On Uncertainty and the Power of Grassroots Supporters

If you’re overwhelmed by the flurry of news affecting nonprofits, you’re not alone. I’ve been hearing from many friends and partners wondering how best to navigate rapid shifts.

I’ll offer no predictions about what’s coming next, beyond the resilience of nonprofits and the supporters who believe in your missions. And having been in your shoes before, I can also tell you this: MissionWired is here for organizations that need a partner to help them think creatively and activate supporters to ensure nothing gets in the way of helping the people you’ve made it your mission to help.

For those gathering information around how decisions in Washington will impact your program and looking for support, we recommend the National Council of Nonprofits’ resource page, which shares background, insights, and related actions – including a comprehensive chart tracking the impact of pertinent executive orders. If your organization receives funding from USAID or would be impacted by federal funding freezes, TNPA is requesting information to support their response efforts and is sharing instructions for actions you can take.

In times of uncertainty, grassroots giving becomes even more critical – and it’s already a large share of many nonprofits’ operating budgets. Here’s the good news: Across MissionWired’s integrated agency and other datasets, we found grassroots giving up 18% in January compared with January 2023. Grassroots donors are ready to answer the call and ensure you have what you need to make sure people don’t go hungry, the climate crisis doesn’t worsen dramatically, people don’t go without critical medical care, and opposition to unlawful actions is waged in the courts.

We’re here to help, unequivocally. It’s the reason we exist, and wherever this finds you, we have solutions. Would a conversation around how to approach the uncertainty help? We’re always here for strategic guidance and planning alongside you. Would a creative audit help ensure you’re maximizing your fundraising efforts and not leaving revenue on the table? We’ll work with your team to help find creative solutions so budgets don’t stand in the way of messages that need to be heard. Would broadening your audiences and sharpening your targeting help get your messages heard by the right audiences? Our Digital Co-Op will help you acquire active, known, charitable givers identified because they share characteristics with people already giving to you. In other words, they want to help – they just haven’t found you yet, or you them.

Conversations for nonprofit professionals around how to navigate these difficult times will continue in webinars and at conferences to come, and we’ll be sure to share updates as we have them. Later this month, we’ll be talking more about this subject in our webinar, “What Should Nonprofits Do About Email?”

Whatever way we can, we’re here to support you – let us know how we can be a part of your fight to protect and support your communities.

– Trista Murphy, SVP, MissionWired