Coronavirus Losses: Arizona Nonprofits Assess ‘Tip Of The Iceberg’
by Chris Strub
Coronavirus-related shutdowns have cost Arizona’s nonprofits more than $800,000 worth of volunteer hours, and counting, according to a survey by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits.
The 306 responding nonprofits around the state reported a total of 31,636 lost volunteer hours, as of early May — one of several devastating findings from the alliance’s latest Covid-19 Nonprofit Impact Pulse survey.
Nearly 60% of the respondents — 155 nonprofits — applied for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which launched April 3. Of May 4, just 48% had been approved, 45% were awaiting approval, and 7% had been rejected.
“This may only represent the tip of the iceberg,” said Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits CEO Kristen Merrifield. “Having access to PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loans will certainly help, and we’ve seen the incredible generosity of the community through the recent Arizona Gives Day event, which raised more than $6 million. The collaboration among grantmaking organizations have made more than $36 million available to nonprofits, but, unfortunately, we’re a long way from assessing the full impact.”
Of the responding nonprofits, 98% reported being affected by the pandemic, with 86% of those reporting decreased revenue totaling, and 76% reporting a disruption of services to clients and communities. In total, Arizona nonprofits’ revenue loss as of May 4 was nearing $40 million.
The state’s revenue losses are in line with a similar nation-wide report released by La Piana Consulting, which concluded that 90% of nonprofits reported a drop in monthly revenue.
The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits also recently released a set of ‘Guiding Principles’ for those interested in donating their stimulus checks to nonprofits.
“We are hearing that many people are interested in donating their stimulus checks to Arizona nonprofits because they may not need the money themselves at this time,” Merrifield said. “Given the financial impact this pandemic has had across the sector and the economy, we are excited to witness the willingness of individuals to try to help those in need in our communities.”
One anonymous donor gave to ten different Arizona organizations on April 7 using her stimulus check funds. They said “I gave away my stimulus check because they (nonprofits) needed it more than I did.”