Resources, tools and ideas for not-for-profit organisations during Covid-19 social distancing

The COVID-19 pandemic presents new and urgent challenges for the operations and activities of not-for-profit organisations – including our own partners. Nevertheless, civil society has traditionally proven to be resourceful in all kinds of difficult situations, and we trust that this will be the case in how we respond to Covid-19 as well. Already we are seeing how the not-for-profit and intermediary organisations that we support are stepping up, alongside donors, to adapt to these new conditions.

While it is positive and heartening to see the proactive sharing of ideas during the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., how to adjust to working from home, how to maintain a sense of wellbeing during such an atypical time in history), I sense that actually adapting to these new conditions may become somewhat challenging. This may be especially true for leaders, as they look to prioritise their actions to accommodate the changing situation.

Indeed, a recent Gallup[i] report highlights operational issues that leaders and staff will need to address. To sustain organisational functioning, the report’s suggestions include: building 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. I 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 add more content. We want to share the most useful resources and relevant approaches as they become available.

Please click on this link for the resource guide.

Happy reading and stay safe and healthy,

Adriana Craciun,
Senior Advisor on Organisational Development and Capacity Building

[i] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/292334/covid-strategies-policies-world-largest-companies.aspx?utm_source=workplace-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WorkplaceNewsletter_March_03172020&utm_content=whatothersaredoing-textlink-1&elqTrackId=7d444d50a1e1499e97cd655181f92782&elq=f6e53c40cd5e4893bf8f5e962b369149&elqaid=3589&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=787&fbclid=IwAR1r3Bso6Sht4dzr8IbsxnP_59JGRISIwa5W_oL9sAhKQW8Hws-UJGPIsdU