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Resilience at Work

In an era when social sector leaders face uncertainty and significant change, resilience is critical to organizational survival. At their best, resilient nonprofits respond to disruptions as tipping points rather than tragedies, finding new opportunities to learn, grow, evolve, and, ultimately, better serve their communities.

So, what does it take for nonprofits to survive and even thrive amid shocks?

New research led by philanthropy consultant Diana Scearce points to seven crucial characteristics, and surfaces principles and practices for funders who seek to boost grantee resilience.

This content publishes in spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages – causing untold human suffering and threatening the viability of nonprofits whose work is vital to society today and tomorrow. Resilience is a watchword of the day, and we hope that the insights captured in this report can help point the way for nonprofits and funders working tirelessly to respond and adapt to the new realities caused by the pandemic. As the pandemic and its ripple effects unfold, we are certain there will be much more to learn about what it takes to respond and adapt to a global disruption of this magnitude.

We invite you to read the full report, and access a shareable one-page overview of the seven characteristics of resilient nonprofits as well as shareable version of the report executive summary. You can learn more about the Foundation’s commitment to enhance the resiliency of nonprofit organizations, and access additional resources, on our website.