When Covid struck, West Marin nonprofits were forced to pause many programs, and they lost significant numbers of volunteers. Organizations sought emergency funds from federal, state or county sources. The West Marin Fund, which provides grants, training and networking for nonprofits on the coast, has conducted surveys since 2020 to understand how local groups were faring amid the pandemic; it found that local nonprofits were no exception in the worldwide financial struggle. Yet a new survey shows that nonprofits are making a significant rebound, thanks to funding opportunities and a well-developed community network.
The surveys seek to identify key trends in financial, programmatic, social justice and staffing matters, and to help funders and policymakers provide them with appropriate support. Eric Ryan, the co-founder of the strategic planning company that compiled the surveys’ results, presented the latest findings in a meeting earlier this month.
Results show that nonprofits are improving from the hit of Covid but need continued help from resources like the West Marin Fund to find support where they can. Many struggled to continue programs through the pandemic due to in-person limitations and a lack of volunteers; however, virtualizing these programs cut back on spending. Additionally, nonprofits established social-justice goals after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, and the survey showed these goals are being reached, though limitations in diversity, equity and inclusion persist in a largely white population.
Nonprofits that provided financial data in the last two surveys said their income and expenses grew, with net income increasing 23 percent in both 2020 and 2021. Sarah Hobson, the executive director of the West Marin Fund, said forgivable federal and state pandemic-related loans provided over 10 percent of nonprofit funding in 2020 and even more in 2021. Over half of respondents this year received funding up to $25,000 and said those monies were essential to their survival.
In both 2020 and 2021, nearly three-quarters of nonprofits’ income came from individual donations and corporate or foundation funds, while 15 percent was earned income and 10 to 15 percent came from the public sector. Numbers fluctuated slightly between these four categories, but not significantly enough to point to a trend.
Ms. Hobson said many nonprofits had to cut back their programs or move them to online platforms during the pandemic, which reduced implementation costs. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next 12 to 18 months,” she said. “We know the stock market is down so donors may not be giving at the same level and there’ll likely be a reduction in state or federal funding.”
One of the West Marin Fund’s primary functions is to direct nonprofits to funding programs. Maureen Kennedy, the treasurer of the West Marin Scholarship Program, said the fund was instrumental in directing nonprofits toward the Paycheck Protection Program and other emergency loans; in 2021, almost half of respondents received some sort of emergency funding. Marin County awarded nearly $1 million to 11 West Marin nonprofits.
Of this year’s respondents, 17 said they had enough money in reserves to keep them afloat for 12 months or more. Five said they had one to three months of reserves available and 10 had less than a month’s reserves.Due to a decrease in in-person programs, social distancing and other factors, volunteer rates decreased by 8 percent from 2020 to 2021, while staffing rates increased by 17 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, when they dropped slightly.
Halleck Creek Ranch provides equestrian opportunities for people with disabilities. Visitors were unable to even mount horses from the time the pandemic hit to when vaccines rolled out, said Molly Scannell, the group’s executive director. The ranch improvised through individual visits and groundwork lessons. They had fewer volunteers because of social distancing rules, not because there was a lack of interest. Ms. Scannell said the network that the West Marin Fund provides in tandem with P.P.P. loans were a light at the end of a tunnel.
Survey respondents placed high importance on program evaluations, given the lasting impact the pandemic had on in-person meetings and volunteers. Nearly half of respondents said they had to cancel events and 30 percent said they had temporarily closed a facility.
The Point Reyes National Seashore Association had to close its summer camp when Covid struck, losing money on everything it had invested in the program. Executive director Donna Faure said the hardships of Covid made certain priorities evident and allowed the nonprofit to pivot toward the underserved.“Over the pandemic, we saw a heightened interest in nature and the need for mental and physical health and we were highly impacted by the murder of George Floyd,” Ms. Faure said. “We doubled our commitment toward equity.”
Respondents placed a high level of importance on serving Black and Indigenous people, other people of color, and immigrants. Serving seniors, homeless people and artists became less popular over time.
The surveys do not represent all West Marin nonprofits; the number of respondents decreased to half of those invited in 2020 to 41 percent of the 78 invited groups this year. As a result, some comparisons between the surveys rely on data collected from the few organizations that participated in a particular question. The fund is working to make the survey easier to take.
“Now that we have done this survey a few times, we have a more evolved idea of our nonprofits,” said the fund’s director of operations and outreach, Scott Berendt. “Moving forward, we can decide whether we need to continue to do the survey every year or every other year.”