Nonprofits making it through pandemic

Nonprofits thrive on the generosity of others.

Whether that’s local businesses, industries or individuals, a large portion of operating budgets rely on gifts from local sources.

A global pandemic can have a crippling impact on such funding.

A handful of local organizations are avoiding any worst case scenarios.

“It could have hit us at a worse time,” said Arts Place executive director Eric Rogers. “We have to be very thankful as an organization and the people who work with the organization that we’re just dealing with postponing events, postponing programming (and) educational programs.

“People’s jobs being somewhat in jeopardy, it could be a lot worse … Whenever I start feeling a little down about this I have to remember we’re way better off than so many.”

Rogers said about 70 percent of the Arts Place’s income is sourced by endowments and private giving from businesses, industries, families, individuals and service groups. While noting Arts Place has about 85 percent of its goal for its capital campaign, because of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stay-at-home order March 24 the organization is not receiving any income from tuition for its classes.

“Performances we had scheduled are not taking place so there are no ticket sales,” he said. “It is impacting us. Fortunately we’ve had some opportunities to try to shore up a temporary situation. We hope this doesn’t continue this severely.”

The biggest of those opportunities has been the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program, for which Arts Place received the forgivable loan. Had it not been selected as a recipient, Rogers said, Arts Place employees may have been laid off.

The coronavirus pandemic has put Arts Place in another peculiar situation.

The Portland location was set to undergo upgrades, including fixing structural issues while also adding studio, gallery and lobby space.

Construction for the project, which was also set to include new lighting and related equipment, sound boards instruments and improved technology, was slated to begin in June. But the construction, funded from Arts Place’s $2.7 million Legacy Capital Campaign, had to be postponed.

“Not on schedule but we don’t think we’ll be very far off schedule barring COVID-19 changes in terms of the state’s plan for that,” Rogers said. “Assuming things fall in place we think we’ll be under construction by August or first of September.

“It’s a little later than we would have like to start. But from our perspective we have to be sensitive to the reality.”

Jay Community Center was also planning a construction project that had its timeline altered.

In February, Jay County Boys Club was awarded a $50,000 All-Star Legacy Grant from the NBA All-Star 2021 Host Committee. In connection with the 2021 NBA All-Star game in Indianapolis, the All-Star Legacy Grant is a $1 million initiative that focuses on nonprofit organizations serving youth in the state.

JCC was to use the money to convert two restrooms and the adjacent hallway into a single 1,000-square-foot room to expand the center’s programming.

JCC executive director Kyle Cook said the plans for the project, which he had hoped to get started this summer, are currently being reviewed by the state, and bids are due Thursday. The target date is now in question.

“Hoping to get moving right away,” he said, noting he is anticipating traffic at JCC will be limited when it reopens May 26 so there will be little interruption in construction.

The overall deadline, set forth by the Legacy Project, is that construction must begin in 2020 and it has to be completed by Feb. 4, 10 days before the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

Arts Place and Jay Community Center aren’t the only nonprofit organizations locally that have been impacted by the pandemic.

The Portland Foundation executive director Doug Inman said it has seen a slowdown in contributions to the organization. While he said he’s not too worried for the immediate future of the foundation because it is the vehicle for other area nonprofits, it’s the coming years he’s most concerned about.

Inman referenced the Great Recession, which didn’t have much of an impact on the ability to allocate money in 2008, instead making the three subsequent years difficult.

“It concerns me that we know history repeats itself,” he said. “(The pandemic) won’t affect what the foundation can do for the community in 2020, but ’21 and ’22, it will directly affect what we can put back into the community.”

According to executive director Jane Ann Runyon, United Way of Jay County receives about two-thirds of its funding from payroll deductions. Even though some of those have declined recently because of the local financial uncertainty of COVID-19, Runyon said she is optimistic area residents will continue to support United Way.

“This is a very, very giving community, believe me,” she said. “We went through this with flood relief (and) tornado relief. Now we have a donation fund set up for the virus relief.”

As of May 11, United Way has received $15,000 in donations. Two-thirds of that has already been allocated.

Recipients include the food pantries in Dunkirk and Pennville as well as Community and Family Services and Trinity United Methodist Church. Pregnancy Care Center, John Jay Center for Learning, Jayland Emergency Fund and Jay School Corporation have also received funds from United Way of Jay County.

“I have every hope in the world we’ll be able to take care of what needs to be taken care of,” Runyon said.