Last year, Covid-19 devastated communities and worsened humanitarian crises across the globe. It also threatened the viability of nonprofits addressing those crises. Organizations—especially in the area of logistics—faced greater need with fewer resources. These dire circumstances were the catalyst for key relief efforts by Flexport.org.

With the help of nearly 30,000 donors around the world, Flexport.org raised over $10.25 million for the Flexport.org Fund. Managed by CAF America, the fund helps cover transportation costs for organizations responding to crises.

Donations during 2020 had real impact:

Stepping Up to Address a Global Crisis

Crisis relief isn’t new for Flexport.org. Since 2016, Flexport.org has helped partners ship 13 million pounds of aid to more than 60 countries affected by natural and manmade crises. But the pandemic magnified the typical scale of need.

Responding to the initial COVID-19 outbreak, Flexport.org shipped masks to clinics in Wuhan, China. As the crisis expanded globally, the logistical demands of delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies worldwide became immense. Teaming with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Norton, Ron Conway and other community leaders, Flexport launched the Frontline Responders Fund—one of the top five fundraisers on GoFundMe in 2020. Donations to that fund support the Flexport.org Fund, first established in 2019 to help organizations with crisis relief logistics.

Supporting nonprofit partners in their missions to reach the most vulnerable communities is the central mission of the fund. This past year, efforts were wide-ranging:

• Doctors whose colleagues were dying | In April in Peru, airports were closed except for military use; slow-moving boats were the only reliable transit. In one region, 200 doctors contracted the virus, and at least 19 died. Airlink and Flexport.org sent thousands of PPE to protect healthcare workers in danger, including:
  • 1,480 gowns
  • 1,360 face masks
  • 1,850 face shields, and
  • 37,450 gloves
• Firefighters and emergency personnel lacking protection | Frontline workers are used to putting their safety on the line for others. But last year, it became riskier. Working with Titan Protect, Flexport delivered thousands of N95 respirator masks to fire departments in Texas, Illinois, and Maryland.
• Families seeking emergency food aid | Since the pandemic in the US, 40% more people have sought assistance with food. Donations helped Catholic Charities with 88 trucking shipments. One distribution alone fed 1,360 families in San Antonio, Texas.
• Refugees without soap or hand sanitizer | Flexport.org helped Airlink and Medical Teams International ship over 170k necessities for health and hygiene like soap and diapers. The joint effort also sent 1,250 disease prevention kits to refugees in Uganda.

Looking at Flexport’s total Covid-19 response impact during 2020, 438 million units of PPE and relief supplies were shipped, overall.

To learn more about how logistics can be a force for good—and how mission-driven organizations have joined forces to yield results—read our impact report.