We hope that you, your family, and your team are doing well during these incredibly uncertain times. 

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Al, Eric, and Crystal are mandated to "shelter in place" in their homes for at least the next three weeks. Dogs, cats, kids, partners, video conference calls, homeschooling, etc., all under one roof. And the governor said that schools may actually not start back up again until the fall. Whoa. They're doing their best to find the humor in the situation while embracing the unique family time. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Ricky and Megan saw their state's primary election postponed, and Ricky's desperately needed haircut has been postponed indefinitely. They're holding tight for other impacts likely to come their way. All of us are thankful to be doing well and, like you, trying to lead, serve, and build community as best as we can. 

Besides simply connecting with you, we wanted to share three pieces of strategic and financial guidance that may be especially valuable at this time:

1. Lean on Your Strategic Plan for Direction

2. Connect with Your Funders

3. Nonprofits: Explore Two Financial Resources

1. Lean on Your Strategic Plan for Direction

If you're one of our customers then you have a strategic plan that you've put a lot of thought into. You're ahead of the game. 

Your strategic plan can calm the waters in this turbulent time. While your plan may need to change in light of recent events, you have a structure in place to record those changes and discuss them with your team. 

Our particular guidance is to do two things:

A. Review Your Plan: If you haven't done so recently, pull up your plan and review it. Or block out time on your calendar to do that. Pay particular attention to Section 1 of your plan -- Your Compass. There is likely some relevant and timeless guidance within your Compass that can steady you and your team.

B. Set up a Time with Your Team to Discuss Your Plan: If you don't already have something on the calendar, schedule a meeting with your team soon to review the plan and discuss it. Make any edits as you see fit to your focus areas, goals, and action items. 

2. Connect with Your Funders

The recent events are going to have an impact on how funders engage with you going forward. We don't know exactly what that will look like, of course, but it's very possible that funders will be more discerning with their future support. 

 With that in mind, you and/or someone on your team should reach out to your funders to:

A. See if there is anything you can do for them.

B. Reassure them that you're reviewing/revising your strategic plan and are being very proactive in your approach. 

C. See if they are shifting any of their reporting or contractual requirements with your organization.

D. Determine if they have any resources to help your organization.

Your funders will likely be very appreciative of your effort and it may even solidify your opportunities for future support. 

Be sure to take notes about what you learn from your funders and share that information with your team members.

3. Nonprofits: Explore Two Financial Resources

It's possible that the most urgent issues and questions you're facing revolve around money. Below are two links to financial resources that may be helpful if you're leading a small nonprofit organization.

• SBA Loans for Nonprofits:  As you may know, the US Small Business Administration is providing low-interest COVID-19 disaster assistance loans to not only small businesses but also small nonprofits. Here is a link to their website to learn more: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19

• Nonprofit Finance Fund Resources:  The COVID-19's Tools and Resources for Nonprofits has a lot of financial support ideas. The info isn't necessarily designed for small nonprofits, but you may find some good info and leads. 

Don't hesitate to reach out and let us know if there's anything we can do for you. We're here to help.