, the board approved spending an additional $2 million in grantmaking for 2020 and reserved $1.2 million to supplement grantmaking in 2021.

“Failure to respond in an exceptional manner would likely cause the Fund board and staff to look back with regret,” said Edith Bowles, Clowes Fund vice president. Bowles said they believed it is possible to make an unprecedented decision without damaging the long-term fiscal health of the foundation.

Meeting needs in challenging times

As with its previous response, the Fund quickly distributed unsolicited and unrestricted grants in July — in amounts ranging from $50,000 to Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc., to $150,000 to Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for a comprehensive set of loans for minority-owned businesses. Median grant size was $40,000, significantly higher than Clowes Fund grants awarded in previous years.

Harrison of the Immigrant Welcome Center, as well as those of other organizations supporting the immigrant, foreign-born and refugee population of Indiana, were immediately met with challenges in the midst of the pandemic. “The challenges were always there … language barriers, higher risks of infection, an inability to qualify for government resources, lack of health insurance,” Harrison said. “They intensified with the pandemic.”

Every day, the Center intervenes on behalf of immigrants, ensuring that they’re getting access to food pantries, and unemployment benefits, rental assistance and healthcare they’re entitled to but are afraid to access.

Language barriers are especially problematic in a state with inadequate language translation options.

“When the government first issued stay at home orders, some families would not open their front doors or leave their homes, endangering their lives because they were critically low on food,” Harrison said. “In their world, when the government says stay at home, they stay at home.”

Immigration status concerns also instill fear among individuals who are undocumented, Harrison said. With the public charge rule, there is also widespread concern that applying for social benefits could jeopardize any chance of being granted legal permanent resident status, Harrison pointed out. “It’s been very successful in putting absolute terror in our immigrant population,” she said.

The Clowes Fund grant, along with other grants from other foundations, came at a critical time, Harrison said.

“The size of the grant we received from the Clowes Fund gave us some critical breathing room — the freedom to keep on some temporary staff members on a more permanent basis. We did not have to operate in financial fear,” Harrison said. “We were absolutely stunned. It helped transform our year.

“If we had not received that money there would have been the prospect of very hard decisions on the horizon, including reducing positions to part time,” she added.

Cole Varga, executive director of Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc., said the organization has been focused on meeting the needs of refugees who have been displaced from nations like Syria, Burma, and Yemen under troubling circumstances made even more challenging because of the pandemic. In addition to helping refugees get settled in apartments, schools and jobs, the organization regularly helps them understand basic living skills, such as writing a check, purchasing groceries and accessing health care and social services.

As the impact of COVID-19 intensified, the Exodus team ramped up their efforts to assist refugees in applying for unemployment, and rental and utility assistance. Those efforts were complicated because of language barriers, said Varga, noting that Exodus provided interpretation. “Different government agencies are a bit behind with equality in terms of language access,” he said.

“Unemployment in Indiana has a massive backlog, making it even more difficult to navigate if you don’t speak English,” Varga added. “Some of them didn’t even have WiFi. It would have been impossible if we had not helped them out.”

Because of the added complications of applying for benefits as a non-English speaking resident, unemployment benefits sometimes didn’t arrive for more than two months. As a result, some families were unable to buy food or pay rent and utilities during that time, Varga said.

Grants have helped refugees face difficult circumstances, especially during the period in which Congress has debated on how to move forward with unemployment benefits, Varga said. “The Clowes Fund helped remove those barriers.” he said. “When a single mom lost her job at a restaurant, we were able to stand in and help fill in the gap.”

As part of its mission, La Plaza, Inc., another Clowes Fund grant recipient, provides one-on-one counseling to Hispanic high students to improve their chances of graduating from high school and college. The team also provides support to the families of the students, ensuring that they receive healthcare, utility and rent assistance, and other resources.

The pandemic complicated the ability to deliver those services because most of the engagement had been in person, said Miriam Acevedo Davis, president and CEO of La Plaza, Inc.. Also, La Plaza was sensitive to the increased need for mental health counseling as well as helping families understand the signs of anxiety and depression.

“It was an enormously scary time,” Acevedo Davis recalled of the first several months of the pandemic. “We were serving an area that had been identified as a hotspot, based on a lot of the information we had.”

