COVID-19: A Free Tool to Help Your Nonprofit Develop an Organizational Response
COVID-19 continues to negatively impact individuals, organizations, and communities across the globe. Organizations have worked hard to respond to COVID-19 over the past few months to ensure the safety of their employees, clients, and customers during this difficult time.
C1C developed a free Crisis Response Toolkit, consisting of a Crisis Response Planning Tool and Crisis Response Plan, to help nonprofits respond to COVID-19 throughout the remainder of 2020.
As cases continue to rise in many states across the nation, it is important that organizations continue to build and adjust their response plans. In this post, I provide an overview of the free Crisis Response Toolkit our organization built to help organizations, especially nonprofits, determine what they need to do to respond to COVID-19 throughout the rest of 2020 and beyond.
WHAT is the Crisis Response Toolkit?
Category One Consulting (C1C) developed a free Crisis Response Toolkit, consisting of a Crisis Response Planning Tool and Crisis Response Plan, to help nonprofits respond to COVID-19 throughout the remainder of 2020. The planning tool is based on the six-component framework illustrated below. These components begin with an immediate focus on safety and security and end with a long-term vision for strategy and planning. Each component of the framework is connected to planning items that reflect common evidence-based strategies that most nonprofits should consider when developing an effective COVID-19 response. Upon completion of the planning tool, nonprofits will be sent their personalized response plan that outlines key planning items and a 2020 timeline for execution as well as details related to past impact, future impact, next steps, and support needed for each component.
WHY was the Crisis Response Toolkit developed?
C1C developed this toolkit to provide a free resource to help nonprofits respond to COVID-19 throughout the rest of 2020. We know that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on nonprofits by changing the need for services, threatening staff and client safety, and straining financial resources. We also understand that nonprofits have worked hard to adjust their programs, practices, and processes over the past few months to develop an immediate response to the pandemic. Recognizing a need for ongoing support, this toolkit was designed to help nonprofits build customized and evidence-based crisis response plans for the remainder of 2020. These plans can help ensure that nonprofits are able to continue keeping people safe, supporting staff members, offering effective programs, and executing their missions. Our team at C1C hopes that this toolkit is one small way we can help support our nonprofit community during this time.
WHO can use the Crisis Response Toolkit?
C1C strives to help nonprofits help others. As a result, this toolkit was designed with nonprofits in mind. The toolkit is intended to meet nonprofit leaders and staff members where they are at in their COVID-19 response journey. The toolkit can be used by any nonprofit leader or staff member who is looking for a resource to help them respond to COVID-19 throughout 2020. Other organizations, such as sole proprietorships, corporations, government entities, or educational institutions, are also welcome to use the Crisis Response Toolkit if they think it will be beneficial. Please keep in mind that you may need to move some items that are more specific to nonprofits into the Not Applicable categories and write in additional items that may not be included in the list of evidence-based planning items because they are more specific to your organizational type.
WHEN should I use the Crisis Response Toolkit?
The Crisis Response Toolkit can be used at any time throughout 2020. You will be asked to schedule planning items into timeline categories based on when you completed or plan to complete the different evidence-based strategies. These timeline categories include Done, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec, and Not Applicable. If you are using the tool after the months of May or June, for example, you may simply skip that timeline category when scheduling your planning items. Once you create and receive your crisis response plan, there are multiple ways you can track your progress. As one option, you can print your crisis response plan and write in your progress and updates manually. Another option is using the personalized link you receive to access the tool, make updates, and resubmit for an updated plan.
HOW do I use the Crisis Response Toolkit?
Visit www.category1consulting.com/crisisresponse to access and complete the planning tool. As you work through each of the components, you will determine if and when to conduct different planning items by scheduling them into one of several timeline categories. Please keep in mind that not all planning items will apply to all organizations, that the lists are not meant to be exhaustive of all response strategies, and that you may have already completed some of these items. Thus, you will be able to flag items as Not Applicable, write in additional planning items that are specific to your organization, and mark items you have already completed as Done. Upon completion of this tool, you will be sent your free personalized crisis response plan. It is recommended that the tool be completed on a computer as some of the functionality will work better. However, the tool can also be completed on a mobile device such as a tablet or cell phone. It is estimated that the tool will take about 25 minutes to complete. Recommendations for taking action on your plan will be included your personalized plan. A good first step is to share the plan with organizational stakeholders, including those who may help you implement and complete the different planning items. You may also want to share the plan with your staff members, board members, and funders in order to communicate progress made so far and intended next steps for the rest of 2020.
If you have any questions about Category One Consulting’s Crisis Response Toolkit or would like additional support helping your organization prepare for and respond to crisis events, feel free to reach out!
