What’s Next for Nonprofits? Let’s Talk Strategy, Sanity, and Superpowers

The nonprofit world has been riding a rollercoaster that none of us signed up for.

And right now, most of us are ready to hurl the corn dogs we chowed down on before we got on. We are understandably angry, scared, and worried about what the federal budget will mean for the people we serve and the causes we are working so damn hard to advance.

There is a calculated strategy in place to make us feel isolated and helpless, which is far from the truth. Don’t forget: there are millions of people who rely on our work, champion it, and believe in what we are trying to accomplish.

And because we’re fighters, we’re going to keep doing what we do which is trying to improve our corner of the world in the best way we know how.     

Here’s the good news: what’s next doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, it can be downright rewarding if we’re willing to think differently.

1. Develop Unprecedented Actions to Meet the Moment

What is happening to nonprofits is unprecedented which is why it calls on us to develop whole new ways of doing our work. 

For eons most of us have been operating with far fewer resources than we need. Yet, we’ve managed to do good work because we’ve figured out how to stretch a dollar 17 ways.

Now we’ve got to rethink many of our practices.

To do that well, brainstorm collaboratively with your board and staff, enlist new voices from inside and outside of your organization, and be open to new ways of doing things.   

2. Think About What You Can Give as Well as What You Need.

Whether it’s shared services, shared spaces, joint programming, or advocacy coalitions, the future belongs to nonprofits that know how to draw on each other’s strengths.

And guess what? There are for-profits that want to support your work by donating space and services. Thinking and working in silos isn’t going to get us where we need to go.

In times of scarcity, we need to make banquets out of pot-lucks where everyone brings a little delicious something to the table.

3. Embrace Advocacy (Yes, YOU!)

No, you don’t have to become a lobbyist. But if your mission is being undermined by bad policy or broken systems, staying silent isn’t an option.

Advocacy is not a luxury—it’s a responsibility. And guess what? It’s not as hard as you think. (Shameless plug: check out The Empowered Citizens Guide for a step-by-step roadmap.)

While you’re at it, don’t forget to register people to vote. Elections count!

4. Nurture Yourself and Others

You can’t pour from an empty cup. If you’re a nonprofit leader, your organization’s future depends on your ability to think clearly, act boldly, and stay sane.

That means making sure you have genuine peer support, that you take time off to take care of yourself, and that your staff feel supported and take time off too.

This work has always been hard and it’s going to get harder.

The Future Is What We Make It

Nonprofits are the soul of our communities. We tackle the problems no one else will. But to keep doing that work we need to evolve. That means being strategic, being brave, and remembering that change doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because people like you make it happen.

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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