The health and well-being of children who rely charities has been raised as a concern.
Not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) rely solely on donations and sponsorships which made their charitable operations even more difficult during the first lockdown announcement last year.
The BDO 2020 Nonprofit Standards Benchmarking Survey showed that more than 60% of NPOs suffered the impact of a decline in individual donations. More significantly, over 50% of these NPOs indicated the need for retrenchment of staff, reduced working hours or reduced pay in order to stay afloat.
Head of Social Impact at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) Dr Armand Bam said many studies showed that charitable causes were suffering to remain afloat.
“A lasting impact was a common sentiment expressed across these studies. NPOs were due to experience at least 18 months of hardship before they might be able to revitalise their organisations. Many non-profits have not recovered from being forced into new ways of balancing the value of their social mission with the viability of their operations,” said Dr Bam.
He added that even the most well-run and well-resourced organisations have struggled.
“Those organisations that were able to thrive and sustain themselves had at least six months of net assets at their disposal with no restrictions and were able to invest in technology. This is, and has not been, the case for many NPOs in South Africa and we have seen thrivers and sustainers become strugglers.”
With Mandela Day soon approaching, this is an opportune time for people to consider giving back and helping organisations stay.
The Adopt-a-School Foundation has put out a call for people to assist, helping a school pupil and helping families in need. Chief executive Steven Lebere said the foundation supports 622 schools, nationally, through its Whole School Development model that addresses school leadership, infrastructure, curriculum and social welfare.
Lebere said: “To tackle the gaps caused by Covid-19 in schools, we need to raise significant funding. We are calling upon corporate South Africa to partner with us and donate towards our extensive menu of Covid-19 relief projects…
’’We know it is only through collaboration that we can fight the impacts of Covid-19 in schools and ensure all learners have access to education during this difficult time.”
The Sunday Independent