Working within the confines of Covid-19: Resources, tools and ideas for not-for-profit organisations

The Covid-19 pandemic presents new and urgent challenges for the operations and activities of not-for-profitorganisations – including our own grantee partners. Nevertheless, civil society has traditionally proven to be resourceful in all kinds of difficult situations. This is no less true now, as not-for-profit organisations, intermediaries and donors step up to adapt to these new conditions. 

While it is positive and heartening to see the proactive sharing of ideas (e.g., how to adjust to working from home) and the new forms of support, I sense that adapting to these new conditions may become somewhat daunting. This may be especially true for leaders, as they look to prioritise their actions to accommodate the changing situation. 

Indeed, a recent report from Gallup highlights operational issues that leaders and staff need to address during the ongoing crisis. To sustain organisational functioning, the report’s suggestions include: putting together new teams to develop policies and provide staff and stakeholders with information; developing Covid-19 protocols and business contingency plans; and monitoring impact and conducting assessments. These suggestions are challenging at the best of times.

In an effort to support not-for-profit organisations at this time, Oak staff has brought together a collection of key organisational resources, tools and ideas that have recently materialised. We have developed a space on our website that provides links to these resources, tools and ideas. I organised the list by organisational challenge, resources and tools (i.e, approaches that can be directly applied), or prompts and ideas (i.e., accessible and clear thought-pieces). Each link is accompanied by a short summary. We aim to update, curate and enhance this list regularly, not just simply to add more content. We want to share the most useful resources and relevant approaches as they become available.

Happy reading and stay safe and healthy,

Adriana Craciun,
Senior Adviser on Organisational Development and Capacity Building 
Oak Foundation

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