For most nonprofits and charities, volunteers are a vital part of their operations, allowing many organizations to make a big impact even with lean budgets.

But the pandemic has created an epidemic of volunteer shortages — just as extra hands are needed more than ever. As a result, nonprofits everywhere are scrambling to make up for the lost assistance. It has forced some organizations to spend more on staffing or cut their services.

The volunteer shortfall was most severe during 2020, but the spread of Omicron and other COVID-19 variants has continued to keep many helpers at home and away from their favorite nonprofits. Social distancing regulations have also complicated volunteering efforts by making it harder for large groups of people to gather. 

Two-thirds of all volunteers cut back their hours or stopped their activities altogether during the pandemic, according to a Fidelity Charitable survey released in late 2020. About 65% of volunteering activities shifted to virtual or remote work, compared to 81% of volunteering that was done in-person before the pandemic. Meals on Wheels, for example, lost half of its two million volunteers in 2020.

“With the value of a volunteer hour currently estimated to be $27.20, the sharp decrease in volunteerism caused by COVID-19 represents an impact of millions of dollars across the nonprofit community — a devastating blow for many organizations,” the Fidelity report noted.

According to a recent Gallup poll, volunteering still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 56% of Americans saying they have volunteered in the past year. 

Keeping your personal information safe is critical, but many companies may not understand the differences between just keeping it safe versus incorporating best practices. The basics of Personal Identifiable Information, also known as PII, is any data that could potentially identify a specific individual. It is essentially any information used to distinguish one person from another. 

Think of public records such as phone books, corporate directories, and websites as places to gather non-sensitive PII. That data might include zip code, race, gender, date of birth, or your religion. However, when both non-sensitive and sensitive PII are combined, the PII can become even more important to secure.

Sensitive PII (SPII) is even more critical information that could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization. Sensitive PII can include your name, address, email, telephone number, date of birth, driver's license number, credit or debit card number, medical records, or social security number. Rest assured, there are plenty of ways to protect this information through the storage of files. 

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, you should configure your files to avoid data loss prevention and limit sensitive PII from being retrieved by hackers or mistakenly sent. To ensure your PII is safe, it's best to follow some simple practices.

Episode 11: Join Bryan Orander in a conversation with Maureen Weber, CEO of Early Learning Indiana. Weber talks about how early education providers in Indiana navigated the COVID crisis more successfully than most states but a shortage of workers is keeping many centers from operating at full capacity. She also gives an update on a new online tool that helps families find childcare and early education options. Listen

United Way of Central Indiana is accepting letters of interest from nonprofits interested in receiving grants from its Social Innovation Fund. Nonprofits in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan and Putnam counties can apply through July 27. Accreditation with United Way is not required. Apply

Barnes Dennig is accepting applications from local nonprofits for its 12th annual community outreach day. Nominations for service projects are accepted until Aug. 5, and selected service projects will be completed by the entire firm on Oct. 28. Nominate your project

Finish Line Youth Foundation is re-launching its Louder Than Words Grant Cycle. The program, which will run in two cycles, provides funds to help fuel long-term solutions and support for underserved communities across the nation. Find out more and apply

Central Indiana artists and nonprofit arts and culture administrators still have time to apply for the 2022-2023 Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship program, which provides a $10,000 grant to pursue creative inspiration. Deadline is July 17. Apply

The Arc of Indiana has added Wabash Center of Lafayette and LOGAN Community Resources in South Bend, to its family of affiliated chapters. The national organization, which has 43 chapters in Indiana, advocates and supports individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Learn more

New Hope of Indiana has been awarded grants from United Way of Central Indiana and Mission & Ministry Impact, a program of Daughters of Charity Ministries, Inc. The funds will be used to support the organization’s work in expand programming for individuals with disabilities.

Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to Marian University and the E. S. Witchger School of Engineering to increase the number of engineers, especially those in under-represented populations. Learn more

Cultivating empathy in the workplace webinar on July 12 at noon. Gain an understanding of the role empathy plays in building and sustaining positive workplace relationships, fostering diversity and inclusion, and encouraging collaboration. Presented by Purple Ink. Cost: Free. Register

Frame the problem webinar on July 13 from 2-4 p.m. at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, 535 W. Michigan St. Before using data to inform decisions, identify what you are trying to accomplish and determine how data can help. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register 

3-step process to get a corporate partner in 30 days webinar on July 13 at 11 a.m. Look for strategies beyond finding new donors to grow your nonprofit, including diversifying your sources of support with corporate partners. Presented by Nonprofit Hub. Cost: Free. Register

Teaching Vonnegut 2022 virtually on July 14, 19, 21 and 26 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Explore eight Vonnegut novels and cover topics such as social justice, censorship and cancel culture, and environmentalism. Presented by Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Explore schedule

Find existing data webinar on July 20 from 9-11:30 a.m. at Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, 535 W. Michigan St., Room 257. Gain insights on the strengths, weaknesses, and costs of readily available data sets. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register

Data and drafts: Who is going to college? on July 20 from 6-7:30 pm at Central Library, Riley Room, 40 E. St. Clair St. As of 2020, Indiana's college-going rate is the lowest it has been in a decade. Find out why. Presented by The Polis Center. Cost: Free. Register

Intro to FDO: Finding grant funders on July 27 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St. Learn how to use Foundation Directory Online, a research tool that can help 501(c)(3) nonprofits find grant makers most likely to fund their projects. Presented by the Indianapolis Public Library. Cost: Free. Register 

IndyVolved, which provides opportunities for young people to get involved with local nonprofit organizations, is accepting applications for Indy’s future volunteers, board members, champions and donors. Applications close on July 15. Register

Barnes Dennig What OMB changes mean for your next audit 

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