New normal and how NFPs are planning for a future after COVID-19

Buffeted by lockdowns, border restrictions and staff shortages over the past few years, not-for-profit groups are planning to embrace lessons learned during the pandemic and its flow-on effects.

In this series of features for Hearts & Minds, some of Western Australia’s leading NFPs discuss how COVID-19 has affected their operations and what the future looks like in the ‘new normal’.

Commitment to continue

As 2023 begins, WA’s NFPs are cautiously continuing to keep an eye on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad.

“We will continue to monitor developments in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and adapt accordingly,” Vinnies WA chief executive Susan Rooney  said.

“Whatever challenges the pandemic may yet pose, we are committed to continuing to deliver our services to vulnerable people in our community.”

Similarly, Foodbank WA has a laser focus on maintaining a consistent delivery of its vital services to clients, despite the challenges the pandemic created, particularly in terms of people losing their jobs and suddenly finding themselves in the Foodbank queue.

“COVID and the resulting increasing cost of living, have both created a surge in demand,” Foodbank WA chief executive Kate O’Hara said.

“Before COVID, we would assist about 200 households a day. Some days, this is now over 900.

“Our challenge is to ensure our supply chain continues to meet a growing demand.”

Filling job vacancies continues to be a hurdle

One of the challenges is ensuring there are enough staff to fulfil demand – a struggle that shows no sign of letting up anytime soon, according to Ms O’Hara.

“Finding skilled staff to fill paid positions is becoming increasingly difficult, both in Perth and in our regional branches,” she said.

“We are also experiencing a shortage of volunteers in our regional branches, so we expect to be mindful of our staff and volunteer resource planning, as those affected by COVID infections and ‘long’ COVID must be taken into consideration.”

In addition to the effects of the virus, regional weather events are also having a big impact on service delivery.

“There is a very strong need for food relief in regional and remote WA right now,” Ms O’Hara said.

“Extending our reach into those parts of WA, including the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, will be difficult, so careful planning has begun around logistical issues and the impact our supply chain.”

Flexible employer = happy employees

For Jackie Donnan, RMHC WA executive manager people and culture, working online with interstate colleagues and business partners has highlighted the importance of the ‘human factor’, which, she says, is hard to explain and impossible to replace.

“COVID-19 accelerated the maturity and effectiveness of our pre-existing flexible working options, which are now flourishing and a key component of our ability to attract and retain quality staff,” Ms Donnan said.

“While we always respected the juggle and balances our employees strike between work and life activities, being pushed into a fully remote working world for non-operational staff enabled some different ways of working to be practised and perfected.

“Leaders had to focus on outputs and outcomes, and our employees worked when, and from where, they got the best results.”

Now the community is mostly beyond the immediate impacts of the pandemic, RHMC WA’s workforce is operating in a fully flexible working culture.

“We provide shift work, part-time options, compressed working arrangements and core working hours that enable employees to balance and schedule their work at the time of day that suits them, their interests and their families,” Ms Donnan said.

Volunteers in short supply

A challenge the not-for-profit sector is dealing with as a result of the pandemic is a declining number of volunteers.

Vinnies WA and others are keen to buck this trend, with direct action from state and federal governments to help reinvigorate the volunteering sector, so that they can continue to deliver their services to the community and remain part of the pandemic response.

“The COVID-19 pandemic showed the community how important the not-for-profit sector is,” Ms Curran said.

“We became a trusted partner of governments, both state and federal. It’s essential that we remain part of the response to the pandemic, going forward.

“This means having a seat at the table when it comes to meeting the challenges we might still face.”

For the volunteers who so selflessly give their time to assist the workforce at RMHC WA, the impact of COVID-19 is still creating problems for roster managers.

“When the pandemic forced the closure of spaces within our Ronald McDonald House Nedlands and our Family Rooms in Perth Children’s Hospital and Peel Health Campus, the main priority was ensuring the children and families we serve were kept safe from infection,” RMHC WA executive manager operations and facilities Courtney Kennedy said.

“Three years on and, despite having reopened these spaces, RMHC WA is still feeling the effects of these closures through our volunteer ‘Blue Army’ cohort.

“Although we were able to retain many of our volunteers, now that the world has opened up again, we are seeing our volunteers wanting to travel more and reconnect with their families and return to the workforce due to increased financial pressures.”

The desire to offer a work-life balance to volunteers – and retain their invaluable support and experience – has required some rethinking.

“As an NFP organisation, our operations rely heavily on that of our volunteers,” Ms Kennedy said.

“COVID-19 has definitely taken its toll on our volunteer numbers and, as we look to the future, a major focus for us will be to rebuild our Blue Army.”