It’s M*A*S*H Time
July 22, 2020
I grew up in an immigrant family of blue-collar workers in Ohio and coal miners in Pennsylvania. My family experienced plenty of anti-immigrant bigotry—and, of course, we saw Black families getting far worse treatment. Even so, I grew up in a household with deep faith in America.
If you were from our part of town and of our ethnicity, the ladder of upward mobility wasn’t quite as safe or sturdy as the ladder for “better” families from the communities where my mom cleaned houses. But at least we had a chance to find opportunity. The American Dream felt legit.
But today I feel fearful—more so than I did at any time during the Sputnik years of my childhood or the fateful years of 1965-1973, when riots broke out in our cities, Dr. King was assassinated, students were massacred at Kent State (one of my alma maters), and friends were fighting in an unjust war.
My fear today comes from this deadly health pandemic we’ve allowed to rage as a result of gross mismanagement, a reflexive rejection of science, and outright denial. It’s this longstanding racism pandemic and the gut-wrenching videos that keep reminding us that we’ve made even less progress on race than we thought. It’s the hypocrisy of calling millions of immigrants and working-poor citizens “essential workers” and treating them as utterly expendable. It’s this economy that, while churning along for many, has thrown tens of millions out of work and brought even greater economic hardship to communities that have no rubber in the rubber band. Perhaps most of all, it’s the vitriol that’s killing efforts to address our country’s daunting challenges. Too many of our elected leaders and their supporters—left and right—have become “permanent enemies who treat each other with contempt and are convinced of the utter worthlessness of the other,” in the words of The Gathering’s Fred Smith, a leader I greatly admire.
All four of these crises, which amplify each other like sine waves in synch, cry out for a strong, thriving civil society. And yet many parts of our helping-and-healing sector have been hit hard by COVID-19 and its economic fallout. In the words of SeaChange Capital Partners, this crisis could be an “extinction-level event” for many nonprofits.
Independent Sector surveyed 110 mid-size nonprofits (500-5000 employees) for the period between May 27 and June 9. Overall, 83 percent of respondents are experiencing a reduction in revenue, 71 percent a reduction in services, 67 percent have furloughed employees, 55 percent have closed offices, 51 percent have laid off employees, and 30 percent have reduced employee pay and benefits. Last week, Candid estimated what percentage of nonprofits will have to close their doors. It said 11 percent is the probable (realistic) scenario, 3 percent is the optimistic scenario, and 38 percent is the dire forecast. If the virus continues to surge and the restart of the economy sputters into late fall, the next 12 to 24 months may well be the most trying time for civil society in generations.
So what can nonprofit leaders do in the midst of this chaos and uncertainty? In the coming months, our team will share recommendations, including a simple list of references, suggestions, and questions you can use to help your board and management team focus on what really matters.
In the meantime, I urge you to rally your team with an unrelenting focus on the here and now. Using a set of “scientific wild-ass guesses” (SWAGs), develop a triage assessment of your organization that takes into account all that is changing around and in your organization.
If you remember the TV series M*A*S*H (’72-’83), consider playing the role of Hawkeye (without the snark). As a new batch of soldiers was carried into Hawkeye’s field hospital, he did a quick scan to judge the seriousness of each person’s injuries. He made quick calls as to which to take on, how, and in what order.
In your organization, pinpoint what needs immediate treatment, what can be queued for priority treatment, what’s non-urgent for now, and what’s stable or just fine—and do this for your 15-20 most critical elements. For example, are you seeing a major drop in revenue? A big spike in costs? Are those you serve and your staff at high risk for COVID? Is a government grant at serious risk of termination? Has a major sponsor backed out? Has your line of credit been cancelled? Does social distancing radically change program delivery? Can you get funders to accelerate their commitments or even double down? Are you seeing an increase in demand that threatens to overwhelm you—or, conversely, a sharp drop-off in demand? What changes must you make to increase racial equity in your organization?
Ask these questions ASAP; yesterday wasn’t soon enough. Don’t make this a big to-do project. Bring together six to nine of the best thinkers from your team, board, and stakeholder groups. Make sure you pick people who are truth tellers, who will help you face the brutal facts. Be sure this group includes a diversity of experiences and backgrounds. Devote up to a half-day for a brisk, focused review of critical elements. By doing a quick scan of each aspect of your organization, you’ll know which areas are steady state, where immediate triage is needed, where you need to dig further to know what to do, and where you might even find new opportunities.
I was encouraged to see so many foundations sign onto the pledge (Philanthropy’s Commitment during COVID-19) spearheaded by the Ford Foundation. I’m also excited to see that some social justice organizations that were getting very little love from funders are now seeing record donations. But nonprofits across our sector will need a lot more love and money.
America needs our voice and leadership like never before.
With an unrelenting focus on the here and now,
Mario
Mario Morino is chairman of the Morino Institute, co-founder and founding chair of Venture Philanthropy Partners, and author of the lead essay in Leap of Reason.


Mario Morino is chairman of the Morino Institute, co-founder and founding chair of Venture Philanthropy Partners, and author of the lead essay in Leap of Reason.