The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes and resulted in many people wondering how their business operations would continue. However, as time went on, the world has worked around the limitations set in place since the pandemic began to continue with their workforce processes. So how can we as a country reasonably expect COVID’s effects to impact the future of nonprofit businesses in 2022?
Expect Unusual Work Structures to Continue
In 2020, the fear and danger surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic caused businesses and organizations to make a lot of changes in the way they operated. Though a sense of normalcy would be nice, we aren’t entirely out of the woods when it comes to the threat of safety, and current trends suggest that organizations shouldn’t return to the way things were just yet.
Most nonprofits have by now gotten used to navigating a virtual or hybrid work environment, and to avoid the spread of germs, it is likely that these work structures may continue. Offering options for your staff members for virtual work, hybrid work, or other flexible schedules can help with retention and morale, as their health and needs are considered.
Additionally, to keep operations running smoothly, with some members maintaining virtual work schedules, organizations should continue to embrace the utilization of online productivity tools and online training solutions.
When it is deemed safe enough for more nonprofit staff members to return to in-office work environments, leadership should address the topic with care and consideration. Not all members may wish to or feel safe returning to the office, and communication and flexibility are encouraged. With the right tools, a semi-remote work environment can still help staff perform their work in an environment that is comfortable.
It is important to remember that the COVID-19 pandemic changed many factors of our work and organizational processes, as well as those in our personal lives. Therefore, this should be taken into consideration when practicing flexibility with staff members. Many circumstances could have changed due to the pandemic’s effects, such as their transportation availability to and from workplace locations, access to proper childcare resources, and more.
These factors could make returning to the workforce difficult and cause stress for your staff. Try to work with your staff members and maintain open and healthy communication, to support a positive working environment.
In-office work environments should be arranged with health and safety in mind.
For example, workspaces can be arranged to avoid face-to-face interaction in close quarters. In addition, break schedules can be organized to limit the number of people gathering in designated break areas. Management staff members are also encouraged to provide substantial amounts of hand sanitizer and other disinfecting cleaning products to avoid the spread of harmful germs.
With all of the recent events, your staff members may likely experience challenges with burnout and mental health struggles. To take these considerations into account, upper management staff should educate themselves on the visible signs of employee burnout and the ways in which they can alleviate potential burnout for their team. Organizations can avoid lapses in productivity and decreased employee retention by facilitating proper communication with their staff members.
While making plans and changes to prepare for opening up the workplace, upper management members are encouraged to be open with their intentions and strategies with their staff members, develop solutions that work for them, and keep operations running.
Changes in Fundraising Methods
Adjusting to virtual engagements should not just be an option within workplace structures. For fundraising events where engagement would usually be expected, virtual tools and systems can be used to host virtual events. Online fundraising events and campaigns are easy to create and spreading the word through social media and messaging is simple.
Virtual engagement can even come with advantages to nonprofits. One potential advantage would be lower costs for events, more guests who can attend regardless of location or limited event space, and an increased sense of safety and care for the wellbeing of your donors.
In the case where your nonprofit believes it is safe enough to engage in face-to-face donor engagement again, it is best to handle this with the utmost clarity. The public should be made aware of re-engagement plans and timelines, as well as your intention for these changes. By communicating these expectations to them transparently and respectfully, the public (and potential donors) will be more likely to trust your nonprofit’s decision.
