A mass uprising is needed. Our sector has a vital role to play.

I know everyone has been on edge, anticipating the Executive Orders that are coming this week, possibly even today, that are targeted to devastate the nonprofit sector, including targeting climate-focused organizations, punishing organizations that fund or do work abroad, revoking the tax status of organizations like Harvard that refuse to comply with the administration’s ideology, and designating certain organizations as terrorist organizations.

The attacks are strategic, designed to overwhelm and exhaust us all so we can’t fight back against the horrible things this fascist administration is doing, including the planned gutting of Head Start, a vital resource for hundreds of thousands of low-income families.  

The actions of this administration are unlawful, as this helpful document from the National Council of Nonprofits shows. It has no authority to limit what types of orgs are eligible for 501c3 status, nor does the president have authority to order the IRS to revoke the c3 status of specific nonprofits, nor does the IRS have the authority to remove nonprofits of its status without due process.

Of course, none of that matters when we’re dealing with a dictator, one who has suggested deporting US citizens to torture camps abroad and who has ignored even the unanimous ruling of the Supreme Court.

Last week, I read this article from conservative pundit David Brooks, titled “What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That is Not Normal,” where he calls for “a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one coordinated mass movement.”

Meanwhile, in this hopeful article, researcher Erica Chenoweth discovers throughout history that it takes only around 3.5% of the population engaged in protests for significant political change to happen. In the US, that would mean about 11 million people, or twice the population of New York City. That’s a large number, but not outside the bounds of what’s achievable.

This is an area that our sector could play a pivotal role in, if we are organized and focused. To do that, we need to get a few things into place:

1. Get ready for rapid actions: One of the complaints we often hear is that nonprofits are too siloed. I’m glad to see our national organizations like NCN taking on leadership roles to coordinate the sector. All of us should be ready to act immediately once it’s called upon.
2. Be prepared to close your office temporarily if needed: Rapid actions may require nonprofits to quickly close their offices for a day or longer. Have plans in place should that happen. A Day Without Nonprofit, for example, is something we should consider doing, where all nonprofits close on a particular day to demonstrate what happens when nonprofits aren’t there.
3. Be ready to support one another: If ICE shows up at a partner org and they send out an SOS, neighboring nonprofits must step in. If they remove the tax status of one org, other orgs must raise hell. Our strengths are in our numbers; let’s get ready to mutually support one another.
4. Get our donors and communities ready: I know some organizations have been trying to avoid freaking out their donors, clients, and community members. But chances are, they’re already very freaked out, and knowing that you are fighting against this administration and are thinking of contingency plans, will make people feel better and be more ready when we take coordinated actions.
5. Name things as they are: In this post by Dr. Otis Fulton, he urges us all to call out fascism. We need to stop using euphemisms. “Let’s stop tiptoeing. This is ‘polarization.” It’s not a ‘culture war.’ It’s fascism.”
6. Care for one another: Everyone is on edge. Nonprofits need to look out for their team members. Provide generous PTO, mental health days, and so on. Let’s check in on one another and spend time together in community. Remember that joy is also resistance.

For funders specifically:

1. Move money faster and with fewer restrictions: I will say it again, all funding needs to be general operating. There’s no excuse for restricted funds. And no one has time to wait months anymore; fund faster, within weeks.
2. Fund organizing and resistance work explicitly. We need funding for community organizing, digital security, narrative and messaging, legal defense and bail funds for when protestors get arrested, among other things.
3. Protect and support grantees under attack: Use your voice and status to stand with grantees publicly when they are attacked. You have a lot more resources, including legal teams. Use them to defend nonprofits as they cause good trouble.
4. Fund beyond orgs with tax status: Fund individuals, movements, mutual assistance organizations, and so on. Especially if more organizations are going to lose tax status, you will need to stop being so squeamish about funding alternative structures.
5. Fund the arts, joy, healing: Movements don’t last without care and support. Fund wellness programs, healing work, spaces for rest and connection. Fund the arts; we need the arts to maintain our morale and vision so we can keep fighting.
6. Increase your payout rate: I’ll keep hammering this point until my fingers bleed on my keyboard, but your endowments mean nothing when our society falls to fascism. Increase your payout rates and be on the right side of history.

Let me know in the comments what other actions we should be taking in preparation.

Our sector has always played a vital role in holding this country to its ideals. We are powerful, and that’s why we’re getting attacked, because they’re afraid of us. This moment calls for us to do something even bigger than the awesome work we’ve been doing, and that is to save democracy itself. If 3.5% is all it takes, then let’s get to work mobilizing that 3.5%. This fascist administration is counting on us to be scared, demoralized, and disorganized. Let’s prove them entirely wrong!