It feels like the whole world is slowly grinding to halt. As millions of people are told to stay at home, close their businesses and just wait out the storm, you may be feeling frustrated and helpless that – despite the circumstances – your passion and commitment to your nonprofit is still burning. While this is a confusing and difficult time for many people, here at The Good Pixel we believe that crisis also creates opportunity. So, while you may not be able to go outside and physically deliver your projects, there are steps you can take to ensure that your nonprofit continues to move forward.
So what can you do during this downtime to sustain or even grow your nonprofit? How can you take advantage of the millions of people around the world currently sitting at home?
Social media outreach
Who doesn’t like scrolling through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter? The COVID-19 outbreak is making us spend more time on platforms we’re already addicted to: according to a study from Obviously, there has been a 76% increase in daily likes on Instagram in the last two weeks alone. As isolation pushes people to spend more time online, how can your nonprofit harness this huge, engaged audience?
Make friends and join new groups! You’ll be amazed at the amount of like-minded people out there who share the same passion around your cause and mission. Whether it’s animal rights, environmental issues, humanitarian or advocacy for rights and equality, the internet is filled with motivated, impassioned people. Start by searching for groups, join, and tell people about what you do, what you care about – and, importantly, how they can help: from a simple like and follow on your nonprofit’s profile, to a repost of your content into their own networks, or even a call out for donations and volunteers.
Create new content! Haven’t had the time to write about a recent success, challenge or topical piece about your cause? Now’s the time! Grab a cup of coffee and put pen to paper, or more likely – fingers to keyboard!
Grants
You may already know a little about grants, but did you know there are numerous websites that produce lists of grants applicable to your work? The likes of Instrumentl offer great grant research tools and intuitive search functions – they even offer a 14 day free trial, which maybe all the time you need to get a long list of grants!
The grant writing process can be challenging and applications often require you to provide a lot of detail: measurement and evaluation of your project, itemised budgets and specific questions that must align with their funding priorities and values. If you feel comfortable doing this, it’s a great way to spend time and upskill in grant writing. However, if you feel that you need help – or someone to write it all for you! – there is a sea of freelance professionals that specialize in a range of nonprofit-focused services. Which leads us on to the next point….
Build your team, expand your skills.
We know what you’re thinking: “I can’t afford to bring on staff right now” or “we are too small for that at the moment”. Well, not to worry! There are thousands of well-qualified, experienced freelancers offering competitive rates on one-off or longer term jobs, or “gigs” as they’re referred to. From business plans and blog writing, to grant research and grant writing and everything in between. Sites like Fiverr and People Per Hour allow you to post jobs or, alternatively, search for freelancers by skill-set and approach them to order their gigs.
If you have absolutely no cash to spare, why not see if you can connect with new volunteers? Either through your social media efforts or sites like volunteermatch, which (like the name suggests) matches you with volunteers based on your need and location.
Brand development & marketing
In order to better get your organization’s story, personality and mission out into the world, maybe you’ve decided that you want to start, build or refresh your brand. If you feel that your nonprofit could use a new logo, website – or even a full branding makeover – then The Good Pixel is here for you. It’s a little awkward to self advertise like this, but we are built on the sincere mission to truly help nonprofits. We provide contemporary creative design services, at the forefront of the industry, usually only accessible to big businesses with big budgets. We do this for the love of it. If you want to learn more, just drop us a line for a chat – no sales people or jargon, just honest advice!
However you decide to utilize this time, stay safe and good luck! – Team Good Pixel
