Fear is useless. What is needed is trust. As social innovators we’ve got to be tenacious, gritty, and courageous. We deal with cynicism and rejection, especially when what we’re working on is important. So we can never give up. Ever. – Jim Ziolkowski Founder, President, and CEO of buildOn
Here we are.
After months of scenario planning, poll watching and speculating, the votes have been cast and we are waking up to a new reality. For the next four years, U.S. nonprofits will operate in a country where Donald Trump is president. For the next two, the social sector will need to continue to do its work amidst a Republican-controlled senate, and very possibly a Republican majority in the house as well.
I don’t assume to know how you’re feeling right now. I recognize that nonprofit leaders aren’t a monolith, even those of you who show up here and read what we have to say on a regular basis. I know the nonprofit sector is made up of people with viewpoints and beliefs across the political spectrum, and much like my politically diverse extended family, I believe we can disagree while still having deep respect for one another.
But I also believe honesty and authenticity is important in moments like these, and I don’t feel like I can show up authentically, with something meaningful to say in this space this week without being honest about how I’m feeling. Yesterday, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning feeling disheartened, dismayed, and disoriented about what America stands for. Trump’s policies aside, I couldn’t (and still can’t) wrap my head around how we could choose to elevate someone with his character and values to the highest level of leadership in this country. My oldest daughter just turned four, so this next president will be the first one she remembers. I’m disappointed that as she grows up, her first example of world leadership will be someone who condones and incites racism, misogyny and hate speech. I’m devastated for the millions of Americans for whom the impact of this administration is likely to be felt so much more acutely than it will be for me and my family.
And yet.
The sun rose again today, and I felt something new starting to take root in me. I think it’s conviction. Conviction that how we show up in this world, how we show up at home, in our communities, and in our work in the nonprofit sector matters now more than ever. Conviction that people who truly care about other people and about our planet can still make a difference, even now. Especially now.
So where do we go from here?
It’s not going to be easy, but once the dust settles from this election, we’ve got to fight to keep our fear, disappointment and disagreement from taking over. We’ve got to keep showing up. We’ve got to keep doing the work.
How?
I don’t have all the answers to that question yet, not even close. But I do have a few ideas, for myself and for anyone working in the nonprofit sector and asking “what’s next?” today.
Take care of ourselves
We can’t do important, change making work from a place of anxiety, burnout or despair, so before we do anything else we need to check in with ourselves and take a deep breath. Maybe even step away from our computers, phones and offices for a few hours. In moments like this one, it’s important to ask ourselves not “have I done enough work to rest?” (the answer will always be no), but rather “have I rested enough to do my best work?”
When yesterday felt too heavy, I found this “to-do list” from illustrator Sophie Lucido Johnson (via Cup of Jo), with suggestions like “appreciate a leaf” (🤣) to be just the respite I needed. If things are still feeling too heavy for you today, or next week or next month, maybe you can try some of these suggestions too.
Listen to and learn from each other
So much of the work we do at Prosper Strategies is about listening. Listening to the people who use a nonprofit’s programs and services about what they want and need. Listening to leaders and boards about the realities of running and governing complex organizations. Listening to communities about the role they feel nonprofit organizations can play in the health and wellbeing of the people who live there. Listening to donors and funders about their priorities. Helping all these groups listen to each other and begin to understand each others’ often vastly different perspectives.
When I think about how we got here as a country, which the outcome of the 2024 election simply underscored, I keep coming back to the notion that we’ve lost our will and ability to listen. The political left and right each exist in their own information bubbles, and those bubbles only got harder to penetrate this election cycle. But this extends beyond politics as well. As a society, we’re interacting less and less with people who have different perspectives and lived experiences than our own, and our ability to understand and empathize are atrophying. Yes, on paper, our country is more polarized than ever. But on a human to human level, I believe there is still more that unites us than that divides us, if only we can find it in ourselves to listen to and learn from those with different perspectives than our own.
So today, maybe we can try reaching out to someone outside of our usual circles and starting a conversation. It doesn’t have to be about politics…in fact it might be better if it’s not. But let’s try actually having a discourse about something we don’t see eye-to-eye on. Let’s start to rebuild that muscle of listening and learning from other people again. We’re going to need it.
Related side note: I’ve been thinking about moving this platform over to Substack, which might allow us to have a deeper discourse about issues that matter to nonprofit leaders on all ends of the political spectrum as we head into this new era. I’d love to hear: is that something you’d be interested in?
