Resources

Information on COVID-19 for Maine Nonprofits

MANP is actively monitoring recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are in frequent communication with colleagues in Maine, at the National Council of Nonprofits, and at other state nonprofit associations across the country. We will be continually updating this page as a hub of information for Maine nonprofits about how they can prepare, respond, connect and contribute.

Note that on March 24th Governor Mills has ordered that non-essential businesses and operations in Maine close their physical locations that are public-facing, effective through April 8, 2020. In the Governor’s release, she lists businesses providing essential services. Note that several cities have also issued stay-at-home orders. Visit the Governor’s website and the websites of your local municipalities for the latest information on public health and safety orders.

Impact of COVID-19 on Maine Nonprofits

Thank you to everyone who participated in MANP’s Flash Poll about the emerging impact of the global pandemic on Maine’s nonprofits. Read the results.

Financial Relief/Support for Nonprofits

• MANP is regularly compiling and updating this webpage about relief for Maine nonprofit organizations and employees, including the CARES Act, passed on March 27th.
  
• Are YOU interested in helping with time, talent or treasure? Get ideas on our blog and check out Maine Helps webpage, a new webpage launched by the Governor’s office.

Advice for Nonprofit Leaders

• A COVID-19 Checklist for Nonprofit Leaders (MANP Blog)
• Advice for Nonprofit Leaders (20 degrees)
• Tips for Leading Your Team Through Stressful Times (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
• ComNetwork COVID-19 Virtual Roundtable: Leadership Communications with Joanne Krell + Your Questions – a conversation with the founding partner at Defy Communications and former Vice President of Communications at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on Wednesday, March 25 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Discussion includes: why strong internal communications are crucial and what leaders should and should not be doing, what leaders should be communicating and how.
• Three Quick Tips on Crisis Management for Nonprofit Leaders- Includes advice on managing your trustee relationships in a crisis.
• What Nonprofit Board Members Should Be Doing Right Now to Address the COVID-19 Situation (BoardSource)
• Leaders should be prepared to recognize, respond to and prevent stigma and discrimination. Do not make determinations of risk based on race or country of origin, and be sure to maintain confidentiality regarding the health of specific employees. Speak out if you see discrimination happening. (Seattle & King County Public Health developed a great infographic and has compiled other anti-stigma resources.)

Staff + Volunteer  Management

• UST offers a free COVID-19 Employer Toolkit with sample policies, checklists, and templates.
• Watch ThinkHR’s on-demand webinar as Kara Govro, Senior Legal Editor, addresses their most common HR questions relating to COVID-19. During the webinar, Kara shares resources and best practices on topics including work-from-home policies, FMLA and PTO.
• Best practices for Maine’s Employers for Communications to Immigrant Staff Related to COVID-19 (Maine Business Immigrant Coalition)
• When Business Threats are Contagious: 10 Answers for Employers Navigating the Coronavirus (ThinkHR)
• Find information about unemployment and other financial assistance programs on our webpage about relief for Maine nonprofit organizations and employees.

Business Continuity, Scenario Planning, Risk Management

• Sustainability to Survivability: 5 Nonprofit Finance Must-Do’s in the Time of COVID
• No Business Continuity Plan? Take These 4 Steps (Nonprofit Risk Management Center)
• Sample business continuity plan (Nonprofit New York)
• Are We Covered? Your Nonprofit’s Insurance Policies and COVID-19 Claims (Nonprofit Risk Management Center)
• Coronavirus: Legal and Practical Guidance for Businesses, Recorded webinar from March 16 (Bernstein Shur)
• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease (CDC)
• OSHA’s information page on COVID-19.
• What Maine Nonprofits Can Do to Prepare for Coronavirus (COVID-19) (MANP)
• Find more resources on disaster planning, emergency preparedness and business continuity and scenario planning in our free, searchable Answer Center.