La Plaza team members initially worked from home, ensuring that the families they served were adequately protected with PPE, medical services, food, childcare and other resources. Additionally, they were sorting out the complications of working with some students who were trying to study from home without WiFi or had the responsibility of caring for younger siblings.

Acevedo Davis described the Clowes Fund grant as extraordinary for several reasons. Not only was the grant unsolicited, it was issued quickly and without restrictions.

Acevedo Davis said those factors were critical. “We did not have to worry about writing a report about what we’re going to do and anticipated outcomes, or spending a lot of time tracking it,” she said. While La Plaza has processes in place for reporting and tracking, additional restrictions would have been difficult to complete at a time when employees were working from home and working hard to meet the needs of the community they served, Acevedo Davis said. 

“They (Clowes Fund) told us, ‘We want to get the money to you quickly. We know you’ll do a good job supporting the most vulnerable,’” Acevedo Davis said. “With those restrictions gone, we could move quickly so that students and their families could get the critical help they needed during a difficult time.”

Acevedo Davis said The Clowes Fund, along with other local funding sources, have provided critical support during an incredibly challenging time for nonprofits and the communities they serve.

“We are in awe of how quickly our funding community moved to provide funds to organizations,” she said.

The Clowes Fund COVID-19 Relief Grants recipients included: Broadway United Methodist Church (Undocumented Hoosier Support Fund); Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc.; Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.; La Plaza, Inc.; Local Initiatives Support Corporation; Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, Inc.; Second Helpings, Inc.; Shepherd Community Center, Inc.; The Immigrant Welcome Center, Inc; and RecycleForce. Other awards were granted to organizations in New England states, including Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire and New York, and other regions.

Jul 28

Local nonprofits implement different strategies for annual fundraisers in wake of COVID-19

By Feature

by Shari L. Finnell, editor/writer, Charitable Advisors

For School on Wheels, an Indianapolis nonprofit that provides tutoring for children facing homelessness, the potential loss of funds from its annual fundraiser in 2020 would have been devastating — a significant blow to its ability to carry out its mission in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Celebration generates 25 percent of School on Wheel’s annual budget, according to Amber Ewing Kostoff, CFRE, vice president of development. In 2019, it brought in more than $270,000 from sponsorships, live and silent auctions, ticket sales and a matching gift opportunity for about 400 attendees.

“It’s a big deal for us,” Ewing Kostoff said.

When Indiana started reporting its first cases of COVID19, School on Wheels event organizers immediately started considering alternative options for their 2020 Education Celebration. It was originally slated for April, just weeks after Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb started issuing statewide restrictions, including a shelter in place order, effective March 25.

“When all the news about the pandemic and the restrictions coming to fruition, we didn’t feel comfortable about having an event with more than 400 people in a room,” Ewing Kostoff said. At the time, we weren’t sure how things were going to look like going forward.”

As with hundreds of other nonprofits in Indiana, School on Wheels had invested a significant amount of time and resources into event planning because of multiple benefits. A successful fundraiser not only provides an avenue for generating funds, it gives nonprofits the opportunity to meet donors and volunteers face to face, showcase the mission, and recognize sponsors, volunteers and supporters.

While inclement weather always has posed a threat to plans for galas, 5Ks, parties and other event fundraisers in Indiana, COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact — disrupting plans for nonprofit organizations of all sizes throughout the year.

Zoobilation, one of the most widely anticipated black-tie fundraising events in Indiana, was canceled for the first time in its 34-year history. Organizers originally had postponed the date, moving it from June 12 to August 14, in the hopes that it could be hosted in a safer environment for its 5,000 guests by that time. The fundraiser supports general operating expenses for the Indianapolis Zoo.

With COVID19 undergoing a resurgence, Zoobilation organizers last week announced its decision to cancel the event. “It was painful to cancel it but not difficult considering what was in the best interests of our guests and partners,” said Julie McDearmon, CFRE, director of Institutional Advancement at the Indianapolis Zoological Society.

Organizers of Rev Indy, an IU Health Foundation fundraiser that supports statewide trauma and critical care programs, also decided to forego its 2020 celebration because of the potential health risks, said Carol A. Howard, executive director of Rev.

“We spent months weighing all the options to safely hosting Rev this year,” Howard said. “Our number one goal as a leading healthcare organization is to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of all of our guests, vendors, chefs, entertainers and volunteers.”