Keep going
Yesterday, in this heartbreaking Reddit thread, hundreds of nonprofit leaders shared how they believe the election will affect their jobs and their organizations. Many shared that they’re thinking of leaving the sector.
If you’re in a similar boat, I have just one message for you: don’t panic and don’t quit. The nonprofit sector needs you now more than ever. With strong leaders and smart planning, most organizations will survive this time, and some may even thrive. If you do lose your job as a result of the political shakeup, don’t jump to the conclusion that leaving the nonprofit world is the only solution. Leave a comment here or get in touch and we’ll do what we can to leverage our networks and connect you with the great many nonprofits that are going to need your time and talents as the sector faces whatever lies ahead.
Plan for the future
Between now and January, take some time to revisit your nonprofit’s strategic plan (and plans in general) and ask how they need to shift to account for what’s ahead. We’ll be helping our clients do just that, and doing it for our own organization, too.
The Bridgespan Group published an Election Year Toolkit earlier this year with some amazing resources for nonprofit scenario planning and preparation for a new political administration. Most of it still holds true; the only difference is that now we (mostly) know which scenario is about to become the reality. While we can’t predict all the ways in which a Trump administration and Republican senate will impact our individual organizations or the sector as a whole, we can ask important questions like these, and recalibrate our organizations’ strategic plans accordingly:
- To what extent might communities or populations we work with be differentially impacted by the election results?
- Are there parts of our work (e.g., direct service, policy/advocacy, technical assistance) for which the strategy/approach/goals may have to significantly shift?
- Does the field (e.g., reproductive health, racial equity, environmental issues, LGBTQ) you work in face potential policy impacts that may create restrictions to how/where your organization can work?
- Would there be an impact on those we partner with and/or those who the people we serve rely upon?
- To what extent might there be an impact on our organization’s ability to maintain its core operations?
- Are there individuals on our team who might be differentially impacted and who will need additional support?
- Will this election outcome have a differential impact on leadership and the time they will need to plan for and execute shifts?
- How reliant is our organization on public funding, and to what extent could the election result impact the public funding that is available?
- How concentrated are our sources of philanthropic funding, and to what extent might these be impacted?
- If our organization has significant earned revenue, to what extent might there be an impact either on demand or ability/willingness to pay for your services?
Bridgespan also has followup questions to consider and potential actions to take related to each of these questions here.
Let me be clear: I don’t advocate for throwing your strategic plan out the window just because a different person will be sitting behind the Resolute Desk come January. But I do encourage you to reevaluate and recalibrate after having thoughtful conversations about questions like these with your staff and stakeholders.
Learn about the issues at stake for the sector as a whole, and get involved in advocacy if you can
Beyond your individual organization and mission area, there are a whole host of sector-wide issues at stake as the new administration takes over. For example, when Congress rewrites the federal tax code next year, a decision will need to be made about whether all Americans should be able to get a tax deduction for their charitable giving. Currently, that deduction is only available to the 1 in 10 Americans who itemize their taxes, which disincentives charitable giving from everyday donors. Congress will also have the opportunity to decide whether to give nonprofit employees access to the same existing federal tax incentives available to for-profit employees (such as the Employer-Provided Childcare Tax Credit and Employer Credit for Family and Medical Leave). It also remains to be seen whether Trump will give any one of the many qualified candidates from the nonprofit sector a seat at the table in his administration to help guide decisions of critical importance to our sector, which is the third largest employment industry in the country.
I know it can feel hard to find the time to learn about and get involved in these sector-wide issues amidst the daily demands of your job, but Independent Sector is doing some amazing work to lighten the load. In the coming weeks, let’s spend a few minutes to learn more about the policies at stake for the sector here, and then sign pledges and write letters to lawmakers about the ones that matter most to us here.
Be a light
Yes, there is a lot of work to do. There will be big problems to tackle, seemingly insurmountable challenges to overcome. It’s heavy. But we can’t let it steal our joy or cast a dark shadow on our lives, at least not for too long. The small things we do in our day-to-day lives and how how we show up in the world…these things really matter. So let’s call our friends to check in. Let’s thank our kids’ teachers. Let’s donate to some local organizations we care about. Let’s wave to our neighbors even if we’re pretty sure they voted for a different candidate than we did. We’ve gotta start somewhere.
Want to connect? Me too. Reach out to alyssa@prosper-strategies.com and we’ll find some time to chat.
