San Francisco, CA. HandsOn Bay Area is offering Virtual Volunteering programs. The program is a volunteer-driven response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. While volunteers may need to be physically apart right now, they can still engage in meaningful virtual engagements that support our community. These shared experiences bring volunteers out of their isolation and mobilize them to a greater good.
There are often opportunities to volunteer as a family.
The organization is offering five reasons to participate:
Team-based virtual experiences that benefit the community and help teams connect
Easy and high impact done in a day projects for volunteers
Curated experiences that align with your team’s interests and meet a community need
All project scoping, planning, and execution will be handled by our team of professional non-profit volunteer managers to ensure a high-quality volunteer experience
Connect with your community and make a real difference
Another program is “Digital Dialogues”. It is a facilitated discussion between volunteers, community leaders, and HandsOn Bay Area staff that centers the issue areas affecting our communities. Possible topics include:
Disability Justice
Hunger & Homelessness
Race Relations & Police Brutality
These virtual convening spaces are dedicated to sharing, learning, and critically reflecting on the social issues that matter to each and every one of us. Organizers encourage you to bring your passion for a better world and a commitment to your community.
From HandsOn Bay Area:
We connect companies and people with high-quality volunteer projects through our extensive network of local nonprofits and schools in need.
We help companies — including Google, Salesforce, Levi’s and many others — create customized volunteer events to make their employees happier and better serve society.
And we offer hundreds of volunteer projects each month to anyone who wants to help, covering all the causes people care about.
In 2017, we mobilized over 25,000 volunteers, resulting in more than 76,000 hours of service to more than 280 schools, parks and nonprofits across the Bay Area. Our volunteering projects meet critical community needs including education and literacy, youth development, health and aging, homelessness, the environment and more.
San Francisco, CA. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) currently closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s still offering virtual experiences for children. In the video series The Country Dog Gentlemen Travel to Extraordinary Worlds, canine characters from Roy De Forest’s playful painting Country Dog Gentlemen take you on adventures to learn about famous artworks in SFMOMA’s collection. Here’s a link: https://www.sfmoma.org/series/countrydogs/
The well-being and safety of our community and staff are our top priority. In keeping with city, county, and state regulations regarding large gatherings, and to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the museum and its stores and restaurants are temporarily closed, as is the Artists Gallery at Fort Mason. All visits, tours, and events are postponed or canceled at this time.
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The well-being and safety of our community and staff are our top priority. In keeping with city, county, and state regulations regarding large gatherings, and to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the museum and its stores and restaurants are temporarily closed, as is the Artists Gallery at Fort Mason. All visits, tours, and events are postponed or canceled at this time.
We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful galleries and relaxing public spaces, and to sharing the art of our time with you, very soon. In the meantime, head to SFMOMA’s Museum From Home page to find artist interviews, videos, educational materials, and more highlights from our expansive digital collection.
San Francisco, CA. The San Francisco Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has offered a total of $627,000 in grants since it was launched in March.
The Emergency Response Fund makes grants of $5,000-$25,000 to nonprofit organizations that are serving: low-wage workers most affected by the crisis; residents who are homeless or in danger of losing their homes; people who may not be able to get food during this time; and communities who have been targeted because of their race as a result of hysteria around the pandemic.
The fund was launched on March 17th to provide quick funding to nonprofit organizations in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo counties.
An essential component of the fund is to get resources to the community quickly.
“Two areas that are particularly challenging right now are access to food and the need to protect unhoused people,” said Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “We are doing what we can to help fill the gaps and to move as quickly as humanly possible to get support out into the community.”
“We know that so much more help is needed,” said Elena Chávez Quezada, Vice President for Programs. “At the current rate of support, we are likely to run out of funding soon, so we are asking donors, corporations, and anyone who can help to do what they can.”
“We have been able to provide emergency funds to almost a hundred organizations in just a few weeks,” said Ruben Orduña, the foundation’s Chief of Philanthropy, who oversees the foundation’s fundraising activities. “We are especially grateful to our donors, who are providing essential resources at a time of incredible need. This includes corporations, foundations, fund holders at the foundation, and individuals who are eager to support members of the community who are most in need. Their continued support is so valuable and so welcome.”
To donate to the fund or apply for emergency funding, visit www.sff.org.
As Bay Area nonprofits rise to the challenge of meeting new and dramatically increased needs, we know that many are also struggling to keep their doors open and services running during this tumultuous time. San Francisco Foundation is working to support our grantees through this unprecedented time and to provide services and resources that all Bay Area nonprofits can use.
