North Texas nonprofits mobilize as coronavirus effects spread
By David Ajamy – Digital Reporter, Dallas Business Journal
Mar 23, 2020, 4:10pm EDT
As the coronavirus outbreak and its effects spread across North Texas, community organizers, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations have begun to mobilize to help those affected in the region.
Two major players in the region's non-profit world—the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and Communities Foundation of Texas— are leading initiatives to help those who are out of work, without food and supplies or in need of funds.
Last week, The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas created the Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund to address both the urgent and long-term needs of both the nonprofit community and those with need in the region. Starting this week, nonprofits can complete an application from The United Way for funds.
As of March 20, the fund has surpassed $1.3 million.
While fundraising, the organization conducted a comprehensive needs assessment after communicating with its nonprofit partners in North Texas. Deployment of the funds will be based on the assessment, which outlined the service gaps and critical needs of the community.
The assessment defined seven areas of focus. These include overcrowding in shelters, loss of volunteers, a lack of access to internet and technology, loss of income, the closing of critical services regarding childcare and facilities for those with disabilities, food insecurity and local nonprofits in need of operating funds.
Major donors for the relief fund include the Texas Instruments Foundation, Bank of America, the McKesson Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation and the Hoblitzelle Foundation.
The nonprofit community has to be innovative and act fast because of the scope of the virus, said Susan Hoff, chief strategy and impact officer for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.
"We're working with our partners at the city and county to clearly understand what public actions and public funding is coming to bear, because (with) the challenges that we are seeing, there's no way that the philanthropic community can completely fill in the gap," Hoff said.
The business community needs to not only provide funding but engage with nonprofits in a way that volunteers their skills.
"This opens a door for more, I would say, skill-based volunteering that is really applying some key business practices or new ways of thinking to challenges that we are going to continue to see in the nonprofit community," Hoff said.
An initiative started last week by two North Texas business leaders showcased how the business community can use its expertise while helping those in need.
The Get Shift Done for North Texas Initiative will employ affected hospitality and restaurant workers at various nonprofits and institutions in the region working to assist populations in need – specifically hunger relief.
Funding comes from an emergency relief fund that was formed in partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas. This week the initiative will deliver well over a million meals and distribute between $200,000 to $250,000 in wages a week – workers will be paid $10 an hour.
With support from their businesses and other community leaders, Anurag Jain and Patrick Brandt launched the Get Shift Done March 18. Brandt is the president of Shiftsmart, a company that creates digital platforms to coordinate shift work, and Jain is managing partner and chairman of Access Healthcare, which provides management, application services and automation tools to health care providers and payers.
"We're not trying to be in the hunger relief business here. There is an incredible infrastructure that already exists in the North Texas community…" Brandt said. "Where we saw the gap was the worker and the volunteers that are so crucial to those organizations and entities."
In addition to the Get Shift Done initiative's support, the North Texas Food Bank is getting assistance from The Moody Foundation, which announced last week it had made an initial $1 million commitment to relief funds. The commitment will help go to American Red Cross: North Texas, Children's Health Foundation, Parkland Foundation, Visiting Nurses Association Meals on Wheels and the North Texas Food Bank.
As leaders in the government, non-profit and business sectors come together to address both the short and long-term needs resulting from the virus, Hoff said new-age solutions are needed.
"I know for certain that all of the solutions that we have applied to challenges in the past are not going to be the type of solutions that are going to adequately address the challenges that we're seeing today," Hoff said. "Being able to be nimble, connect with multiple partners and think about connecting the dots in a very different way is what's going to be called upon and the way that we will continue to look."
More information can be found on The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Get Shift Done websites, and both are asking for donations.