The cancellation of these major fundraisers followed extensive research and planning, according to their organizers. Some of the questions that emerged included: Do you approach sponsors and ticket holders about maintaining their financial contribution — even in the face of their own potential economic hardships? What about investing in the logistics of planning an alternative virtual event? And, with cases of COVID19 resurging in Indiana, how do you plan for future events?

“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Zoobilation’s McDearmon, who noted that she has previously worked at nonprofits of varying sizes and resources. “Ultimately, you have to do what’s best to protect your brand and reputation as well as those of your sponsors and partners. If you can’t host your event safely, then you need to weigh different options.”

McDearmon said it’s also important to include committee members in conversations about how to move forward.

Howard stressed the importance of being fluid with planning in the midst of a changing environment.. “We are in a time that ‘new’ event concepts can be born and executed safely during this time, which ultimately can create new opportunities for non-profits in the long term.”

As part of its planning in the wake of COVID-19 and social justice protests locally and nationally, Rev organizers announced that some of the proceeds from its canceled 2020 event would be directed to the Iu Health Foundation’s Racial Equity in Healthcare Fund.

Ewing Kostoff pointed out that virtual events may be a possibility. School on Wheels hosted an online option and, as a result of that event and the generosity of its donors, reached its fundraising goal. “Focus on what makes sense for your individual organization,” Ewing Kostoff said. “It has to make sense for what you’re trying to accomplish. Who is your audience? How do you get them engaged? What can your staff do in a short amount of time? Those are critical questions to ask.”

School on Wheels Hosts a Virtual Event

When event organizers for School on Wheels’ Education Celebration first understood the initial impact of COVID-19, they made plans to postpone the April event to June 25. “We hoped things were looking different by then,” said Ewing Kostoff. “We also wanted to try to get the event in before the end of our fiscal year..”

With uncertainty increasing about the viability of hosting the June 25 event, the team started exploring another Plan B, an option that would take them into unchartered territory. The Education Celebration committee members researched online for tutorials on how to host a virtual event. They also contacted other nonprofits that had switched to virtual events, including Second Helpings and St. Mary’s Child Center.

After making the decision to host a virtual event, the planning committee focused on several critical areas, including how to deliver value to sponsors. “By the time we got to March, we had already secured all of our sponsors,” Ewing Kostoff said. “We felt we had to deliver the benefits that we promised them from an in-person event, something creative and equitable.”

While the organization wasn’t able to offer sponsors tangible items like a table with dinner, they realized they could adhere to the idea of highlighting their brands in a program. In addition to featuring the sponsors on the homepage of the Education Celebration site, they featured them in an ad in the Indianapolis Business Journal, social media posts and other platforms. “We tagged them at every opportunity,” Ewing Kostoff said.

Another critical focus was the event’s auction, which relied on the donations of local businesses. Typically, organizers would approach businesses for gifts to sporting events, concerts, hotel stays and restaurants. “We felt we couldn’t go to those people and ask for those things,” Ewing Kostoff said. “We didn’t want to ask restaurants for donations at a time when they’re closing their doors. We never want anyone to feel pressured”

However, Ewing Kostoff said she did heed the advice of some of her fundraising peers:“It never hurts to ask. Give them an option.”

While the donated items were smaller in scale than in previous years, bidders paid more than they had anticipated. “They wanted to support what we’re doing,” Ewing Kostoff said. “We have the most amazing sponsors. They stuck with us and showed us, ‘We’re with you.’”

Promotion also was a key consideration as part of the event planning, Ewing Kostoff said. With an in-person event, organizers were focused on a limited number of people. That focus shifted significantly with an online event.

“We could widen the scope of our audience,” Ewing Kostoff said. “With an in-person event, you’re limited to the number of people you can put in the room. We reached out to all the supporters, sponsors and people who attended any of our events in the past. We let them know that we’re doing a virtual event and invited them to sign up to receive text messages.”

They also included online event details in newsletters and all of their social media channels, and encouraged their supporters to invite their friends to the online event.

When planning an online event for the first time, Ewing Kostoff said, it’s important to keep the right focus. “Focus on what makes sense for your individual organization, what you’re trying to accomplish and how to get your audience engaged,” she said. “And focus on it being the best virtual event you’ve ever done. Don’t try to compare it to what we’ve done in the past.

“That took the pressure off our team,” Ewing Kostoff added. “We’re really proud of what we were able to pull together. It was wonderful to see how many people came through that day and the next day.”

