SYDNEY, N.S. -- Physical distancing has changed the way charities operate and has thrown a wrench into their plans since March.

Most in-person fundraising events have been cancelled and that’s affecting their bottom line.

Mark Inglis and the Cape Breton Hospital Foundation have had a challenging couple of months.

“Normally we have 20 to 30 events that happen over the summer, and they’ve all been cancelled or changed,” explains Inglis. “Those events generate tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for us in a typical summer, and most of those have gone away.”

Inglis estimates nearly $200,000 in funds has been lost since the pandemic began -- a major blow for a foundation that helps families during some of the most difficult times of their lives.

“Some of the events that do happen have decided to host smaller, personal events, that are socially distanced, being careful and taking all precautions, but a lot of our events are large-scale events that have hundreds attend, so they haven’t been able to go ahead,” says Inglis.

Before the pandemic, many charities relied on walks, galas and other large-scale gatherings.

That includes the ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which has also had to make several adaptions in the way they provide services for people living with ALS, including transitioning their support to online or e-mail communication.

“We’ve had to learn how to virtual fundraising in a very short period of time,” says Kimberly Carter, president and CEO of the ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. “We don’t have one plan when we plan for our fundraising events, we always have a plan B.”

Carter says planning was much harder in the earlier stages of the pandemic, which caught many charities by surprise.

“In the first couple of months, in March and April, our revenue was down by about 30 per cent."

Their biggest fundraiser, the annual walk for ALS, was unable to go ahead in person. But Carter says donors and families pulled together to bridge the financial gap.

Carter says there are three more ALS walks scheduled for September and the society is hopeful that those walks will be able to be face-to-face.

Mark Inglis says the Cape Breton Hospital Foundation is focusing on digital fundraising and finding new ways to connect with donors.

“In person, face-to-face, is always the best way to fundraise, because people care about what they’re doing and want to be part of a fun activity,” says Inglis. “So it’s not the same by any means, but we’ve certainly learned new ways to fundraise and new ways to thank donors who have been doing incredible things for us over the years.”