Frederick Douglass said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” These words have rung especially true over the past three+ months. While life has been incredibly difficult by varying degrees for everyone, one thing is certain, we will emerge stronger. Here is a bit of evidence we see at Growth for Good.

#Blacklivesmatter – As millions of civil rights protestors in all 50 states and across the globe have gathered to demand justice for brown and black people, who have suffered immeasurably because of racial violence and white supremacy, it seems that public opinion has truly begun to focus on the subject. Several national polls, including one conducted by Monmouth University, show that a vast majority of Americans support #Blacklivesmatter (Click HERE). City, state, and national elected officials are stepping up with real policy solutions. Important policy discussions are taking place. We are heartened by this outcome and remain cautiously optimistic. After all, talk is cheap. Only serious action will result in systemic change.

Impact of COVID 19 on Nonprofit Sector – According to a new report by Stanford Social Innovation Review, roughly 73 percent of nonprofits have experienced a serious drop in revenue. The remaining 26 percent have had an increase in funding. (Click HERE ) Anecdotally, we can attest that those who have seen a drop are fighting their way back. Some real innovation is quietly happening. According to the same report, “82 percent reported digitalizing some or all of the programs and services they offered.” This represents significant progress in a sector that due to resource constraints is often the last to integrate technology into programs and operations. This is a great outcome – a bronze lining, if you will.

Behavior of Donors During the COVID Pandemic – The shutdown of the economy has had a devastating impact on Americans. Unemployment rates across the nation range from 13% to 35%. Millions of Americans face food insecurity and cannot pay their rent or mortgages creating unprecedented pressure on social service nonprofits. Yet Americans have stepped up their charitable giving. This is undeniably a silver lining. According to a study by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, (Click HERE) individual giving is up. That is money from regular people.

Foundation Communities Response to the Crisis – Foundations have really stepped up to address the crisis triptych – health, economic, and racial justice with groundbreaking strategies to increase giving. Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, is leading a group of foundations in substantially increasing their giving by issuing debt secured by their endowments. Walker stated, “Covid-19 has created unprecedented challenges that require foundations to consider ideas — even radical ones that would have never been considered in the past.” Growth for Good applauds Walker’s bold response and leadership in the sector. This is 21 karat gold lining.

Impact on Growth for Good – While our own business has had to contract, we at Growth for Good are truly enjoying the opportunity to rethink all that we do. This has been an incredible time of growth and development for us. Our days and nights are filled with inventing new approaches to fundraising events (our virtual galas!), producing virtual town halls, establishing new management models, and improving boards of directors’ practices in a virtual meeting (the room where it happens). We are exhilarated with our opportunity to be creative and learn new skills. For us that is platinum lining!