Another key takeaway from Ewing Kostoff was the importance of conveying the message of the nonprofit’s mission in the midst of the pandemic.

“We provide tutoring for children facing homelessness. We typically provide that tutoring onsite, in schools and in shelters,” she explained. “When things started to shift in March, we really did have to pivot. We had to figure out how to reach those students. One of the barriers for a lot of kids we work with is technology. We started having conversations with our partners about ways to get students the tools they need so they don’t fall behind.”

School on Wheels consistently explores different ways to convey the message behind its mission, Ewing Kostoff said. “Our mission doesn’t go away. The need for education never stops, We try to stay focused on the importance of what we’re doing and how to embrace new ways to talk about what we’re doing.”

Zoobilation Looks Ahead

While Zoobilation has an enviable reputation, selling out all of its 2019 tickets in less than 10 minutes, organizers don’t take its popularity for granted.

“We pretty much plan the next year before we even finish the current year,” said Julie McDearmon. “Before we decided to postpone, we were already planning Zoobilation 2021. We’re constantly having to look forward — even strategically looking five years out to determine how to keep it exciting. It’s a constant cycle.”

Before its cancellation, Zoobilation 2020 was projected to raise $2.5 million in support of the zoo’s mission of empowering people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation. That amount represented approximately 8 percent of the Indianapolis Zoo’s annual operating revenue.

When making the decision to cancel Zoobilation, organizers prioritized the health of its supporters as well as the long-term reputation of Zoobilation and its partners, according to McDearmon.

They also considered the economic fallout caused by COVID-19. “Our restaurant partners and many sponsors have been hit hard this year and are struggling. That was another strong consideration in canceling Zoobilation,” she said.

McDearmon also said it was important to offer ticket holders various options in response to the cancellation of the event. They were given the opportunity to donate the cost of the tickets, ranging from $300 (general admission) to $600 (Premium Experience), as a charitable gift; repurpose the ticket for Zoobilation 2021 or request a refund.

“We know many people are struggling right now. All of us at the Indianapolis Zoo are grateful that people are being very generous and letting us keep their Zoobilation ticket fee or sponsorship as a full donation,” she said. “We also realize that there are some who aren’t able to do that.”

Early on, as Zoobilation committee members discussed options for the 2020 event, they considered the possibility of hosting a virtual event, McDearmon said. Their research included observing virtual events hosted by other zoos and aquariums.

At the end, they decided it was not a viable alternative for Zoobilation. “When you have a production that’s this big, you have to pay a lot to execute it well. You need to consider if you can give your guests the same experience they expect and pay for normally,” McDearmon said. “Virtual events may work for some nonprofits, but the Indianapolis Zoo decided the event execution wasn’t there for us.”

As in previous years, McDearmon, her events team, and other Zoobilation committee members are already looking ahead. Plans for Zoobilation 2021 are underway, including logo and other creative development and corporate partnerships.

With COVID-19 impacting all nonprofits in some way, it’s important to explore many options to determine the best path forward, McDearmon said.

“Every nonprofit organization has varying degrees of resources,” she said. “There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every nonprofit as they navigate the special events landscape during this challenging time. My advice would be to protect your brand, image and reputation, and that of your sponsors and partners, when you determine how to proceed.”

Rev Indy navigates a new path

For the past six years, Rev Indy has played a vital role in supporting IU Health’s mission.

“Our funding goals have been focused and deliberate to ensure no matter where you are injured in Indiana, you can access IU Health Trauma Care,” Howard said.

Funds raised from Rev 2019 were specifically directed to support 911 access trauma ESO integration, a new mobile critical care ambulance and trauma education.

Like other nonprofits, the discussions about what to do with Rev 2020 started early in the year, as COVID-19 cases were being reported in Indiana. The decision-making process involved several factors, Howard said.

“If we took a ‘show must go on’ perspective during a public health crisis, it may make our guests feel we are being irresponsible or inconsiderate of their health,” Howard said. “The long-term impact could be a significant loss in giving. Since we are a healthcare organization, our decision will be under a microscope.”

Also, since the serving of food and beverages is a significant part of Rev, many of the biggest contributors to Rev are facing economic challenges caused by the pandemic, she said. “Many restaurant partners have been facing months of lost revenue.”

