As we continue to practice physical distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19, many organizations are transitioning to remote work, cancelling or postponing events, wondering how to remain inclusive and equitable, and dealing with new anxiety and stress. Groups are also looking for guidance and support regarding water shutoffs, water treatment, and other topics relevant to their work protecting and advocating for our nation’s waters. On this page you’ll find resources on these topics that are top of mind for the network during this time.

The majority of River Network staff work remotely year-round from home offices around the country. Our team is deeply familiar with leading virtual meetings and facilitating connection among remote groups. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions pertaining to remote work. We are here to help!

Have a resource you’d like to share with the network? Let us know and we’ll include it here!

Table of Contents

General Advice & Resource Libraries

• Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources to Help Nonprofits from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Here for This from M+R
• Resources to Assist You in Navigating Your Organization’s Response to COVID-19 from TREC
• Resources in the Time of COVID-19 from Urban Waters Learning Network
• Nonprofit COVID-19 Response: Insights from Our Mission-Driven Community from Parsons TKO
• COVID-19 Resources from The Management Center

Stress & Anxiety

• Managing Stress & Anxiety from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• 7 Science-Based Strategies to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety from The Conversation
• We Asked Experts How to Cope with Your Coronavirus Anxiety from Shine
• How to Handle Coronavirus Anxiety from Ten Percent Happier podcast
• Managing the Stress and Uncertainty of Coronavirus from Harvard Business Review
• Team-Care Tools from Comfort Consulting
• Resilience Begins with Me, webinar from the Kresge Foundation (click for audio only version)

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Justice

• Ten Equity Implications of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak in the United States from NAACP
• Social Justice in a Time of Social Distancing from Design Studio for Social Intervention
• Decolonizing Community Care in Response to COVID-19 from NDN Collective
• Treating Yellow Peril: Resources to Address Coronavirus Racism from Jason Oliver Chang
• 10 Ways Inclusive Leaders Can Mitigate Bias When Communicating About Coronavirus from Brevity & Wit via Medium
• It’s Time to Sound the Alarm for Communities Most Vulnerable to the Coronavirus oped from Mustafa Santiago Ali in US News & World Report
• Maintaining Inclusion in a Time of Chaos from Aspen Leadership Group
• Equity and Inclusion in the Time of COVID-19 from Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
• COVID-19 and Race, series from PolicyLink

For Extroverts!

• The Extrovert’s Guide to Social Distancing from CNN Health
• Introverts, Extroverts, and Social Distancing from Psychology Today

Supporting Your Community & Organizing

• Community Care in the Time of Coronavirus from US Department of Arts and Culture
• 10 Ways to Help Your Neighbors and Friends During the Coronavirus Crisis from the Los Angeles Times
• Social Vulnerability, COVID-19, and Climate from Urban Systems Lab
• Candidate Support: COVID-19 from Run for Something
• Crowdsourced Airtable of Community Organizing Resources
• Community Organizing Roundtable: Discussion Takeaways & Resources from River Network

Working Remotely

• 8 Tips To Make Working From Home Work For You from NPR’s Life Kit podcast
• A Guide to Remote Working for Nonprofits from Wild Apricot
• Nonprofit Resources for Remote Work During the COVID-19 Outbreak from TechSoup
• Tech Tips for Working Remotely During COVID-19 from Earth Institute at Columbia University
• Working From Home: 19 Tips to Stay Productive from Classy
• Remote Workers and Telecommuting Practices for Nonprofits from National Council of Nonprofits
• The Practical Guide to Working from Home as a Team from Creately

River Network Staff Tips and Productivity App Recommendations:

• Get up and get ready in the morning. This doesn’t have to mean “office ready” unless you’re doing video calls, but getting out of PJs can help productivity.
• Have a dedicated work area – that is NOT your kitchen table or counter!
• Try to keep to your normal eating habits.
• Schedule time blocks on your calendar for uninterrupted time to complete specific tasks or projects.
• Todoist (app), for tracking work flow and projects.
• FitOn, (app) for short movement breaks throughout the day. Or, set an alarm for every 50 minutes to remind yourself to get up from the desk and move.
• Loop – Habit Tracker (app), to help set healthy work at home goals.

Virtual Trainings & Meetings

• How Nonprofits Can Connect Virtually During Trying Times, from Clarification
• A Good Time to Get Good at Virtual Meetings from Spitfire Strategies
• Training Remotely – A Facilitators Guide from Train Your Board
• Moving Your Course Online Due to the Coronavirus? 10 Tips to Engage Students from Marybeth Gasman via Linkedin
• Understanding the Videoconferencing Tools Available to Your Nonprofit from TechSoup
• Mastering Virtual Meetings from Train Your Board
• Online Training Tools from Training for Change

Water Shut-Offs & Policy

Join River Network’s Drinking Water and COVID-19 peer cohort.

