A report out of Rollins College found that two-thirds of nonprofits in Central Florida will not be able to operate at their current capacity for more than 6 months.
About 300 organizations across seven counties in Central Florida were polled for the study focusing on the pandemic’s economic impact on nonprofits.
About eighty percent said they had been negatively impacted by canceled events, decreased donations, and lost revenue.
Gary Blanchette heads up the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College. He says nonprofits will have to rethink their business models in order to survive.
“So they need to change their vocabulary, they need to change their messaging. They need to really focus on a few things versus a lot of things. They might think about some strategic alliances and working with other nonprofits to solve a major problem in the community.”
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Blanchette says nonprofits will need to come up with new ways to fundraise but also to reach the public who has a greater need for their services than ever before.
“What will happen is I think there's going to be an incredible amount of innovation. I think many nonprofits are brilliant in what they do. They save lives and change lives everyday.”
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About a third of the nonprofits surveyed were arts and culture groups whose funding will also be affected by a historic fifty six percent drop in the Orange County tourist development tax.
Many said they are relying on additional assistance from the CARES ACT along with fundraisers and other events they’ve moved to the fall to stay afloat.
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