As the world continues to suffer through the COVID19 pandemic, uncertainty has hit civil society organizations harder than most sectors. Funding has frozen, field activities have been halted, and face-to-face engagement with communities have become impossible. In Pakistan specifically, many small and medium-sized nonprofits are struggling to keep their doors open while continuing to serve those who needed them most.

During this time, Accountability Lab Pakistan has launched a series of capacity-building workshops for over 60 CSOs across the country. These trainings, aimed at helping organizations navigate funding uncertainty, realign their missions with community needs, strengthen systems for resilience, and embed learning into their monitoring and evaluation work. The following ten lessons reflect the learnings that emerged from those workshops so far:

Revisit your “why”

The pandemic has forced many organizations to pause and reflect on their purpose. For Pakistani CSOs, this means returning to fundamental questions: Why do we exist? Whom do we serve? Which part of our mission cannot be compromised, even in crisis? Those that would take the time to reconnect with their core values will be able to pivot programs without losing their identity.

Build financial resilience before you need it

Financial vulnerability has proven to be the biggest threat for most CSOs in Pakistan. While the nonprofits with reserves or diversified funding have been better able to weather the uncertainty, organizations with greater trust with their donors have also been able to adapt and pivot their programs, prioritizing COVID19 related work over conventional programming, or continuing with their missions through technological adaptions. Accountability Lab’s trainings encouraged CSOs to explore pooled funding, membership contributions, and local philanthropy. The key takeaway was that sustainability cannot rely solely on short-term grants; it must include a clear plan for unrestricted income, cost control, and scenario budgeting.

Strengthen internal systems and decision processes

The crisis has suddenly exposed weak administrative systems. Remote working requires transparent workflows, digital accounting, and documented approvals. Pakistani CSOs, especially the smaller organizations, are learning that strong systems are not bureaucratic burdens; they are enablers of trust. Organizations with clear internal roles and decision trees have reportedly acted faster and communicated more consistently as the crisis hit.

Communicate with empathy and transparency

During lockdowns, silence created anxiety among donors, staff, and beneficiaries. This highlights the importance of regular, human-centered messaging. Organizations that have continued to share honest updates about challenges as well as progress have built credibility. In the Pakistani context, where many small CSOs depend on community trust, clear communication through WhatsApp groups, SMS, and radio has helped keep relationships alive even when field visits stopped.

Invest in your people

The emotional toll on staff is immense. Many employees are juggling family responsibilities, fear of infection, and financial insecurity. Accountability Lab, during the training workshops, encouraged partner CSOs to conduct weekly check-ins, provide mental-health resources, and allow flexible schedules. These small gestures will help preserve morale and loyalty. The global literature supports this lesson: staff well-being is not a luxury, it directly affects organizational performance.

Collaborate, don’t compete

The pandemic has blurred organizational boundaries. Small nonprofits have realized they could not respond alone. In the face of this challenge, collaboration, data sharing, and collective advocacy can make the limited resources go further. In Pakistan, several CSOs have formed informal alliances to pool volunteers, share safety equipment, and coordinate community outreach. The shift from competition to solidarity is one of the most transformative outcomes.

Keep listening to communities

Many international donors have paused field projects, but communities continue to face hunger, unemployment, and disinformation. In the face of this challenge, experts emphasize proximity and listening. For Pakistani CSOs, this translates into local WhatsApp helplines, citizen feedback forms, and partnerships with community radio to understand emerging needs. The core principle is simple: impact starts with listening, not with activity plans.

Make learning part of M&E

Traditional monitoring frameworks struggle to capture the fast-changing realities of COVID-19. Accountability Lab’s workshops helped CSOs shift toward learning-oriented M&E, tracking adaptation, documenting lessons, and sharing evidence in real time. One organization has begun keeping “learning diaries” for field teams; another has started to host quarterly reflection calls with partners. This culture of continuous learning can turn challenges into institutional memory, a practice still relevant today.

Digital transformation is not optional

Remote engagement has forced a digital leap. Even small grassroots CSOs have begun using Google Forms for surveys, Zoom for coordination, and social media for outreach. Digital capacity is now a survival skill. Pakistani organizations that have embraced technology early found new audiences, attracted younger volunteers, and improved transparency through online reporting. However, digital adoption must go hand-in-hand with cybersecurity and data protection training, especially when dealing with sensitive community information.

Crisis breeds innovation

Perhaps the most encouraging lesson so far is that creativity flourishes under constraint. From sewing masks to launching online civic campaigns, Pakistani CSOs have proved that limited resources can spark bold ideas. The most successful organizations view the pandemic not only as a disruption but also as an opportunity to test new models, including micro-donations, virtual town halls, youth-led monitoring of relief efforts, and digital storytelling to sustain engagement.

The 60 organizations trained through Accountability Lab’s initiative have since applied these insights in their own ways. Some are developing joint proposals to pool funding; others have created local M&E consortia or adopted open-data dashboards to report community impact. Collectively, they represent a more adaptive, collaborative, and resilient nonprofit ecosystem, one better prepared for future shocks.

The pandemic is a global tragedy, but for Pakistani CSOs, it has also become a moment of reckoning and renewal. Those that will use the crisis as a learning opportunity will stand stronger, more accountable, and more deeply connected to the people they serve.