As you are reading this, I am on vacation. I feel a need for warmth in January and a need to reboot for the New Year. I feel lucky for this opportunity. So as I write this post in mid-December, I am thinking about what you might need to hear from me a month from now.
This does not feel like a difficult task.
How can that be, Joan? There is so much we do not know.
True. That said, a new administration in Washington has ripple effects in every nook and cranny of society and I believe we have to be ready for the strong possibility that the nonprofit sector is going to experience massive turbulence.
As I consider the new year, I believe each and every one of us needs similar arrows in our quiver. So let me get right to it.
For each arrow, you’ll find a need followed by a few resources to help you.
EMBRACE THE UNCERTAINTY
This is hard for high-performing, overachievers who are compelled to get As on their book reports. I see this all the time. It’s one of the reasons that nonprofits get so messy and why I focus on the E.D. / Board Chair relationship. Two high-performing deciders have to be co-pilots and embrace the uncertainty that comes with sharing leadership.
The year 2025 will be filled to the brim with difficult conversations. Maybe you will need to navigate a relationship with a Gen Z employee and embrace the uncertainty about where power truly rests in your organization. Or what we even mean by “power”…
Maybe your board will feel pressure to lean away from diversity initiatives as Supreme Court decisions and those new to positions of authority take different positions on issues…. Maybe it’s a dinner party with relatives who feel very differently about issues than you do….
Here are two resources I believe you will find valuable – one is a podcast, and one is a book:
- Productive Conversations in Polarizing Conflicts
- Difficult Conversations by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen
RAISE YOUR GAZE
When I was an executive director at GLAAD, I kept my organizational glasses on all the time. I kept abreast of what was happening in the LGBT community. I spoke to fellow leaders around the country and when I could, I read what we called in those days ‘the gay press.’ Those were the two bubbles I spent time in during my tenure as a nonprofit leader.
You are in a very similar situation. Most of your time is spent in the organizational bubble, right? And when you can, you spend time in your sector bubble — you connect with colleagues in your community or in your sector. And “when you can” often means “so not often enough.”
As we head into the new unchartered territory and potentially turbulent waters of a new administration in Washington, you as a nonprofit leader will need to spend real time outside your organizational bubble.
Try this:
SET NEW GOOGLE ALERTS
This is easy and helpful. You may have at least one set for your organization appearing in the press. Think bigger. I for one would set up a Google alert right now for “HR 9495” because we need our eyes wide open in 2025. Work with your team to come up with some smart buzzwords based on what is important for your mission.
SUBSCRIBE AND READ ONE SECTOR TRADE PUBLICATION REGULARLY
I spent 20 minutes reading the old-fashioned hard copy of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. I found myself wishing that every E.D. and board chair would do the same thing. I can say the same thing about The Nonprofit Times. These two publications offer you timely insights, new ways of thinking, and information from the voices of journalists who seek out diverse voices – this will be vital fuel for smart decision-making.
FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS AND BE READY
I have a fear of flying and often try to ignore the flight attendant’s emergency instructions. This year, you need to protect your organization in the best way you can for the changes that could be seriously challenging. And don’t just look at the organization, look in the mirror. It is essential that you continue to build your leadership and management skills.
Here are a few suggestions:
DEVELOP OR UPDATE A RECENT SWOT ANALYSIS
Do this exercise with a subset of the board and staff in the first quarter in light of what you are learning about possible IRS changes, and possible legislative changes, in order to tighten up challenging areas and look at how you can lean into your strengths.
INVEST IN YOUR OWN ABILITY TO LEAD AND MANAGE WELL.
I am not saying this because I am a coach or the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab. Well, maybe I am because I see that having access to thought partners and resources helps leaders build and exercise important muscles. This is even more important when there is heavy lifting to do. Investments like these pay dividends. So too do resources like Stanford Social Innovation Review and Harvard Business Review.
REMEMBER WHY YOU CAME
My wife and I exercise 2-3 times a week. Our not-so-funny joke is so that we can “just keep moving and don’t fall down”.
I’ve learned that it is all about my core. The origin story of your organization is your core. And the best way to remind yourself of the core? Read the cover letter you wrote when you were clear that you wanted to do this work and this organization.
Hope you find some of these resources helpful. You can count on me and my entire team to continue to think about ways we can support you as a leader and the nonprofit sector.
