Session: Nonprofit Organizations during the COVID Pandemic (Society for Social Work and Research 27th Annual Conference - Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities + Building Solutions)

· taking an equity perspective (to reveal and analyze racial inequities, health inequities and economic inequities);

· using a range of methodologies (including survey, community-engaged approach and case study); and

· covering various geographical scales (from national and state level to community level).

The first paper uses data from the Federal Reserve COVID-19 Survey conducted in August 2021. A convenience sample included 2,561 nonprofit organizations across the US in areas such as child welfare, food, education, health, housing, etc. Results from linear probability regression analyses indicate that nonprofits led by people of color were 10% more likely than their counterparts to run into significant decreases in individual donations and corporate donations 5% more likely than their counterparts. While governments and foundations increased their support for nonprofits during the pandemic, small organizations and those serving people of color were less likely to receive increased support from government. Despite financial turbulences, significant increases in demands for service were 10% more likely to be seen by nonprofits serving communities of color.

The second paper uses a community-engaged approach to examine the impacts and responses to disruptions to HIV services. Data were collected through the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council - a collective of practitioners, researchers, and community members across Michigan guiding the service planning, capacity improvement, and resource allocation decisions of the state. The findings reveal that the pandemic disrupted all HIV continuum services. The issues that predated the pandemic (e.g., lack of public transportation and food insecurity) exacerbated the disruption to the HIV continuum disproportionately for people of color. It is important to overhaul all means of communication between funding agencies (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local health departments) and HIV stakeholders, especially community agencies offering HIV services across the state.

The third paper is a case study that uses a qualitative design with both original and administrative data collected within a college success organization in Chicago. It examines how a nonprofit focused on college success responded to shifts in student needs and front-line worker doubts amid the COVID pandemic. This study suggests that nonprofit capacity to respond to crises is limited by strained mission coherence amid such change. When a stalwart approach to mission appears to conflict with emergent constituent needs, doubt ensues and threats to internal coherence may create a secondary crisis of constituent engagement and organizational legitimacy.

These papers present quantitative and qualitative findings on nonprofit organizations' funding sources, service capacity, and mission alignment. The findings not only provide insights into the struggles and resilience of nonprofits during the pandemic but also lead to recommendations for policymakers, community leaders, nonprofit administrators, and frontline workers.

Below are the three abstracts.