An investigation into the impact of COVID 19 on non-profit organisations in Cape Town

The outbreak of the pandemic had a severe impact on every sector, including the NPO sector. This research has investigated the impact of COVID-19 on non-profit organisations (NPOs) in Cape Town. Due to the unprecedented nature of this crisis, there is limited literature on how the pandemic has affected non-profit organisations in South Africa or in Cape Town. This research seeks to contribute to closing this gap. The main objectives of this research are as follows: Firstly, to understand the challenges imposed by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, mostly known as COVID-19, on NPOs' access to funding, which subsequently resulted due to the lockdown restrictions. Secondly, to understand the challenges imposed by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the operations and the ability of NPOs to implement programmes. Thirdly, to understand the role of NPO leadership during the lockdown restriction levels. Finally, to understand what strategies were implemented by NPOs to mitigate the challenge imposed by lockdown restrictions. This is a mixed methodology research study, and purposive sampling was used to select participants in this research study. The research study has used quantitative and qualitative research methods when collecting data. Survey questionnaires were emailed to 70 NPOs, 28 of which completed the questionnaire. For the qualitative data collection, 34 NPOs were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews, 12 of which participated. Some of the interviews were conducted virtually using Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and other interviews were conducted face-to-face. All coronavirus regulations were observed. The research has found that the virus lockdown restrictions had a severe impact on the financial stability of organisations. The lockdown restrictions have made it impossible for organisations to generate revenue. On the other hand, the lockdown restrictions have challenged organisational leaders to improve their technological skills, as they were forced to run their organisations through virtual platforms. Employees in all sectors, including the NPO sector, were forced to work remotely as a way of adhering to the lockdown regulations. Be that as it may, organisational leaders who were interviewed for this research study highlighted their staffs' hard work during the initial phases of the lockdown regulations, and for their role in the resilience of organisations since the outbreak of the pandemic. Finally, having strategic plans prior to the outbreak of the pandemic have been found to be effective during the initial phases of the lockdown, especially when it comes to guiding the decision-making process. Organisations were able to use their existing strategic plan to decide which programmes needed to be prioritised