Learnings From My Free Charity Consultations

I decided to give back in May and offered free communications consultations to registered charities.  I cannot thank the organizations who decided to take me up on my offer enough.  I discovered wonderful new and established community initiatives, mainly in the areas of the arts, culture and health.  I also discovered how challenging it is for smaller organizations to mitigate the severe impact of the pandemic.  This blog is not about communications, but about what I learned from this experience. 

In a report published in August of 2021, Imagine Canada indicated that only 15% of charities were operating as normal.  Many charities had to reduce or pause programs due to health restrictions, at a time when demand, for some, was increasing.  According to the report “Charities that have seen significant demand decreases because they are unable to operate are experiencing major challenges. 82% have lost revenue…”

Sadly, some will not survive the effects of the pandemic; the ones who do are looking for ways to revive their programs and funding streams. Most of the people I spoke to during the free consultations were looking for advice on resuming operations and creating visibility for their organization, hoping to bring people and funding back.

A Long Road Ahead

Under normal circumstances, running a charity is not easy, despite the passion, enthusiasm and dedication of the talented people involved.  One organization I spoke to invests 100% of the funds they receive into their programs.  They have no staff; their operations are run solely by volunteers…who may not be experts in the area they are assigned to and who all have full time jobs. 

Add a pandemic to the mix, and things get considerably more complex:

Charities have a lot of work ahead to get back on their feet.  It will not be easy given the limited resources they have access to, but all the organizations I spoke to were ready to tackle the future.  Their concerns were centred around getting in front of their audiences, developing partnerships and securing funds (donations, scholarships and sponsorships).

My learning

This is what I learned: I have to admit that, until now, I had taken for granted many of the programs available in my community.  I had not realized how foundational such programs are to our success. 

Consider this: Many of your neighbourhood activities are driven by charities and not-for-profit groups.  They include festivals, cultural events, art classes, camps and outdoor activities.  These organizations and groups also offer support for education, food, mental health, health or advocacy to name a few. In short, charities play a critical role in creating and maintaining happier and healthier communities at a moderate cost, if not for free.

Support Goes Both Ways

So what can we do to help charities recover, particularly smaller local charities?

There are many easy ways to support charities.  You can attend their events, donate, volunteer and advocate.  More specifically:

If you’re an individual: Donate; volunteer; encourage the people around you to do the same, and promote your local charities around you.  Maybe your children might enjoy attending a show or volunteering at your local theatre?

If you’re a business: Sponsor; donate; offer visibility in your store/office or by adopting one or more charities, and educating your employees and external audiences about their programs.  Also, consider partnerships such as cause marketing.

If you’re a media outlet: Smaller charities may not be able to afford ads and access fees, so why not sponsor them and offer visibility by showcasing them in your publications for free?

We all benefit from the work charities do from time to time. A little help back can go a long way.

Next month, I will share my recommendations to increase visibility at little to no cost for charities and small businesses.