An update from the Chronicle.
Dear John,
Before you take a break to ring in 2021, I want to thank you for everything you and your colleagues have done to make a difference in this trying year. As Barron Segar, head of the World Food Program USA, wrote in an essay we published the day the global organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 2020 is âthe year nonprofits are built for.â After all, he wrote, ânonprofits have the tools and experience to heal the world.â
We have seen that talent and ingenuity at work from the first days that Covid-19 began its spread. Gabrielle Fitzgerald, who worked on Paul Allenâs fight against Ebola, was among the first to call philanthropy into action. One morning in January she sent me an opinion article detailing what grant makers could do; a few hours later, she asked how fast it could go online. The number of people sickened by the disease was multiplying so fast she worried that her description of the virusâs harm was getting outdated by the hour.
And ever since her alarm, we have sought to tell you about the nonprofits and foundations working in remarkable ways to serve those affected by the health and economic emergencies. Whether it is charting the potential for a huge consolidation of the nonprofit world or the mission reinvention underway at nonprofits, our reporters have been keeping you updated on the trends that matter.
Weâve done extensive data-driven reporting to help you understand how nonprofits and foundations are faring so you can better understand the landscape.
We have also offered interactive online sessions so you could hear directly from your peers and others. Among our favorites: Melanie Lundquist, a Giving Pledge donor, spent an hour talking about her donations in the pandemic â and offered fascinating insights that could help fundraisers and other donors.
We also retooled our professional-development webinars to address your immediate concerns. Among the most popular: How They Did It: Virtual Events Donors Love; Tips for Successful Online Meetings With Major Donors; and Racial Equity in Fundraising and Philanthropy: Whatâs Next? (in partnership with Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy). You can find these webinars on-demand now, and hope you'll use them to prompt discussions with your entire staff. (Just email us to find out how.)
Over the next two weeks, as we take a break from sending you our daily and weekly newsletters, weâll be highlighting articles on our website that you may have missed in the midst of caring for your organization, your staff, your family, and your community. One that has stuck with me is Margie Glennonâs piece on how to stay healthy emotionally in a time of isolation. I hope youâll turn to our site often for more articles that inform and inspire.
On behalf of all of us at the Chronicle, thank you for all you do every day to heal the world, and good wishes for a peaceful 2021.
Stay safe and stay strong,
Stacy Palmer
Editor
Chronicle of Philanthropy
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