COVID-19 Rapid Response Technical Assistance
Our expert financial management and real estate consultants are here to support you, your organization, or business in navigating this uncertain terrain.
To meet this moment, Community Vision’s Consulting team is offering rapid response technical assistance, four new webinars, and new on-demand tools at our nonprofit resource page, spacesforgood.org/resources.
Rapid Response technical assistance is currently open to Bay Area and Central Valley arts and culture, direct service, and other community-serving organizations working in low-income communities and communities of color. If your organization is located in a different region, please contact us and we will do our best to support you.
These offerings are generously supported by the City of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, San Francisco Controller’s Office, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Northern California Grantmakers, Hewlett Foundation, Low Income Investment Fund, The California Endowment, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.
For questions about the COVID-19 Rapid Response Technical Assistance program, please contact Saul Ettin at settlin@communityvisionca.org.
Services Offered
Rapid Response Technical Assistance: Connect with a Consultant
Schedule a free 45 minute phone call with one of our expert consultants. We offer you space to share your concerns and will provide strategic thought partnership, expertise, and resources to support you and your community in navigating this challenging time. Come ready to share your financial or real estate hot spots and leave with actionable ways to address them. If you need more than 45 minutes, we can discuss how to provide that for you through third-party funded technical assistance grants. We encourage Board members and staff leadership to participate on these calls when possible. This service is currently available for organizations located in the Bay Area and Central Valley. If your organization is located in a different region, please contact us and we will do our best to support you.
Please note that we are currently focused on providing technical assistance to nonprofit organizations. If you’d like support for your small business, we recommend services from the following organizations: Uptima Business Bootcamp, Pacific Community Ventures, Working Solutions, ICA Fund Good Jobs, Main Street Launch, and Access Plus Capital.
Upcoming Webinars
Renegotiating Leases During COVID-19: Creating Leverage for Tenant Success
Thursday, August 27th at 9:30 am – 11 am PT
Join Community Vision and the Oakland Black Business Fund to learn about lease negotiation tools and strategies to prepare your nonprofit or small business for COVID-19 recovery and reopening. Lease renegotiation is a critical factor in the fight for economic justice as the COVID-19 crisis has presented a disproportionate threat to Black nonprofits and small businesses causing twice as many to close.
Oakland Black Business Fund’s Co-founders, Elisse Douglass and Trevor Parham, have successfully modified and renegotiated leases as landlords and tenants during COVID-19 and are now supporting businesses and nonprofits with lease renegotiations.
Join this moderated discussion covering recovery planning, common lease modification approaches, and renegotiation case studies. You will learn about preparing for negotiations, what you need to know about your landlord to reach common ground, and how to leverage what you want in the process. We will have time at the end for Q&A.
Nonprofit Real Estate Webinar Series
Join us for a free three-part series designed for community organizations who are considering, or are embarking on a facility project. In this series you will learn how to assess your organization’s financial readiness, whether you should pursue leasing or buying, and how to get on the path to facility ownership. These webinars are ideal for executive directors, senior managers, and board members who are looking for real estate solutions for their organization. Executive directors and board chairs are strongly encouraged to attend together.
Session 1: Financial Readiness for a Real Estate Project
Thursday, September 10 at 10 am – 12 pm PT
This session will help you look at your organization’s financial wellbeing in relation to a real estate project. Together, we will explore:
- How to use financial ratios to understand your organization’s financial health and stability
- How to look at the implications of occupancy costs on your budget and what you might be able to afford
- Strategies to establish a reserve to support a real estate project or other organizational innovation
Session 2: Lease Vs. Buy Considerations: How to Make the Best Decision for Your Nonprofit
Thursday, September 24 at 10 am – 12 pm
This session will provide you with a decision-making roadmap on what space solution best meets your needs and will highlight:
- What you need to consider to get ready for leasing and buying
- What are the capital and operating considerations for each scenario
- Benefits and risks of leasing
- Benefits, responsibilities, and pitfalls of ownership
Session 3: Deeper Dive: Path to Nonprofit Ownership
Thursday, October 8 at 10 am – 12 pm
This session takes us deeper into what it takes to put your organization on a path to buying a building. Together, we will review
- How to get ready to buy
- The real estate development process and timeline
- Financing options and strategies (putting together your capital stack)
- Legal structures for shared ownership
- Best practices for assembling your development and governance teams: who helps and makes decisions and when
- Asset management and responsibilities of ownership
We recommend that you attend all three sessions of this series. Each session will provide valuable information if attended on its own.
