Ten Reasons for Hope

Image description: Roses in Portland’s Penninsula Park last weekend.

The class I have been teaching at Seattle University, Nonprofit Planning & Evaluation, wrapped up last night. Our topic was leading in uncertain times, and how planning needs to be adapted to ensure that organizations remain nimble enough to navigate the massive change we are seeing these days. We had some good discussion, and a lot of it focused on the challenges facing nonprofits right now. Here are these future leaders earning a Master of Nonprofit Leadership, and it must feel heavy and countercultural to be doing so at this time. So, during the 10-minute break, I listed out some things that make me hopeful about our collective future. I shared them with the class as we closed, and here they are:

Disruption brings innovation. We need evolution beyond the nonprofit industrial complex and our standard approaches to management and social change, which are insufficient in terms of sustainability and equity. Maybe this disruption can usher in big changes to the way nonprofits do business.

Philanthropy practices are being scrutinized. There are more and louder critiques of organized philanthropy than ever before. I am optimistic that this will result in improved practices and stronger regulation (though not at the speed I would like to see).

Mutual aid, community care, and other grassroots efforts to build stronger community are happening. The way Minneapolis residents banded together to protest and offer practical support to neighbors during the ICE invasion of their city was inspiring.

Nonprofits are still the most trusted institutions. Research confirms that nonprofits are more trusted than corporations, government, or philanthropic institutions. We can be influential thanks to the trust people have in us.

Nonprofits are sustaining communities. We respond impressively when SNAP benefits are about to be cut, when there is a massive flood, and when individuals experience personal crises. We are getting it done.

We are achieving advocacy victories. Some nonprofits get it that the best way to put themselves out of business is to shift public policy to benefit the people they currently serve. I hear all the time about policy changes that I know are driven by passionate nonprofit advocacy.

We are better employers. Compared head-to-head with private companies providing similar services (such as nursing homes and charter schools), nonprofits have better pay and benefits (and better outcomes).

Nonprofits drive progress. Whether it is scientific research happening at nonprofit universities or housing organizations creating permanently affordable workforce housing, or countless other arenas, nonprofits are getting amazing work done.

Our roots in community make us resilient and relevant. Nonprofits are grounded by our relationships in local communities, and we have a network of support because of those relationships. This makes us harder to uproot and more likely to offer the right services to match community needs.

A new generation of leaders is coming and will change how nonprofits operate. We know that future generations have different ideas about leadership, managing people, and getting things done. I welcome their new energy and look forward to seeing what my students and others like them will do.

That’s what I came up with in 10 minutes. Let’s keep up the great work and remind ourselves of all the good that is happening. Have a great day!