I get it. Nonprofit folks are understandably spooked about what the future holds under the Trump administration. Sure, we’ve gotten lots of clues about the potential fiscal and policy impacts, but the truth is no one really knows how this will play out.
Given the uncertainty, here’s my advice for how to prepare your nonprofit for 2025:
Climb off the ledge of fear
Game out budget scenarios
Raise money like a politician
File the 501 (h) form
Think about how you and your nonprofit engage with others
1. Climb off the ledge of fear
These are undoubtedly scary times. But it’s important to keep it in perspective. This isn’t the first time our country has faced calamity. In 1932 when FDR famously declared “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” 13,000,000 Americans were unemployed – almost 1/4 of the population – and nearly every bank was closed. Take a minute to let that sink in.
Somehow folks climbed out of that deep dark hole and we will too. We need to use our brains to think even more creatively about how we’ll accomplish our work. And, we need to redouble our commitment to the missions we passionately serve. When we lose hope, we’ve lost the ball game.
As Cher said in Moonstruck “snap out of it!” We don’t have time to sulk. We’ve got work to do.
2. Game out budget scenarios
Roll up your sleeves, put on a big pot of coffee, pull out your calculator, and take a look at every nook and cranny of your program and operating budgets. This shouldn’t just be an exercise of “what if” the funding disappears. It should be a real examination of how you operate.
Are there ways we could save money by collaborating with other organizations?
Are there programs we’re running that don’t pencil out?
What are some alternative ways of raising money to support our work?
Whatever you do though, please don’t start with a plan to reduce salaries or benefits for workers. If you read my last blog, you already know that 1 in 5 nonprofit staff are already earning subpar wages.
Budget planning like this isn’t easy and it isn’t a one-and-done exercise. It will involve intensive discussions about values and priorities at the board and staff level that will deepen as the picture unfolds over the coming months and years.
2. Raise money like a politician
One thing that struck me about the recent presidential election was how much money was raised from small donors – regular people who felt compelled to support a candidate because it was THAT important to them. They gave online, bought swag, and were proud to have made a contribution. $5, $10, $25 may not seem like a lot, but it can add up. Equally, if not more important, it creates a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself.
Too often, nonprofits look to the big boys – private foundations, high viz major donors, etc. – for support and neglect regular folks who are just waiting to deepen their connection with the organization. People who have been helped really want to give back because they know what the help has meant to them.
4. File the 501 (h) form
If your nonprofit hasn’t been involved in public policy work, and yes, I mean directly lobbying elected officials – now is the time. It’s EASY, doesn’t cost much (especially if you’re not traveling to meet with legislators), and yields tremendous benefits. Filing the 501 (h) – which you can do online in a nanosecond – will ensure that your organization can legally lobby without worrying about the consequences. You can learn more by watching these free, easy-to-understand videos.
5. Think about how you engage with others
Post-election, I am disheartened in the extreme by the extent to which people are “othering” one another. I believe that we have much more in common than we think in terms of our vision for America, we just need to clearly communicate our shared values. That means opening our hearts and minds to neighbors (including mine across the street) and friends (yup, I’ve got those too) who voted differently than I did. It also means, for example, listening really deeply to what people in power are in favor of – the principles they espouse – and finding commonality with what they say and the work we’re trying to accomplish. Can we package what we’re doing in a way that matches their interests? Can we devise new strategies that incorporate their language?
Broadening our communication strategy will go a long way towards strengthening our organizations. Click here, if you’d like to read more on this topic.
Finally, as we enter 2025, please remember WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! There is strength in the multitude of do-gooders who want to make the world a better place. And we will.
Pat
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Pat Libby is a change management consultant working principally with nonprofit corporations. She is author of The Empowered Citizens Guide: 10 Steps to Passing a Law that Matters to You, Oxford University Press, The Lobbying Strategy Handbook, second edition, Oxford University Press, and Cases in Nonprofit Management, SAGE. She has served as an academic, senior executive, board member, and consultant to innumerable nonprofit organizations and foundations for more than three decades.
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