How Thinking Small Can Help Nonprofits Weather a Giving Drought

“Trump’s gotta get past all of us.” That’s what Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, vowed the day after the US presidential election, according to The New York Times.

Of responses like Romero’s the Times also wrote, “That bravado masks uncertainty.”

The worries surrounding a second Trump administration include what new policies will be proposed, what environmental and human rights safeguards could be challenged, and how higher courts filled with Trump-appointed judges will factor in.

Some experts are concerned that a repeat Trump administration will have learned from the mistakes made the first time in office. A Republican agenda dramatically upheaving foreign policy, national security, and domestic matters could be escalated.

It’s hard to know how to reach donors when every plea they receive is urgent.And this time around, how are nonprofits going to pay for the work they do supporting social justice and fighting challenges to the planet and its people, all while being even more directly threatened?

As the second Trump turn in office looms, The New York Times wrote, “Nonprofits are finding that some supporters are not energized by another round of ‘resistance.’ Instead they have been left exhausted, wondering whether their donations made any difference.”

“The response from donors has been shock, anger and depression, sprinkled in with a few checks,” Vincent Warren, the executive director of the nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights, told the paper.

This election season comes during giving season, the last two months of the year when charitable giving is usually at an all-time high.

So, how will the results impact the giving season this year? How are nonprofits coping with the future of funding, and how could the advice to “think locally” be applied to environmental and climate justice nonprofits in the shadow of Trump?

A Climate of Great Need

A second Trump administration arrives at a precarious moment for the planet. Storms are increasing in number, variety, and severity across the globe, and the worldwide temperature is poised to blow past the 1.5C increase cap determined by the 2015 Paris Agreement—if it hasn’t risen past that number already.

While the Democratic National Convention had extensive proposals for combating the climate crisis, the Republican National Convention offered only 16 pages on climate compared to the DNC’s 80 pages. And with an incoming president who openly ignores basic scientific facts, has called climate change a hoax, and strongly supports the fossil fuel industry, climate experts and activists are bracing for legal fights to protect the environment and uphold industry regulations. All that costs money.

Increasingly, young people are fighting in court for climate protection, education, policy, and for curbing pollution—and they are winning—but, again, youth leaders need financial support and mentorship to mount their cases. A new Trump administration means even more costly climate litigation.

Look to the Community

Now is the time to get to know your community and to be responsive to their specific and stated needs.

With challenges expected to virtually every environmental protection President Biden signed into law—including the Inflation Reduction Act—even donors who care deeply for climate justice may be weary, their dollars stretched too thin and their attentions divided. It’s hard to know how to reach donors when every plea they receive is urgent.

In this case, nonprofits may be wise to take clues from local and grassroots groups.

As NPQ reported shortly after the election, “While national and global climate groups are bracing for the environmental fight of our lives, regional and community-based nonprofits and grassroots groups have also been doing the work….Acting locally is important as states and local governments also need to cut pollution and enact policies to strengthen the environment.”

And for donors concerned about climate justice, “People looking to help and make an impact could contribute both financially and with in-person support to smaller organizations in their community.”

That advice applies to nonprofits looking for help as well. Now is the time to get to know your community and to be responsive to their specific and stated needs. “Community engagement is crucial for the sustainability and success of any nonprofit organization,” according to Philanthropy Miami.

Such support will only become more crucial in the coming years, with increased uncertainty about the future of large environmental guards such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If Trump goes after the EPA, as is expected, state and local groups will be urgently needed to hold the line against pollution, emissions, and other environmental dangers.

Small Projects, Big Impacts

Donors may feel fatigued or overwhelmed by general climate concerns, especially at a time when so much is threatened simultaneously. As the World Resources Institute wrote, “The potential negative repercussions for climate and environmental action are gargantuan.”

However, the projects don’t have to be huge—and often, small initiatives have the most momentum and community interest.

Yale Climate Connections recommends that potential donors identify their “climate action focus” by “zeroing in on the specific areas that spark their passion,” from climate justice to curbing pollution and from community climate resilience to sustainability. This underscores the importance of highlighting specific projects and goals for nonprofits.

A focused project to curb pollution in one neighborhood, bring green space to an underserved area, or send youth to a climate conference or leadership training might have more success. Donors can see their dollars at work, and community members can mark the daily progress in their own neighborhoods.

“Small, steady contributions help drive big-picture progress,” according to Yale Climate Connections.

Writer and environmentalist Rebecca Solnit echoed this sentiment in a post after the election: “The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.”