Four steps to assess risk and language in our heartbreaking times
How are you? It is so incredibly difficult right now. Bearing witness to the level of destructiveness, corruption, and cruelty that we’re seeing with the hostile takeover of the US government at the Federal level is a daily gut punch.
The pressure we’re under now
If you’re a human being, I imagine that your practices for resilient leadership are being tested. Some days I wonder whether our brains and our hearts were built to absorb so much enraging, discouraging news.
Watching videos of white men grabbing and kidnapping People of Color (and white women judges and a Black male mayor) with no due process and no legitimate justification, I am scared for each of us. They resonate with the events of my people’s history in Nazi Germany. I am also resolved to use the privilege I have in this society as a white, Jewish woman to keep taking action to create safety, love, and healing for all people.
All of this is to say: Each of us who envisions building a society in which all people can thrive are under tremendous pressure right now. Some of the pressure comes from the emotional dimension of the cruelty, violence, and hate that the MAGA leadership continues spewing. Some of the pressure comes from the financial pressure and uncertainty that we’re under as individuals and organizations, given (the ridiculous!) tariffs, concerns about a recession, cuts in federal grant funding, and overall attack on the civil sector and nonprofits.
ID: person with pink pants and orange jacket balancing on a tightrope, holding a light green stick to balance.
Questions about changing messaging or strategies
We are receiving questions from clients about how to go forward now. Specifically, we are hearing that, given the attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Federal level, some organizations are feeling pressure to change their messaging or strategies.
Shifts in language and priorities - at least on paper
We reached out to colleagues around the country, who agreed that organizations around the country are feeling pressure to shift the focus of their work - at least on paper. One colleague who runs a large East Coast-based consulting firm explains, “We are seeing 1) total language walk-backs (rewriting of even internally-facing strategic plans) to be in line with Executive Orders, and, 2) Total refusal to shift. Basically, it appears to be a risk calculation based on the amount of federal funding received and the remaining work of the organization – if that funding were to be cut completely.”
In other words, some nonprofit organizations are shifting their language -- at least externally -- out of concerns for loss of funding.
If your organization is being attacked, get louder
The Ross Collective advises our clients to hold on to values. Your values can be a beacon for others who support your work and want to see those values put into the world.
It’s important to state that organizations that serve people under direct attack by the Federal government (which is millions of people at this point!) don’t have the option for language changes.
If your organization is being defunded or attacked right now, get louder. Here are examples:
Our client Youth ALIVE! lost several million dollars in funding last month due to Federal grant funding cuts for Community Violence Intervention. Youth ALIVE! staff and board members hosted a press conference alongside other violence intervention organizations to amplify the value of their work and the destructiveness of these funding cuts, leading to multiple stories in local media.
Northern California Science Museum Lawrence Hall of Science shared that they have lost nine Federal grants totally $6 Million dollars, explaining that, “these terminations will impact several programs that serve schools, families, community-based organizations, and educators both in Northern California and nationwide,...and will have long-term impacts on critical research and dissemination activities designed to advance Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.”
The Greater Good Science Center recently shared How Research Cuts Are Hurting the Science of a Meaningful Life - in other words, letting their supporters know that Federal cuts are an attack on their work and values.
Determining your level of risk and exposure
If your mission is less explicitly focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, LQBTQ rights, or immigrant rights, you may be feeling pressure to shift your language and exposure.
If you are thinking about shifting your language, here are four steps to get more clarity:
Share your concerns with current funders and ask for their advice. Don’t make assumptions about funding changes.
Spend the next few weeks on a data finding mission -- talk to your local association, colleagues, funders, and legal experts so you can have a more precise and data driven reason for proposing any changes rather than basing it on a vague fear about funding being limited.
Know that larger economic uncertainty may impact funding, especially for corporate funders. If a past grant hasn’t come in yet, clarify the reason for this.
Strengthen relationships with private funders who are aligned with your work.
According to fundraising consultant Ruth Richerson, “What I am seeing is that progressive funders are still "in"....it's the ones who were never that committed that are shifting. Changing words isn't going to make a fundamental misalignment go away.“
Reach out to build alignment
As always, we’re here to help! Whether that is by assessing your values, aligning them to the future of your organization, strategic planning for the shifts of the government, finding ways of getting louder, or simply being a sounding board for the ideas that you have for this new day and age, we can find ways to assist. The Ross Collective is currently working on strategic plans for several incredible organizations and planning board and leadership retreats for a few others. We have a bit of capacity open for Summer and Fall. Reach out and let’s talk about your needs.