During times like these, buildingcommunityWORKSHOP is committed to working with neighbors and partners and finding new ways to engage and address their needs. 

Here’s what we have been working on:

Creative engagement: So much of our work is centered around bringing people together in places. When that is not possible, we need to think of how we can get the same benefits without putting folks’ health and safety at risk -- and that means turning to digital and remote engagement to bring communities together in different ways. Stay tuned for updates on a virtual book club for Place Setting, our project in Dallas addressing how people come together to create inclusive spaces, and digital design webinars through the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design. We will also be working on engaging folks in non-digital yet remote ways, as we recognize not everyone will have easy access to the internet. 

Continued support to and from our partners: We thrive on partnerships -- like those we have with CDCs, neighborhood associations, and arts-based organizations, to name a few. By continuing to work together, we’ve hardly missed a beat on our ongoing projects. This agility helps to ensure that we are continuing to build affordable homes, to help neighborhoods recover from natural disasters, and to inform residents about what is going on around them. 

Protecting our staff: Like many organizations, we have been finding out what it means to work from home over the past couple of weeks. We know this is the best way to keep each other healthy and ensure our work can continue during this time of uncertainty. We’re staying flexible, communicating often, and doing our best to make sure we stay emotionally and physically healthy. 

If you have the means, we encourage you to find an opportunity to support your nonprofit community by making a financial contribution. As the available funding that nonprofits like [bc] rely on shrinks, contributions from friends and supporters like you are more important than ever. You can make a substantial impact on our ability to continue to bring important design resources to under-resourced communities in Dallas, Brownsville, Houston, and Washington, D.C. 

If you are able to, please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today. 

Your contribution will help to ensure that we can continue to stand with neighborhoods, our key partners, and be ready to provide support as needed to help under-resourced communities come back stronger once a sense of normalcy begins to return in the coming months. 

Things you can do if you are unable to contribute financially: 

1. Please consider contacting your representative to advocate for continued government support for nonprofits. Our sector as a whole will be rocked by the combined factors of increased demand and reduced funding. Nonprofits make a substantial economic and quality of life impact -- and we will be key to the long-term recovery from this public health crisis. 

2. Forward this appeal on to someone you think may be in a position to donate. 

3. If you are interested in collaborating, send us an email with what you’re thinking. 

Thank you for your continued support. We are all in this together.