As pandemic ends fundraising galas, Modesto nonprofits go virtual to bring in money

Jul. 26--The Society for Disabilities counts on several fundraisers each year to bring in roughly a third of its $1 million budget, allowing it to serve about 1,500 disabled children and adults as well as run a program that lends wheelchairs, hospital beds and other durable medical equipment to those in need.

But this is the year of the new coronavirus and social distancing and stay-at-home orders. That means the society and other nonprofits have not been able to hold their traditional dinners, galas and other fundraisers that bring together large numbers of people for a good cause.

Just as nonprofits have had to change how they deliver services during the pandemic, such as offering counseling online instead of in person, they have had to look at new ways to raise money.

"All in-person events have been canceled," Society for Disabilities Executive Director Cathy Mendoza said. "We are just doing the best we can. We have cut our expenses without laying anyone off."

Mendoza said a Paycheck Protection Plan loan of nearly $63,000 -- part of the federal CARES Act to provide relief during the pandemic -- has helped and her nonprofit has looked online to raise money, including a virtual auction it is now conducting. It could bring in as much as $20,000, which is greatly appreciated but not nearly as much as a traditional fundraiser.

"We do have a backup plan," Mendoza said. "We are appealing to our longtime financial supporters. We've sent out over 200 postcards, done email blasts."

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The money is crucial not only to the bottom line, but unlike grants and government contracts, nonprofits have wide latitude in how they spend these dollars. That gives them the flexibility they need to serve clients.

The Bee spoke with several nonprofits to learn how they are raising money in trying circumstances. The lessons learned include finding new ways to engage with donors, telling their stories in compelling ways so they resonate with the community and being creative. And nonprofits have to find the solutions that work for them because what works for one may not work for another.

Human jukebox that plays Shakespeare

Prospect Theater Project in Modesto relies on its annual gala in June to bring in about $30,000, which is about a fifth of its annual budget, according to Jack Souza, the theater's artistic director.

"This is usually when we announce our upcoming season," he said. "It goes a long way toward securing that season. We run on shoestrings, have few employees and keep our expenses low."

Prospect held what it called drive-thru theater last month to replace this year's gala.

As people lined up in their cars to pick up a dinner of a gourmet hot dog, chips, candy, a drink and coleslaw from Concetta, they could ask the actor in the "human jukebox," and who was dressed as an Elizabethan, to recite any of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. And when they got home they could listen to a livestream of eight solo artists and duos (there were no bands because of social distancing) play an eclectic mix of rock and folk.

"It was very positive," Souza said. "It was very playful."

He said at least a dozen cars were continually lined up during the fundraiser. He said the event brought in about half of what a gala brings in. But Souza said that was a good result for a first-time event during a pandemic.

"It's just nice to say there is a group of creative people who put their heads together to come up with a creative answer," he said. The money will help the theater put on a two-person show in September and a one-person show in November, with both being livestreamed, part of the theater's adaptation to these unusual times.

Community Hospice's stay-at-home gala

Community Hospice Foundation Executive Director Melissa Van Diepen said the foundation has relied on the trust and relationships it built with its donors before the pandemic. The foundation did not hold its annual gala in May, which brings in $150,000 to $170,000, or roughly a quarter of its budget.

The foundation put together an online event it called the stay-at-home gala that included a raffle and a direct appeal to donors and sponsors. Van Diepen said the event brought in about $140,000.

"We were telling them, 'We need your help more than ever to support our patients and families,' " she said. "Even though there is a pandemic, that does not negate the need for what we do. ... People came through, I think in large part, because of the trust we had with our donors. We were overwhelmingly grateful."

The importance of a nonprofit's relationship with its donors was emphasized for Van Diepen in her role as president of the Yosemite California Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She said the Modesto-based chapter held a free event in May focused on how nonprofits were dealing with the pandemic.

She said the top issue was that nonprofits were taking a pause so they could check on their donors to see how they were coping. That included making phone calls and asking whether they could help in any way.

Van Diepen said for the foundation that included delivering food to donors who are seniors and feared going to the grocery store because they are among the vulnerable people officials are asking to stay home. The foundation operates a food pantry for its clients and their families.

"Ultimately," Van Diepen said, "we (nonprofits) are in the profession of making a difference in our community. And we cannot do that without our donors."

COVID-19 Response Fund

Early in the pandemic, the Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin & Stanislaus Counties knew it had to reach donors in new ways to help with a surge in demand for food. (In early April, demand was up by roughly 60 percent.)

Chief Executive Officer Keenon Krick said his food bank created the COVID-19 Response Fund on March 11 and issued challenges to local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, which then challenged other service clubs to contribute. Coupled with broader-based efforts, Second Harvest has raised $700,000, which is about $150,000 more than it typically raises through its annual fundraisers.

The donations have leveled off, but Second Harvest said it still needs financial support, especially if the economy worsens and programs that help the unemployed end or are reduced. "We are going to continue to be as creative as we can in our fundraising efforts," Development Director Jessica Vaughan said.

Center for Human Services Development and Communications Director Gina Machado said fundraisers do more than bring in money. They also raise awareness of what nonprofits do.

Duplicate Edible Extravaganza's outreach

For instance, she said the center's annual Edible Extravaganza draws about 1,000 people to Modesto Centre Plaza to hear music and sample food and drink from some of the region's top restaurants, bakeries, wineries and breweries. People who come for that without knowing much about the center can leave with an appreciation for it and may become supporters.

Machado said as nonprofits look to social media and other nontraditional ways to raise money those efforts should include ways to tell their stories to people who don't know much about them.

The Center for Human Services will hold an online version of its Edible Extravaganza in September with an auction, raffle and other events. It will livestream bands and have what it is calling a virtual trade show on its website.

That's where the restaurants, bakeries and other businesses that take part in the extravaganza's live version can post recipes, videos of cooking demonstrations, the specials they are offering -- in short just about anything they want to say to get their message out. The goal is to have the trade show on the center's website for a year to keep drawing in the community.

"We want people to participate and come to our website," Machado said.

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