Together, We Will Weather This Storm

a message to clients from Phil Hills, President & CEO, Senior Consultant & Principal
March 12, 2020

In times of crisis and upheaval, it is most important that we work together to help each other weather the storm. Our entire Marts & Lundy team hopes that your families, at home and at work, are well.

The impact of COVID-19 and the rapid downturn in the stock market have caused a critical shift in all aspects of your work and of ours. All members of the Marts & Lundy team are keenly focused on the continued wellbeing of the institutions we serve. On behalf of our team, I am reaching out to you to share thoughts on philanthropy during this tumultuous period.

As efforts intensify to contain COVID-19, the workforce is rapidly becoming virtual. Many of our clients are expressing concern over the disruption this could cause in their fundraising work. Marts & Lundy has operated as a virtual firm for decades. We know how to maintain effective communication and move complex initiatives forward with precision and timeliness within a virtual workplace structure. We stand ready to help you understand how to quickly and strategically adapt to the new reality of a virtual fundraising team.

We, too, are adapting our service model to ensure we can help you maintain the momentum that is critical to the long-term strength of your institution. While nobody has seen anything like the confluence of economic and pandemic turmoil, we do know and have learned how to help you pragmatically address issues of virtual fundraising, virtual consulting, and dramatic change. We already are working with several clients to adjust services around planning and implementation by using tools that bring people together to achieve goals – both old and new.

Our team stands ready to serve you in person when possible and virtually when needed.

In any difficult time, it is critically important that you continue contact with donors, keep all stakeholders engaged, share the importance of your mission, and adjust your fundraising strategies in the context of the current reality.

Finally, certainly the Great Recession affected the cadence of campaigns. However, campaigns and overall fundraising can still be successful even when enduring a period of recession.