• Tracking Cities’ and States’ Water Shut-Off Moratoriums, from Food and Water Watch
• Policy Responses to COVID-19 (housing, water, and other utilities), from Energy Efficiency for All
• Take These Precautions When Your Water Is Restored, from We the People of Detroit
• Joint statement to Congress from American Rivers and River Network

Water Safety & Flooding

• Coronavirus Index from Water Environment Federation
• Water and COVID-19 FAQs from Centers for Disease Control
• Coronavirus Compendium: Key Considerations for Water and Wastewater Utilities Responding to Coronavirus from Moonshot Missions
• A Dual Disaster Handbook: 6 Recommendations for Local Leaders Responding to Floods During COVID-19 from American Flood Coalition

Events & Fundraising

• How to Safely Clean Up Litter from River Network
• Best Practices for Fundraising in a Crisis from River Network
• What to Do If Your Fundraising Event Is Cancelled Due to Coronavirus from MobileCause
• Market Drops and Crisis: Fundraising Lessons and Your Lighthouse from John Pepperdine via Linkedin
• How to Reach Your Donors and Volunteers from Aspen Leadership Group
• 5 Ways to Raise Money When Donors Are Consumed by Nonstop News from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Fundraising in Tough Times from Stanford Social Innovation Review
• Physically Distant Community Engagement from Urban Waters Learning Network
• Keep It in Your Zip Code – How to Paddle in a Pandemic from American Whitewater
• Changes to Rivers and River Access Due to COVID-19 from River Management Society
• 8 Ways to Make Fundraising More Accessible for People with Disabilities from Community Centric Fundraising

Communications

• 7 Emails Your Nonprofit Can Send During the COVID-19 Outbreak from Classy
• Pandemic Publicity: Tips and Strategies for Communicating in the Coronavirus Era from Choose Clean Water Coalition
• Coronavirus Crisis Comms Triage Kit from The Communications Network
• Media Relations and Communications in the Age of Coronavirus from Resource Media
• Weaving It All Together: How to Talk About Moving Forward from The Management Center

Recreation

• COVID-19 & Responsible Paddling infographic from American Canoe Association
• #RecreateResponsibly toolkit from REI, available in English and Spanish
• Keeping the Water on in Albany, Georga, During the COVID-19 Pandemic from IB Environmental
• Paddling Safely During COVID-19 from Huron River Water Trail
• Changes to Rivers & Access Due to COVID-19 from River Management Society
• Social Distancing, COVID-19 Sanitizing, and Other Safety Guidance, Tips, and Checklists from River Management Society

Cybersecurity

• Coronavirus-Related Phishing from Barracuda
• Hackers Take Advantage of Zoom’s Popularity to Push Malware from Bleeping Computer
• Cyber-Security During COVID-19 from River Network and Sabre on Point

Paycheck Protection Program & Other Stimulus Programs

• Loans Available for Nonprofits in the CARES Act by the National Council of Nonprofits
• Stimulus Bill Providing Nonprofit Loans, Grants, and ‘Universal Deduction’ Clears Congress from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• COVID-19 Stimulus Resources for Nonprofits from Choose Clean Water Coalition
• The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is an emergency loan program for non-profits and for-profit entities with fewer than 500 employees. Loans included in this package are available on a first come, first served basis and can be accessed from SBA 7(a) lenders, federally insured credit unions, or the Farm Credit System. For a quicker response, organizations are encouraged to contact banks they have established relationships with first. PPP will:
  • Help pay staff and operating costs (i.e payroll, utilities, mortgage, and lease payments) for two months.
  • Provide less than $10 million or 2.5 times the average total monthly payroll costs (capped at $100,00 per individual) from the one year period prior to the date you file the application.

Other key points of the PPP include:

• Interest rates may vary between lending institutions but are capped at $4 million; first 6 months of payments are automatically deferred.
• If your organization is able to maintain employment of existing staff for the 8 weeks after the approval of your loan, or if you are able to rehire your employees by June 30, 2020, your loan may be fully or partially forgiven, turning it into a grant.
• No collateral or personal guarantee required.
• This program does not apply to 501(c)(4) organizations or Chambers of Commerce.

 

To download this page as a PDF, click the Resource File link below. Last updated June 12, 2020.