This series is hosted in partnership with the East Bay Community Foundation. For questions, please contact Sarah Schwid at sschwid@communityvisionca.org or 415.392.8215 x369.
Renegotiating Leases During COVID-19: Creating Leverage for Tenant Success
Thursday, May 28 at 9:30 am – 11 am PT
Join Community Vision and the Oakland Black Business Fund to learn about lease negotiation tools and strategies to prepare your nonprofit or small business for COVID-19 recovery and reopening. Lease renegotiation is a critical factor in the fight for economic justice as the COVID-19 crisis has presented a disproportionate threat to Black nonprofits and small businesses causing twice as many to close.
Oakland Black Business Fund’s Co-founders, Elisse Douglass and Trevor Parham, have successfully modified and renegotiated leases as landlords and tenants during COVID-19 and are now supporting businesses and nonprofits with lease renegotiations.
Join this moderated discussion covering recovery planning, common lease modification approaches, and renegotiation case studies. You will learn about preparing for negotiations, what you need to know about your landlord to reach common ground, and how to leverage what you want in the process. We will have time at the end for Q&A.
Nonprofit Real Estate Webinar Series
Join us for a free three-part series designed for community organizations who are considering, or are embarking on a facility project. In this series you will learn how to assess your organization’s financial readiness, whether you should pursue leasing or buying, and how to get on the path to facility ownership. These webinars are ideal for executive directors, senior managers, and board members who are looking for real estate solutions for their organization. Executive directors and board chairs are strongly encouraged to attend together.
Session 1: Financial Readiness for a Real Estate Project
Thursday, September 10 at 10 am – 12 pm PT
This session will help you look at your organization’s financial wellbeing in relation to a real estate project. Together, we will explore:
- How to use financial ratios to understand your organization’s financial health and stability
- How to look at the implications of occupancy costs on your budget and what you might be able to afford
- Strategies to establish a reserve to support a real estate project or other organizational innovation
Session 2: Lease Vs. Buy Considerations: How to Make the Best Decision for Your Nonprofit
Thursday, September 24 at 10 am – 12 pm
This session will provide you with a decision-making roadmap on what space solution best meets your needs and will highlight:
- What you need to consider to get ready for leasing and buying
- What are the capital and operating considerations for each scenario
- Benefits and risks of leasing
- Benefits, responsibilities, and pitfalls of ownership
Session 3: Financial Management 301 – Stabilizing Assets for Long-Term Planning
Thursday, October 8 at 10 am – 12 pm
This session takes us deeper into what it takes to put your organization on a path to buying a building. Together, we will review
- How to get ready to buy
- The real estate development process and timeline
- Financing options and strategies (putting together your capital stack)
- Legal structures for shared ownership
- Best practices for assembling your development and governance teams: who helps and makes decisions and when
- Asset management and responsibilities of ownership
We recommend that you attend all three sessions of this series. Each session will provide valuable information if attended on its own.
This series is hosted in partnership with the East Bay Community Foundation. For questions, please contact Sarah Schwid at sschwid@communityvisionca.org or 415.392.8215 x369.
Nonprofit Financial Management & Real Estate Resources
Visit SpacesforGood.org‘s free nonprofit resource portal to download customizable templates you can use anytime. We especially recommend the following resources to support you in navigating the implications of the pandemic:
Additional Resources
We are collecting federal, state, and local resources to support our clients, partners, and community members in navigating COVID-19.