“Another consideration was the safety of staff members and volunteers working during the event,” Howard said. “We had to ask ourselves, ‘How will this outbreak impact the safety of our team? Are we risking their well-being?’ These are questions we had to consider.”

After outlining their concerns, the Rev committee consulted with its legal team to navigate options as COVID-19 updates emerged. “They were extremely helpful in looking into all of our concerns,” Howard said.

With Rev attracting a large crowd of guests intermingling over food and drinks, the risks were clear, Howard said. “With large events, it is difficult to enforce social distancing and occasional bottlenecking of people in certain areas, such as entrances, egresses, and restrooms.”

While the Rev committee eventually decided to cancel the event, they also used it as an opportunity to expand its impact.

“Over the last year, we have been looking to expand Rev’s funding opportunities,” Howard said. “In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, a donor asked how he could help IU Health do something about the stark differences in health among racial and ethnic groups, which were brought to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Howard said that IU Health had already been addressing these differences on many fronts, needed a focused fund through which donors could support a broad range of initiatives.

“The IU Health Foundation created the Racial Equity in Healthcare Fund to support IU Health’s work in advancing equitable care for all and we felt it was a perfect time to expand our funding opportunities,” she said. “This fund will support creative and effective initiatives addressing health inequities among Hoosiers.”

Rev ticket holders and sponsors were given the option to donate funds to the IU Health Foundation to reduce racial equity in healthcare or statewide trauma and critical care programs, or to transfer their tickets to Rev 2021.

Top sponsors who chose to donate their funds were invited to “Taste of Rev,” an Aug. 1 event that allows up to four cars from each company to drive around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, stopping at pit stop locations along the way for pre-packaged food and beverages and photo opportunities.

“We also accommodated everyone who requested a refund for this year’s event if either options did not work for them,” Howard said.

Jul 13

Lilly Family School alumni share sustaining lessons from the pandemic

By Sponsor Insight

By Abby Rolland, former communications project manager, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

As states slowly resume operations and the U.S. tries to return to normalcy in the wake of a devastating health and economic crisis, nonprofits continue to serve on the frontlines.

To learn what is happening on the frontlines, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy reached out to alumni working in nine charitable subsectors. Classified by the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) Code: religion, health, education, human services, public society benefit, international affairs, foundations, animals and the environment, and arts, culture and the humanities, these graduates provided insight about how their organizations responded to COVID-19 and what they are learning.

Insights

In the religion subsector, Winterbourne Harrison-Jones serves as a senior pastor at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church on the city’s westside. He explained that the old models of worship have been challenged, and the church has had to find new ways to connect, show care and form community.

Winterbourne Harrison-Jones

“We’ve had to create virtual spaces for spiritual development and social engagement. The coronavirus has challenged many congregations to think quickly and creatively to stay true to teachings of the church, while also navigating a new environment.”

Harrison-Jones shared videos of services, messages, and music on the church’s Facebook page in order to connect with church attendees.

In the education field, Richard Trollinger works as a senior philanthropy advisor to Centre College in Danville, Ky. In March, the college created a relief fund for students needing immediate assistance during the spring semester. Now, it’s shifting its focus to discuss the ongoing needs for students long-term.

Trollinger also serves as the coordinator of a group of 21 chief development officers at liberal arts colleges in the Southeast.

Richard Trollinger

“We have had Zoom meetings to discuss when and how to reboot our overall fundraising programs, especially major gifts. We want to examine all angles in major gift fundraising and learn from each other before moving forward.”

The subsector public society benefit includes organizations such as United Way. Lisa Busse serves as the engagement senior manager at United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), which rapidly developed a response to the virus crisis by working with other funders to launch the Central Indiana COVID-19 Community Economic Relief Fund. Busse leads a team that is not only raising funds for the needs in the community during the pandemic, but for UWCI’s regular programming as well.

Lisa Busse

Those fundraisers meet with donors online, openly sharing the challenges of the global pandemic while also illustrating the need for United Way and the impact it has had for over 100 years. Combined with three prior rounds of grants made since March 24, C-CERF has granted $21.5 million to 186 organizations in Central Indiana that serve individuals and families affected directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working in human services arena at Gleaners Food Bank, Bethany Watson, director of grants and foundation relations, has seen the number of food-insecure Hoosiers rise dramatically as a result of COVID-19. In April, the nonprofit distributed more than twice the amount of food as it had in April 2019. Gleaners and other nonprofits that are focused on food insecurity have rapidly adapted their services to feed more hungry individuals.

