Overwhelmed with Giving Choices? How and Where to Support Silicon Valley amidst COVID-19
Excerpt from LinkedIn article by HiPower Member Lisa Van Dusen, Chief Relationship Officer at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund - SV2
A lot of people are looking for your resources right now—money, time and other donations. My inbox is exploding with messages from nonprofits and funders alike, all asking, pleading, telling me how I can help in this moment. I have been working in Silicon Valley for the last three decades, including in the social impact space. Here’s how I suggest people think about giving their time or money in service of supporting response, recovery and resilience amidst COVID-19 in Silicon Valley.
There are so many options. On a recent walk I took around my neighborhood (masked and at a social distance). I ran into a friend, her toddler in tow, taking a break from distributing food in a San Jose parking lot through the Sacred Heart Community Service where she works. A few minutes later a friend shared that a mutual restaurateur friend is feeding frontline health care workers. Another neighbor is madly sewing masks. (I do not sew).
My focus here is the economic hardship part of this crisis. Income Inequality in Silicon Valley and the country was bad before and it’s off the charts terrible now. The financial repercussions of COVID-19 have been catastrophic.150,000 jobs have been lost in Santa Clara County alone since the pandemic began with 20% unemployment and climbing. Before COVID-19, many people were paying 60+% of their incomes in rent. Now 13 times the requests for rent relief are flooding in than what was budgeted for prior to COVID-19. We are scaling the wrong kind of growth.
Like the humans they serve, many nonprofits have less than three months in cash reserves. They, too, exist on the edge. Many will die or fade away slowly as a result of COVID-19, as will too many people. Other organizations will collaborate or even merge with other nonprofits. So how—in the midst of this dynamic environment—does one make thoughtful COVID-19 investments with short, medium and long term strategies?
The good news is that there are a number of strong Silicon Valley-based nonprofit organizations providing both direct services in the short term with long term strategies to address income inequality. And if you are elsewhere, there are likely equivalent organizations providing similar services in your community.
Continue reading on LinkedIn to see Lisa’s 5 Best Strategies for COVID-19 Giving.
As Chief Relationship Officer at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund Lisa Van Dusen leads SV2's Partner recruitment, orientation and retention, partner education, and external relations efforts. Her 25-year career spans marketing, media, business development, social innovation and leadership development. Learn more about Lisa.
