Pivot - Mommies in Need

Mommies in Need is a relatively young organization formed to fit a specific niche - caring for the young children of parents diagnosed with an illness requiring ongoing medical treatment. Founded five years ago, the agency has provided over 20,000 hours of in-home care at no cost to families via nannies.

Enter the coronavirus pandemic. While shelter in place orders and social distancing are keeping many of us at home and making us think twice before entering businesses or restaurants one thing we can’t put on hold is caring for our own health. Mommies in Need’s Pivot, or response, is creating virtual communities.

Through these communities families receive printed materials and activities geared specifically for their young children ages 3 to 6. Plus, the agency schedules one-on-one virtual time with the children and a nanny to let parents have a bit of a break. Supplies, activities, toys, crafts, etc. are delivered to homes and a Chromebook or tablet is provided if needed - all at no cost to families. The virtual communities are open to families dealing with a health crisis along with families of first responders.

Virtual childcare - an example of innovation in programming.

Lakewood Advocate article on Mommies in Need and their pivot strategy in response to COVID-19.

Photo by Sara Torda @saratorda

Pivot - World Central Kitchen

Launching my new series of Pivot posts is a shout out to World Central Kitchen founded 10 years ago by Chef José Andrés. Andrés and his wife, Patricia “envisioned an organization that would create smart solutions to hunger and poverty.” Over the years the organization has worked within impoverished countries to teach people to cook cleanly and safely including converting cooking from wood and charcoal to propane gas and installing water lines and sinks for washing hands and cookware.

WCK responds to emergencies ranging from hurricanes to wildfires and now a worldwide pandemic. Enter WCK’s response to COVID-19 - #ChefsforAmerica a national initiative to connect communities and people with freshly made meals. The effort feeds frontline workers, the elderly who are shuttered due to the pandemic, and children who are missing meals since schools are closed.

Today, around 250,000 fresh meals are served daily in cities across the U.S. utilizing safety protocols developed by WCK, with input from universities that follow CDC guidelines.

The magic of this response is that WCK is connecting people who need meals with restaurant workers and drivers who need jobs. WCK is putting restaurants back to work by paying them to prepare meals and paying drivers to deliver them.

Click here if you are a restaurant interested in joining this effort, to view a map of the cities where fresh meals are served, to learn more, or to donate.

Additionally, WCK has been working behind the scenes in Washington D.C. to share their model of putting restaurants back to business to feed people in need. Andrés alongside a group of bi-partisan senators and congressmen announced the FEED Act, which would allow states to tap into federal funding to enact a similar model in their own communities. Twitter link.

#ChefsforAmerica - an example of how together we can accomplish more.

Photo by Jesson Mata @jessonmata

2020's Word of the Year - Pivot

I don’t know about you, but I am seeing the resiliency of nonprofit organizations in full force. Agencies working on the front lines are seemingly pulling rabbits out of hats to meet the increased demand. And agencies not considered essential are taking the idea of “pivot” to new heights. Who knew that words and phrases such as virtual meetings, let’s Zoom, and how are you pivoting would become commonplace in a few short weeks?

Over the coming weeks I aim to highlight organizations that I believe are offering whole new meanings to the word pivot. These are groups that are not just pivoting their programs to the virtual space but are also reimagining their work. These are groups that are rethinking their industry, especially in the food and beverage and hospitality field, groups rolling out new videos, and people using technology to connect with each other and with their community.

What do you think? Who would you showcase?

Photo by niko photos @niko_photos

Coronavirus Shows Us It's Time for Change, Not Charity

A story posted on Worth by Tricia Raikes and published May 4, 2020 where she writes about “giving in service of change rather than charity.”

Started in 2002 with her husband, Jeff the Raikes Foundation is focused on young people. Over the years the couple and foundation staff have gained an understanding of systems effecting youth and have taken stock of the challenges by listening to the people they are aiming to help. Today, the foundation’s work is geared toward transforming the systems that are holding youth back.

The coronavirus and its disproportionate effect on communities of color and those of lower income further highlight the brokenness of systems that, based on where you live, limit access to healthcare, quality food, transportation, and jobs providing adequate wages and benefits including paid sick leave.

I was most struck by Raikes’ concluding paragraph, “By giving for change, not charity, we can begin to bridge our divides and build a better future. Let’s start now.” This article provides good food for thought when considering the work of funders. Is your aim to support needs or to change the systems that perpetuate the needs?

One Foundation's Response to COVID-19

The super powers of foundations small and large. An April 15 post on Exponent Philanthropy by Lynn Bentaleb, executive director of the Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation outlines how one foundation with one staff person quickly responded as the coronavirus pandemic was unfolding in the United States. She relies on a variety of resources as her guiding lights including her philanthropy mentors, Exponent Philanthropy, Vu Le and his takes on the nonprofit and funding communities, and the work of Trust Based Philanthropy.

As one of Lynn’s work mentors once said to her, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Let’s keep the story going about creative ways funders and nonprofits are responding to the COVID-19 crisis today and in the coming weeks, months, and years.

A Resource for Lean Funders Responding to COVID-19

One phrase we hear daily in relation to COVID-19 is “we are all in this together.” Exponent Philanthropy is building upon that phrase through hosting live discussions with funders every Friday at 1:00 CT. These weekly calls began March 20th and are designed to connect lean funders around their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and to provoke ideas around your own response. The discussions are open to all funders, whether an Exponent Philanthropy member or not.

In addition, Exponent Philanthropy is compiling and updating relevant resources from the field as it relates to the pandemic.

Access Exponent Philanthropy’s resource page.

Register for Exponent Philanthropy’s Friday afternoon live discussions.