By Peter Brach, Invest In People
We all know that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the nonprofit sector. While donors have generously provided program support during the pandemic, far less attention has gone to helping nonprofits not only survive but thrive. Many view investing in nonprofit people as a necessary burden at best; we know that it is as an opportunity to help these organizations grow to their potential. Most business experts believe that strong organizations are made of strong people. We agree.
If done judiciously, strengthening the people on the front lines of change is a powerful and needed approach for achieving smart giving and impacting change.
The Invest in People Campaign is designed to support and strengthen the capacity of people in nonprofits working on the front lines of change.
We are excited to announce that the Invest in People campaign will launch this GivingTuesday, December 1, 2020, and will run until the end of the year. We also recognize that the need doesn’t stop at the end of the year and our efforts will continue with a refreshed call to action in early 2021. We’re collaborating with partners such as GivingTuesday, TechSoup, Worldwide Initiative of Grantmaker Services (WINGS), and Creative Vision to boost this important message and equip nonprofits with the tools they need to garner support and investment in human resources.
How You Can Reach Out and Bring about Change
We invite you to share your thoughts on helping nonprofits grow, not just survive well enough to deliver programs. This might mean you share your views in an article, blog, or video content, or you can amplify other voices to help raise awareness of this need.
Right now, we need more than research and scholarly articles. There is a silent cry in the nonprofit sector that is not being heard. We need to elevate real stories from real people. Ask yourself:
- What happens when you don’t have the funding you need to break out of cycles of debt and stability?
- Conversely, has there been a time when you got needed funding and achieved an impressive impact?
- What dreams do you have for your nonprofit that sufficient funding could help you realize?
Whatever your answers are, please don’t keep them to yourself–share these stories with your supporters to rally around strengthening nonprofits by investing in the people working on the front lines of change.
Join the Campaign
You can join the Invest in People campaign by sharing articles, blogs, and videos that highlight the ways strengthening nonprofit staffing is key to growing these organizations and bettering our world. You might find it easier to simply send us a 30-60 second video statement. We will help amplify your stories during meetings with donors, through articles, blogs, and social media.
Visit investinpeoplehub.org for curated resources and toolkits to help you tell your story. The site also acts as a central location for coordinating efforts to inspire funders to think more seriously about investing in our vitally needed front line change agents.
Let’s rise together by bringing greater attention to the need to help nonprofits grow stronger and make a bigger difference. Collectively we can significantly increase the nonprofit sector’s efficiency and achieve far greater good than would otherwise be possible.
About the Author
Peter Brach is the Chief Organizer of the Invest in People campaign. He manages the Funders 2025 Fund, a future focused DAF dedicated to advancing field building through broad impact philanthropy. Peter has provided consulting support to the SDG Philanthropy Platform and the Worldwide Initiative of Grantmaker Services (WINGS). He is a passionate advocate for strengthening the nonprofit sector as a potent approach for achieving game-changing impact.
