March 3: Corona virus – how will it impact charities?

John

RECORD BUTTON – ACTIVATED!

welcome to a brand new #chatcast friends

Jen

Bea this time next week I’ll be landing in Oslo!!!

John

it’s a bright new day and today i thought we should chat about everyone’s HOT topic : CORONAVIRUS and it’s implications on our sector in the days ahead

Beate

No Jen, you won’t – that will have been yesterday

?

Jen

Right! Time zones and dates are my kryptonite!

Beate

And directions

Sorry John – will try not to derail any more!

Jen

Thank you for hosting today, John? What’s on your mind?

John

Simon cant join us since – he came down with something…

so

Beate

Is Simon quarantined?

John

its just three lobsters today

Beate

coronalobster

John

he should be.

Beate

permanently

Jen

it would be a safer option if he was quarantined

John

i will try to resist making light of this TOO much – since – that’s usually simons job and two…

this is pretty serious

Beate

Yeah

Jen

pandemics usually are

John

we have colleagues who are literally locked awauy

Beate

Same

and i was in a meeting with THEIR colleagues today…

I made them stand in the corner

John

I talked to my pal Giovanna – who lives in Milan yesterday

everything is shut down there

she said “Schools are closed and most people are working from home these weeks. Cinemas, theatres, museum, bars and churches had to close. All public events are being cancelled over the next two- three months. ”

Jen

what’s spreading faster, the virus or the panic?

John

I would say both!

John

so i do have a couple specific things we can gab about

one is legacy gifts and the other is premiums…

which one do we unpack first

Jen

from the sublime to the ridiculoyus

John

are you new here Jen?

Beate

i don’t think there’s panic

Jen

Definitely lots of stockpiling stories on the news

Beate

I think there’s a measured and serious response to what IS very serious – even if most of us will be perfectly fine.

John

i hope youre right BEATE

Jen

she usually is

Beate

The whole managment team of one of our orgs over here is currently quarantined after meeting with a confirmed case (before they were confirmed).

Obviously, that’s going to impact some stuff.

John

right?

Jen

one of our clients is travelling at the end of the month and has already been told that working from home is likely

Beate

But I think the larger impact is going to be on the expectation of panic and unrest.

LIke, if you anticipate the economy tanking – are you going to spend your money on donations?

Jen

my brother in law (works in tech) has had all his travel suspended until end of april at the earliest

John

as a direct mail fella – i’ve wondered for those collageues of ours

who heavily rely on premiums (from china) in the direct mail

what if shipments of labels stop getting shipped

Beate

Shipments are seriously impacted

John

this is a real question BTW

lol

Beate

It’s really slow getting goods shipped out of China at the moment

That’s not about stopping spread, it’s about people in actual china doing the shipping being sick or quarantined

serious answer

Jen

i care much more about the medicine that is not going to be shipped, but defo premiums will be impacted

John

so – you have a heavy premium acqusiiton program in Australia… now what?

Jen

what will be the impact on charities who rely on that form of donor acquisition?

John

exactly

aside from the obvious

Beate

Maybe a good time to rethink and test non-premium aquisition and rely on quality and connection instead…?

?

Jen

YES! that would be a wonderful outcome

Beate

or hey – disease doesn’t spread through the web!

throwback to last weeks chatcast

John

so

maybe this virus is a good thing?

didnt they show the air in CHINA was better because of all the quarentines?

Beate

Yeah, drastcially

Seriously though, I do think we should all think through which parts of our programs might get impacted, what events might we have to change, what goods and services might not get delivered, etc, and plan accordingly.

And for gods sake have insurance if you rely on event income

Figure out who can and cannot work from home, how often does the office get cleaned properly, have routines.

John

i think there is a lot of – how bad is this going to get?

Jen

and this is just about fundraising. what about program staff on the ground in different parts of the world–some charities will have to change their programs

John

but good advice Beate.

Beate

Same for program delivery – how can this impact us if the worst happens.

Like Jen just said ??‍♀️

Jen

i know you wanted to talk about legacies too john

but we have to also consider what will happen to larger fundraising conferences

John

let’s talk about conferences first

Beate

We just had this discussion at our conference planning meeting today

Jen

oh my goddess, how often do charity offices get cleaned… in my experience working at a charity…NEVER

Beate

Someone should look into that. With soap

Jen

what was the discussion Bea?

John

we started to hear rumours that some of our fav conferences are talking about plan B’s

Beate

So our conference is in september

how do we prepare for an eventual plan B if the outbreak is still going.

Jen

Simon and Nikki were so ahead of the curve with Fundraising Everywhere!

John

lol… who knew

Beate

Apparantly that’s how the Spanish flu rolled, there was a smaller outbreak in the spring, quieter over summer and the real wave in the fall. If that happens, it impacts the whole fall conference roster.

Jen

Maybe Simon is a criminal mastermind who has created this whole thing

Beate

He IS conspicuously missing this conversation..

John

LOL

Beate

But yeah. You do need to plan for a) how do we contain this if it’s still going but not to cancel everything-level, and b) what do you do if you do have to cancel

with a) I mean hygience, disinfection, how to make it safer for a large crowd to be in the same room.

hygience, that’s a new word

John

and like you said B

if they have set up their conference without sufficent insurance

you are a bit screwed

Beate

Yep. Don’t plan ANYTHING that would break the bank if it gets cancelled

John

an you imagine if youre a 1,000 conference and you had to refund everything and everyone?

