Just one year ago, we posted Cadence’s very first blog post. We had planned on it being a triumphant post celebrating the official launch of our little company. Instead, we found ourselves with our toes on the edge of what would be our sector’s most uncertain, harrowing year in recent memory.
Despite the tinge of calamity in the air, we were feeling resolved—unsure how our clients would fare but determined to help in any way we could.
Three hundred and sixty-five days later, and we now have a better idea of where charities in Canada stand after a year of cancelled fundraising galas, spikes in service requests, and redirecting grant dollars toward Zoom subscriptions. For the most part, it hasn’t been great.
Many charities were forced to close permanently, including community stalwarts like branches of the YMCA and the Canadian Legion. Close to half, according to a recent report put out by Imagine Canada, saw an increase in demand that seriously strained resources. 42% are relying on some sort of government assistance to survive and, even with that support, close to a third were still reporting in December 2020 that they would likely end up shutting down eventually.
Even as individuals and families begin to resume “life as normal,” it could take years for the charitable sector to fully recover, especially when government support inevitably ends.
Yeah, it’s been a heckuva year.
That being said, we at Cadence have had a front-row seat to the innovation and resilience that we would argue has defined the year more accurately than any litany of hardships. We’ve seen clients launch new programs they wouldn’t have had the time or space to consider without the pandemic. We’ve marveled at those who completely overhauled their service delivery systems in order to keep people safe.
We saw foundations dig into their capital to support charities. We saw the groundswells of support in response to justice movements the world over. And we witnessed a renewed commitment to bridge communications gaps, combat misinformation, and bring together people with different perspectives to provide solutions for systemic problems. Many individuals used their quarantine-generated free time to care for friends and neighbours, which manifested in both donations and charitable projects.
For our part, last year we doubled down on our commitment to serving the benevolent sector by helping people continue doing good despite uncertainty. We’ve had new clients knock on our door and we’ve provided them with the best advice we can. We’ve seen new projects from existing clients flourish and we’ve seen other clients make the difficult decision to wind down operations. We understand that COVID fatigue is real: we’re feeling it ourselves. But kindness is real too. And so is generosity and creativity and curiosity and a longing for justice.
So please, keep giving to and supporting charities and non-profits. It may feel like this time of crisis is lifting—but for charities and nonprofits, it’s far from over.
