Research

COVID-19 case study

Analyzing the pandemic’s impact on the nonprofit sector

The nonprofit sector has undoubtably been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak…

Overall, donors have decreased donations in response to financial hardship, and volunteers have decreased volunteer hours in order to limit spread. Further, many nonprofits have had to implement costly new safety protocols to continue operating. At the same time, demand for many nonprofit services has surged as more and more people are in need.

Inspire launched this research project to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the nonprofit sector, with a specific focus on how nonprofits can recover post-pandemic. The project investigated how the financial impact of COVID-19 has lead to changes in donor behavior, and ways in which smaller non-profit organizations can better cultivate and steward donors to lessen the effects of COVID-19 on their organizations. Through primary research, including expert interviews and a survey of over 50 business professionals, as well as secondary research, including comparisons to the Great Financial Crisis, Inspire proposes key strategies for nonprofits to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Zach Fisher
Megan Shea
Colleen O’Connor
Preet Shah