Beate

and still pay all your vendors ’cause contracts.

Jen

My mum wrote a book about pandemics. Think imma dust that off for bedtime reading with my teenagers

A hand with blue nail polish holding a book. The cover is an alarming shade of red, with two drawn skulls on it. The book title is Pandemic survival - it's why you are alive. Authors Ann Love and Jane Drake, Illustrated by Bill Slavin.

Beate

oh wow!

That is SUCH a dramatic cover!

John

LOL

Jen

Right?

John

even as international speakers – such as ourselves i’m really starting to consider my plans for the next while

Jen

John do you remember the Congress during SARS? Or was it H1N1?

Beate

Wait were you both there for SARS?

So old

John

hmmm

Jen

Fuck you Bea

Beate

lol

John

i dont remember

Jen

I remember they gave us all hand sanitizer pens

John

ouf

RIGHT

Beate

SARS was 2003. H1n1 was 2010 or something.

Jen

and showed us all the different ways to greet without shaking hands

John

i think i thought mine was a mouth spray

Beate

Gif showing three pairs of feet filmed from above. The people touch shoe tips, mimicking a form of hand free greeting

John

lol. that will be about it.

the full body huggers WILL NOT LIKE this

Beate

I’ve been so cautious about what I touch these past few days!

Which you probably should be anyway to be fair

John

(name of your sex tape beate?)

Beate

?

Jen

I’ve never been more aware of how much I touch my face

Beate

JEN WHAT WILL WE DO NEXT WEEK YOU’RE RIGHT OFF A PLANE!!

John

lol

Beate

SANTISE YOURSELF AND THEN WE’LL HUG

Jen

Deal

Beate

It’s so unfair that pollen season coincides with don’t touch your face season

John

ok – we need to wrap up soon

so

ill ask one more question

Beate

Do lobsters get corona virus

John

do you think that legacy giving programs could see an uptick – due to the unfortunate fact that maybe there will be an uptick in deaths? and is this good or bad for charities? discuss

Jen

oouf

Beate

Maybe and no don’t even ask that question my god

So inappropriate

?

John

no?

Jen

Another consideration: will more people be writing (or updating) wills now?

John

right?

Jen

that would also be a good outcome…more people writing/updating wills

Beate

Either way – an uptick now would mean a downtick (is that a word?) in the coming years, so.

John

well

not necessarly

Beate

why not?

John

we’d just be speeding the inevitable up

Beate

That’s what I said

John

oh

LOL

Beate

you’re agreeing with me by saying you disagree with me?

John

that would be a very lobster thing – wouldnt it

Beate

true

In conclusion: wash your hands.

John

in all seriousness – i do hope all of our friends and colleagues – arouind the world – stay safe and healthy…

Jen

Agree. wash your hands!

John

and hopefully this thing starts to sort itself out…

Beate

According to Trump it’ll all be fine when the weather is warmer so ??‍♀

Jen

Simon, maybe you can let us know how you plan to unleash this on the planet…

John

lobster fact!

in the spirit of todays coronaversation

i have a lobster fact

Jen

I LOVE a themed lobster fact!

#swoon

Beate

can I for the record say I object to the standard you’re both setting by relating lobster facts to themes

John

LOL

Jen

Objection noted. Moving on.

John

considering the fact that stores are being emptied

When food is scarce, lobsters can turn cannibal and dine on smaller lobsters.

Jen

You already used this fact!

Beate

hahahahahaha

John

did i????

SHIT

WTF?

Jen

I think you have the virus.

Beate

It is REALLY not that many lobster facts to check through, John!

John

ok ok

hold on

does anyone want to guess

the record

Jen

for how many more times can he fuck up the lobster fact?

Beate

hahahahah

John

for the largest lobster roll?

Beate

oh.. eating lobster rolls, so much better than eating the kids.

Jen

I think I just heard Mark Phillips’ ears perk up

John

LOL

guesses?

Beate

Side note: Cannibal lobster fact was in the Mark Phillips episode.

John

No googling

Beate

what are we talking about, weight, square kilometers, height in american forearms?

Jen

biggest lobster roll… literally no idea. like one of those giant submarine sandwiches they eat at american fairs?

John

180 FEET!

Beate

I do not know how much that is

Neither does 90% of the world

metric please

John

FFS Beate

Beate

FFS John

John

there is a place called Shediac, New Brunswich – here in CANADA

John

sigh

180 feet

Beate

Ah length

Is that seriously just a bunch of baguettes in a line?

Very unimpressive

Jen

that’s a serious motherfucker of a lobster rolll

John

it’s like

BIG

just look at the damn link

the made the roll themselves Beate – sheesh

Beate

I did

Not impressed

John

you are a tough crowd

John

bah. now I NEED TO GO WASH my hands after this chat

Beate

Weeeell, I mean. I think we could probably beat that record

John

stay safe gang.

Jen

XOXO lobsters

John

how norweigan of you to say that BEATE

see you next time!

Beate

Oh – but the thing was a fundraiser, did you see?

350 tickets at $20.

To watch bread cook for ten hours

I’m talking to myself now, aren’t I

John

sigh

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