On this page, you’ll find important information on:
Nonprofits and community organizations throughout the Bay Area are moving quickly to protect their staff, stabilize their organizations, and deepen support for our most vulnerable communities. San Francisco Foundation is working with trusted providers to help Bay Area nonprofits adapt and strengthen their financial management, operations, and program strategies along with holistic wellness offerings for nonprofit staff.
Finance Practices and Tools in the Wake of COVID-19
The delivery of nonprofit programs in our community has and will continue to shift as organizations adapt to the current reality. These programmatic shifts coupled with uncertainty in revenue require nonprofits to make difficult decisions in a changing environment. SFF is partnering with Financial Management Associates (FMA) and Tipping Point Community to offer webinars and online tools for nonprofit organizations.
Prácticas y herramientas financieras a raíz del COVID-19
Los programas y servicios ofrecidos por las organizaciones comunitarias han cambiado y seguirán cambiando a medida que las organizaciones se adapten a la realidad actual. Estos cambios programáticos junto con la incertidumbre de los ingresos requieren que las organizaciones tomen decisiones difíciles en un ambiente cambiante. SFF se está asociando con Financial Management Associates (FMA) para ofrecer una serie de seminarios web de 3 partes para organizaciones comunitarias pequeñas y medianas del Área de la Bahía. Esta serie ayudará a los líderes de las organizaciones comunitarias a entender su situación financiera actual, a planificar posibles escenarios, y proyectar las necesidades económicas. Aprender más
Support for Virtual Fundraising and Remote Work
SFF supports Catchafire, an online tool that connects nonprofits with professionals who want to donate their skills, pro bono. Catchafire is currently offering free weekly webinars for all nonprofit and community organizations on building team culture while working virtually, fundraising in the time of COVID-19, and developing virtual fundraising events. Plus, Bay Area nonprofits can share ideas and access Catchafire experts on their shared Slack channel.
Los Angeles, CA. The California Department of Justice Charitable Trusts has issued new guidelines during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and State’s shelter-in-place order.
Right now charitable organizations are called upon more than ever to meet the critical needs of communities. In California, Attorney General Becerra (pictured above) is conducting outreach to nonprofits with the new information.
Here are a few of the modified details:
Unless prohibited by the nonprofit’s emergency bylaws, the following actions can be taken to conduct the corporation’s ordinary business operations and affairs during an emergency: Directors may participate in the board meeting through telephone conference calls, video conference calls, or through electronic transmission provided that each director can communicate with other directors concurrently and has means of participating in all matters before the board.
Directors of public benefit corporations can take action without a board meeting if all directors consent in writing and the quorum requirement is met. (Corp. Code, § 5211, subd. (b).) The written consent of the directors must be kept with the minutes of the proceedings of the board. (Id.) Note that directors cannot vote by proxy.
Many nonprofit organizations have endowment funds, which are donor-restricted funds that are intended to be invested and used in perpetuity to support the nonprofit’s charitable programs. Endowments are subject to the requirements of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA). Nonprofits need to be cautious on how much they spend from their endowment funds. Spending more than 7 percent of the fair market value of an endowment fund may create a presumption of imprudence. While your organization may be tempted to look to endowments as a means of addressing unanticipated costs and budget shortfalls, before your organization decides to invade principal or borrow against the principal, which is not permitted, the board should contact the donors to inquire whether they are willing to release or modify restrictions to allow for more spending authority.
For more information, here’s a link with all the information:
Los Angeles, CA. #UnitedforLA and #ChipinLAOn are the social hashtags for the United Way of Greater LA as it promotes its Pandemic Relief Fund. Leaders say thousands of workers in L.A. County are losing wages and jobs due to the pandemic and thousands more do not qualify for government assistance. The Pandemic Relief Fund is providing immediate assistance and daily necessities to people living on the streets, people at risk of homelessness, students, individuals, and families.
The fund also offers financial assistance to low-income entrepreneurs such as food truck vendors, day-laborers, and domestic workers.
From United Way of Greater Los Angeles:
We’re experts in fighting and preventing homelessness and poverty.
Across Los Angeles County, 52,765 residents are experiencing homelessness, 5 out of 10 students are graduating poorly prepared for college or careers, and 1.63M are living in poverty.
We’re attacking these issues at their roots, championing for systemic change and supporting more than 100 community-based organizations. It takes a village but Los Angeles is the strongest one we know.
We can’t do it without you. Your donations and support made it possible to house 45,000 people, to provide 30,000 high school students with real-life work experience, and place nearly 1,300 veterans in stable employment.
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