The Executive Director of the Perth Huron United Way says they started meeting regularly with non-profits in Perth and Huron shortly after the start of the pandemic to find out what kinds of problems they were facing and how the United Way could help. Part of that process involved conducting a survey.
Ryan Erb says they found there was three major concerns. “They were very concerned about the disruption to their programs and services. They continue to be concerned, although a lot of that has improved with offering of resources online, however, it's still not perfect. Also those organizations told us that mental health and stress associated with the pandemic was debilitating for their leadership.”
Erb says the other concern has been the impact on employment because many of the non-profits have not been able to continue to provide work for all of their staff.
Erb also points out that what happens to non-profits can have a significant impact on the community.
“Approximately six thousand people are employed with non-profit organizations in Perth and Huron, which is a very significant portion of the work force. So from an economic recovery standpoint, the success of these organizations are really critical, in addition to, obviously, the important services that they provide.”
Erb adds that the pandemic has also forced a lot of non-profits to cancel the fund-raising events that they count on to raise money and without those funds, they can't deliver the services they normally would. He says some have been able to adjust and find other ways to raise the money they need and others are still struggling.