Bethany Watson

Watson said her degree in philanthropic studies has helped her navigate the challenges of a new environment, including writing grants and mananging relationships with funders to help Gleaners make a difference for those facing food insecurity and hunger.

At The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Erin Crowther serves as the donor relations manager. The environment- and animals-focused nonprofit has found new ways to creatively adapt to the new environment and engage with its constituents and the conservation community.

Erin Crowther

“We’ve developed ‘TNC TV’ episodes featuring different aspects of our mission, we held an online board meeting, and we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day from all corners of the globe,” Crowther said. “We recognize the comfort our natural world can bring to those who engage with it.”

International affairs organizations based in the U.S. have implemented innovative fundraising campaigns, participated in global giving days, and developed their own emergency responses to COVID-19, according to Lilly Family School of Philanthropy visiting research associate Kinga Horvath, a Fulbright Scholar from Hungary.

“Pooled funds and collaboratives have also become an innovative vehicle to leverage donors’ resources and common interests in order to tackle global societal challenges, locally and globally,” she explained.

Kinga Horvath

Horvath and the rest of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy research team have worked on collecting data about giving and COVID-19 from around the U.S. and the world in order to assess its national and international impact.

Some foundations, such as Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) in Muncie, have developed a rapid grant program that is designed to pay out small grants quickly, according to BBF president and COO Jud Fisher. The program assists with immediate needs, and allows BBF to respond quickly without changing many of their systems. In addition, Fisher noted that the foundation is also continuing its general grantmaking cycle.

Michelle Turchan of Riley Children’s Foundation urged nonprofits to be nimble and to ask constituents, volunteers, and donors how they are impacted by the crisis and can best be served.

Michelle Turchan

“We’ve developed a relief fund that allows the hospital to serve the specific needs of families impacted by this health crisis,” said Turchan, regional gift officer. “We know that many of our constituents are in a particularly heightened state of stress, and we want to be sure that we are continually able to best serve them.”

Arts, culture, and humanities organizations face a tough road ahead.

“During previous disasters, sharing space and taking solace in the healing power of the arts has allowed us to grieve together and heal together,” explained Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, executive director of the Miami City Ballet.

Tania Castroverde Moskalenko

“The nature of this pandemic hasn’t allowed us to do that. The current situation has forced many of us to pivot to virtual presentations via digital platforms and social media channels,” she said. “Most of us are planning, creating, and producing content in order to stay connected to our audiences. We are determined to continue impacting lives through our work.”

Lessons

What are some of the takeaways that nonprofit practitioners can learn from peers in the philanthropic sector?

  1. Use a virtual learning/community environment to your advantage. Discover new ways to connect with stakeholders and those passionate about your mission. How can you use online platforms to connect in virtual ways that you weren’t able to or hadn’t tried before?
  2. Be creative in communicating and engaging with your donors. Host regular Zoom meetings. Invite donors on tours of your organization, implementing your community’s recommendations for social distancing. Share stories about recipients or beneficiaries of your organization. Find ways to continually engage with your donors.
  3. Identify ways to regularly meet with your board. Although the virus has altered programs and schedules, it’s important to keep in touch with your board to discuss the ever-changing situation. Keep them involved and engaged, and use their expertise and connections to continue to demonstrate your nonprofit’s case and mission.
  4. Collaborate with others. Search for opportunities to collaborate with other nonprofits, and with businesses and government entities. Much can be accomplished if individuals and organizations work together to better serve their communities.
  5. Listen and respond accordingly. If you’re a public charity, listen to your beneficiaries and the community to see where your mission matches need. Be open and nimble to adjusting plans if you find that your constituents need something different from you. If you are part of a foundation, listen to your grantees and find ways to be flexible in order to quickly respond to community needs. In addition, deliver on your previously-made awarded grants in order to help nonprofits as much as possible during this time.

Since June 2020, Abby Rolland has served as a fellow at The Patterson Foundation in Sarasota, Fla. She holds a master’s degree in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and an undergraduate degree from Gettysburg College.

Through a collaboration with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Patterson Foundation created the Fellows Program. Through this effort, the foundation aspires to create a network of future leaders aligned in its innovative approach to philanthropy.