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Sean and Tricia DeYoung pose during the 2nd annual Allies Ball on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the University Club in Oakland.
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#SEENCanceled: How the nonprofit community is responding to COVID-19

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette

#SEENCanceled: How the nonprofit community is responding to COVID-19

As events around Pittsburgh continue to be postponed or canceled due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the question remains: How will the pandemic affect nonprofits and the organizations that support fundraising events to help them?

“I just had a gut feeling that our ‘Night on the Town’ event was going to be canceled,” said Dr. Jack Demos, founder of Surgicorps International, which provides free surgical and medical care to people in need in developing countries.

The event, with tickets priced at $150 each, was scheduled for March 13 in Station Square. Nearly 500 people planned to attend, but there was no question the group would cancel when the scale of the coronavirus crisis became apparent.

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“We are a health care organization,” said Dr. Demos. ”Our mission is to improve the lives of those in need throughout the world. We must lead by example and follow our health care leaders.

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“The Tomko family, who have supported our work for many years, put a ton of effort into this and so it’s very sad, but it was the right thing to do.”

Other organizations have followed suit, including Allies for Health + Wellbeing, which was supposed to hold its Allies Ball on March 21 — a big fundraising party and one of the most anticipated events of the spring season. The event would have welcomed 380 guests and was projected to raise $135,000 for the organization.

“It’s been a very fluid situation. We’ve been taking guidance from the [Centers for Disease Control], which recommended groups of 250 people or larger shouldn’t come together,” said Sean DeYoung, CEO of Allies for Health + Wellbeing. “We are postponing until the fall.”

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Allies for Health + Wellbeing works to integrate medical care, supportive human services, and community-based education for individuals living with, or at risk of HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections.

The organization manages roughly 700 individuals in communities who are immunocompromised — those whose immune systems are weakened for various reasons. In addition to canceling the events, Mr. DeYoung said Allies is monitoring the health crisis daily and putting together a more robust pandemic policy.

“One of the great things we’ve seen so far is that our corporate sponsorships, like UPMC, 4121 Main and Giant Eagle, are remaining in place, and that really makes a difference for us,” he said. 

The Allies Ball was to be held at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland. “It’s always a concern if we have to change the venue. A lot of time and effort has been put into the planning,” Mr. DeYoung said, adding that it appears the postponed event will manage to secure a date at the venue in September. 

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It’s still unclear how canceled and postponed events will impact the bottom line for organizations that rely on the contributions of the public.

“Obviously, every nonprofit has their handout and, yes, this is our biggest event of the entire year,” Dr. Demos said. “We will do something to temper it, like having smaller house parties throughout the city.

“Regardless [of] what it does to us financially, it won’t prevent us from our work. We will make do,” he said. “You have to be flexible. This is a time in our lives none of us have seen before and it’s frustrating, but we remain positive.”

For those in the community who chair such events or attend them regularly, once the reality settled in, the focus shifted to what the community can do to support nonprofits through this time.

“We have to buckle down and recognize that these events for nonprofits are the major fundraisers and so important to the health of the organizations. If you can afford to donate your ticket price or can afford to give a little extra, do so to help them ride this wave,” suggested Larry Leahy, a dentist in Shadyside who received the prestigious Kerry Stoner award in 2017 to honor his work with the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, the former name of Allies for Health + Wellbeing. 

Casey Pratkanis, who sits on many arts and young professional boards, echoed that sentiment: “It’s two-sided for me being involved on boards and also as a patron of the arts. It’s hard to watch. I’m more concerned for the employees and staff who may not be paid. This is unprecedented. What do we do? What should we do?

“I want to make sure we can uplift these organizations until things are running more smoothly, so we are taking it day by day to learn how we can be impactful,” she said.

Mr. DeYoung said Allies’ 48 employees will continue to be paid, even if the organization’s work is limited or done remotely. “We are not shutting down the agency, and we will continue to do the work in whatever ways we can unless told otherwise by the city or county,” he said.

Having access to technology will help, and he said he is focused on accommodating the needs of his staff.

“We have to set an example. Sharing our plan with other organizations and helping in any way that we can has always been our priority and will continue to be.”

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First Published: March 16, 2020, 11:00 a.m.

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Sean and Tricia DeYoung pose during the 2nd annual Allies Ball on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the University Club in Oakland.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
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