Meetings & Events

• As of March 18th, the Governor is prohibiting all gatherings of 10 or more people statewide.
• Many companies are suspending non-essential business travel entirely.
• Facilitating great meetings online, free webinar recording from Big Duck
• Free webinar from TechSoup: How to Bring Your Live or In-Person Events Online (April 9) – The speakers will walk you through the process of migrating your in-person event online from communications strategies to choosing the right technology.
• The folks at Higher Logic are providing their tools for virtual event communities free for the remainder of this year.
• A comprehensive list of tips, tools and examples for event organizers during the coronavirus outbreak
• Coronavirus: What You Need to Know About Cancelling an Event and Liability Risks, Event (Feb. 21, 2020)
• The Maine Nonprofit Corporation Act allows for boards to conduct meetings by phone/online conferencing—basically any way that everyone can hear everyone. In terms of conducting business by email, the law had a lot of gray areas in the past but it was clarified last year and this blog post does a great job outlining the rules and considerations.

Fundraising + Communications

• Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resource Guide – Association of Fundraising Professionals has created a collection of curated resources offering guidance on fundraising, donor communications and more during a time when in-person interaction is likely non-existent.
• Fundraising and donor communications in uncertain times (free recorded webinar Big Duck)
• Fundraising During the Corona Outbreak: Answers to 5 Pressing Questions
• 4 Ways to Engage Major Donors During the Covid-19 Crisis
• Why Fundraisers Should Take the Long View
• Coronavirus Crisis Comms Triage Kit (The Communications Network)
• Tips to manage your nonprofit’s communications during the COVID-19 crisis (Big Duck)
• Market Drops and Crisis: Fundraising Lessons and Your Lighthouse
• Modifying P2P Campaigns When Participants Crave Social Connection (npEngage)
• How nonprofits should approach fundraising and donor communications during the coronavirus pandemic and financial crisis (Hannah Brazee Gregory at The Shoestring Agency)
• Communicating about coronavirus and your upcoming events, from Kivi at Nonprofit Marketing Guide
• COVID-19 Response Toolkit for Your Fundraising Events from Swaim Strategies
• Coronavirus – What am I supposed to do about my fundraising event? Recorded Webinar from our colleagues at Washington Nonprofits from March 9
• Access the recorded webinar from Washington Nonprofits on Event Planning & COVID-19 (Recorded March 19)
• COVID-19: Adapting Our Fundraising Strategy is another recorded webinar (March 26) by our colleagues at Washington Nonprofits
• bloomerang is compiling resources here related to fundraising during the pandemic here including free webinars on topics such as managing your capital campaign in uncertain times and fundraising during times of fear and uncertainty

Tools + Technology to Help You Adapt

• Management Center has compiled resources to help you manage a (suddenly) remote workforce
• Going Remote Overnight
• MANP has compiled additional resources on distributed teams and remote workers.
• From TechSoup, Understanding the video conferencing tools available to your nonprofit
  • Zoom has a free option, and MANP members can save on subscriptions to Zoom online meetings for additional features.
  • Google Hangouts Premium is free through July 1.
  • Microsoft Teams is available for free for six months.
  • GoToMeeting is also offering their remote work tools free for three months.
  • Nonprofits focused on fighting COVID-19 can access three months of free Dropbox Premium.
  • LogMeIn is making “Emergency Remote Work Kits” available for free for three months. Those kits are designed for nonprofits, schools, and health care organizations that aren’t already customers. The company also says it will work with existing small-business customers to provide access during the same time period. The kits include GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar–where users can host presentations for up to 3,000 users–and LogMeIn, which provides remote desktop access from numerous devices.
  • Slack is offering paid plans to nonprofits for free through June.
• TechSoup has outlined Nonprofit Resources for Remote Work During the COVID-19 Outbreak
• Check on TechImpact’s webinar on technology tools to quickly adapt to impacts on your business and your mission in Prepare Your Nonprofit for Smooth Sailing through COVID-19 (Recorded March 18)

MANP’s Events

Many of our upcoming events are in online formats already! We are monitoring public health recommendations closely so that we can prioritize the health and safety of all involved. We will update event listings if/when events are cancelled or rescheduled, and will communicate with all registered attendees about what to expect.

General Health and Safety Information About COVID-19

• World Health Organization’s advice for the public.
• Coronavirus pages of Maine CDC and US CDC.
• 2-1-1 Maine is a resource to your employees, clients and communities.
• Multilingual fact sheets

Help us help you!

How is the pandemic affecting your nonprofit and the people you serve? Share your stories and questions to help MANP identify and develop resources and continue to be your advocate with our state and federal officials and our colleagues in philanthropy.