7 ways for nonprofits to thrive, not just survive the rest of 2025
For many nonprofit leaders, the first half of 2025 has been hard. Under the Trump administration, the sector has been rocked by not just political, economic and regulatory uncertainty but the direct loss of federal nonprofit funding many organizations rely on to survive.
While organizations are undoubtedly feeling the pressure, take heart. Not only is there a way forward, but the challenges you’re facing also represent an opportunity to reshape your nonprofit to be stronger, nimbler and more financially sustainable by year’s end.
However, doing this will take decisive action rather than simply hoping the chaos blows over. Keep reading to learn seven specific steps nonprofits can take to thrive in the rest of 2025.
1. Accept what is
In recent months, the ground seems to be shifting under institutions and norms that have shaped society for generations. For nonprofit leaders, it’s vital that, rather than getting too caught up in all the uncertainty, you practice accepting what is — what’s happening here and now, along with what you can and can’t do about it.
You might influence policy, but it’s hard to control it. And unfortunately, much of what’s been done won’t be undone. What you do have, though, is a powerful tool for good: the ability to assess your organization’s changing circumstances and take action to move forward.
So don’t lose sleep over the stuff that’s out of your hands and instead, put your energy toward taking useful action where you’re able. That’s how you really can make a difference.
2. Choose to thrive
As a part of accepting the circumstances of today, it’s important to make the conscious decision to thrive even in the face of obstacles. Successful leaders see challenges as an opportunity to make an organization stronger.
This isn’t always easy to do. But the more you choose to focus on how you can take the next action to move through challenges rather than getting caught up in them, the more it will become a habit.
Consider working with an executive coach to help you. As a leader, you may feel pressure to have all the answers, but no one does. Working with a coach can give you an advisor, a confidant and a valuable source of insight.
3. Plan your strategy
The best mindset in the world still needs to be backed up with deliberate, intentional planning and action. One of the most effective ways you can support your organization’s success is by gathering your executive team and board for a deep dive into your strategic plan.
If you’re struggling to keep your organization afloat, taking a half-day or longer to focus on the big picture might feel indulgent. But it’s actually an essential step in giving yourself a plan to stop drowning and start swimming.
During your strategic planning session, you need to ask two questions to help you chart a course for the rest of 2025:
- What does thriving look like for our organization on December 31?
- What hurdles do we need to overcome to get there?
Be intentional and honest in considering these questions. Think about what’s possible, along with the resources and teams needed to achieve it.
It can also be helpful to bring in a facilitator to make sure this conversation stays focused. A neutral third party can often cut through disagreements or find a solution to disparate points of view more easily than your own leadership can.
4. Prioritize your team’s well-being
If you’re feeling stressed out about the state of things, it’s likely the rest of the people in your organization are too. And if your people aren’t right, it doesn’t matter how great your plan is — you won’t be able to pull it off.
As a leader, you need to place the health and well-being of your team first. Many team members are facing their own fear and doubt, and it’s your job to do what you can to raise their spirits.
- Check in with team members. Ask: How are you doing?
- Plan intentional opportunities for fun and bonding to give everyone a break.
- Advocate for self-care. If someone needs a day off, they should be able to take it.
- Do quick pulse surveys to take the temperature of the organization at a given time.
- Ask yourself: What can I do to infuse positive energy into the team? What can I do to foster an uplifting culture?
Doing something as simple as saying, “No, today isn’t easy, but we’re going to get through it,” can make a difference.
5. Embrace change
Your organization is going to have to change in order to thrive in 2025. Don’t run from that — embrace it.
Focus on communication as much as possible. Rather than ignoring what’s happening, tell your people that:
- Change is inevitable.
- Here’s what’s going on.
- Here’s how we can proactively address it.
Remember: Being proactive is empowering. By offering your team ways in which they can generate forward momentum, you’re helping to give them confidence.
As you communicate with your team, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Honesty and vulnerability are essential qualities for communicating during uncertainty. You’ll do more to reassure your people by admitting that the circumstances before you are hard for you too, than by pretending to be unaffected.
Finally, consider how you communicate. You don’t have to unpack everything with your team all at once. Try consistent, regular sharing of bite-sized information so that everyone is better able to absorb changes as they occur.
6. Diversify funding sources
Many nonprofits rely heavily on government funding. In many cases, that’s going away, which means it’s imperative that your nonprofit begin diversifying its funding sources.
To succeed, you may have to do something uncomfortable: Begin to think of your nonprofit as a business. This might feel like a conflict with your service-oriented mission, but the reality is that you can’t fulfill your mission if you’re broke.
- Take a look at your revenue model and start to think about how you might infuse more revenue. For example, where could you charge for services you already provide?
- What expertise does your nonprofit have that other nonprofits or institutions might hire you for? You might leverage this expertise to create services, content or products.
- Explore sources of grant funding for nonprofits beyond the federal government. Who else is writing big checks?
- If you don’t already fundraise from smaller donors, look into whether that makes sense. The competition for donor dollars will likely only increase, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the potential revenue stream entirely.
Whatever solutions you land on, diversity is key. You never want to have all of your revenue coming from one place.
7. Leverage technology
Technology can provide much-needed support for critical functions, from reporting and compliance to financial planning and evaluating services.
As part of your strategic planning, assess your tech systems. Do you have a robust tech plan in place? Are your systems delivering what you need?
Technology-related obstacles for nonprofits often include:
- Integration: A major challenge nonprofits face is tech systems that don’t talk to each other. You might have constituent communication systems, HR systems and financial systems, but no central source of truth to bring all your data into one place.
- Staff inexperience: Nonprofits also typically lack IT expertise. If your mission is to provide WIC assistance to families, you probably don’t have in-house knowledge on enterprise platforms to manage all your data.
- Cybersecurity: Data breaches are a growing concern for nonprofits. Everyone is trying to hack everyone, so if you don’t have security measures in place, you increase your risk of a breach that could expose both organizational and constituent data.
- Outdated systems: No, running your nonprofit on Excel spreadsheets does not qualify as a robust tech plan.
Bringing in an advisor with nonprofit technology experience and resources can help you assess your tech needs and upgrade systems to meet the moment.
How Wipfli can help
Wipfli helps nonprofits thrive in the face of challenges. Our team advises nonprofit leaders on how to navigate change, strengthen financials, upgrade systems and improve organizational performance. Learn more here.
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