How do you fight and lead for change during scary times?

Today I’m writing about something that’s not fundraising or nonprofit marketing strategy per se. It’s more about how to have hope – and take action – during times that may feel hopeless.

For most of us, we’ve perhaps never been in more perilous times during our lifetimes.

For a host of reasons.

And it’s not just in the United States. The world has been veering towards more authoritarian, less egalitarian, rule for a while now. Existential risks are all around us. If it’s not democracy or civil rights on the line, it’s depletion of the ozone, global warming and the food supply chain. Or it’s pandemics and chronic disease. And, depending on what side you’re on – the culture with which you most identify – the answers to addressing those risks may be different. Whatever they are, I’ll wager you find them daunting.

I hear so many people say things like:

• What can I really do?
• My action will be a drop in a bucket.
• I’m afraid to make waves.
• Maybe I should sit this one out.
• I fear alienating folks.
• I could get myself (organization) into trouble.

These responses are understandable. They’re part of our normal human response to perceived danger. Either fight, flight, freeze or fawn. Fleeing or freezing may seem “safe,” but are they really? And for whom? And for how long? Fawning – trying to please someone to avoid conflict (common in cases of abuse) – can be downright dangerous, leading to loss of your own sense of identity.

If something is an existential danger, you have to fight.

You may not know if the fight will win the war, but you’ll definitely lose if you don’t try.

And maybe you’ll win the battle. [Did you know George Washington lost more battles than he won? Didn’t matter. He’s famous for winning the war.] Winning battles can be a very good thing, especially if you choose your battles carefully. Do you see an existential danger? Are you open to the fight?

INSIGHT: We know from Daniel Kahneman and other researchers in behavioral economics that fear of loss weighs heavier than hope of gain. We are cognitively wired to fear loss. Therefore, it can be a huge motivator. Here’s an analogy for you. Amazon’s existential crisis is fear of losing market share. Any market. Even markets they don’t currently own.  Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void notes a pillar of their astronomical success has been the firm’s willingness to take lots of tiny bets, accept the ones that go wrong, and iteratively double down on the winners. In this endeavor, a lot of spaghetti gets thrown against the wall. Some sticks. The point is being open to observation… to experimentation… to change. For them, this openness is a big part of the fight to move the needle into new markets. Patience, and forgiveness, when it doesn’t work is also key.

What does it take to move the needle and be open to the possibility of being a changemaker?

Whether motivated by fear of loss or hope of gain, you’ve got to trust yourself to act.

Trust you’re doing the right thing, and have absolute confidence your beliefs and efforts will prevail. And, if you ever think of not moving forward, consider the alternative of inaction. Losses of all kinds abound, but – some are worse than others.

INSIGHT: As Kenneth Clark said in 1969, the 3 big reasons for the decline of a civilization are: (1) lack of confidence, (2) lack of trust, and the (3) fear of something going wrong. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said in his first inaugural address, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (E.g., fear makes us expect bad things; then we see only bad things; then we get more afraid – and paralyzed). Resist temptation to crawl into a little ball and wallow in your fear.  Risk aversion can be overcome! And one way is through something called expectation bias. If whatever you do to address your fear involves ACTIVELY taking the bull by the horn and positioning it for a positive outcome, you’re more likely to bring that outcome about.

For many of us this is truly a 5-alarm fire moment.

Let’s look at fundraising and marketing for a moment. Whatever your cause, you can bet your donors are thinking about a lot of other things going on in the news.

Things will get in the way of “fundraising as usual.” Elections are around the corner. Climate catastrophes (e.g., heat waves, fires, hurricanes, famine, drought, melting glaciers, dying oceans) abound. People are being asked for emergency donations, both by political parties and nonprofits. They’re torn as to the best ways to put their money to its most effective work in this particularly precarious moment. If there’s a cause that’s important to them, they don’t want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on the good side of history. How can you help them rise to the occasion?

INSIGHT: Take a look at your community values statement. Ask yourself: Am I/are we really living these values in the current moment? How could I/we do a better job? Also think about what’s really scary about your organization’s case for support right now. Are you doing an effective job communicating the fight currently at hand? Or as fundraising writer Mary Cahalane states, Where is your dragon? Who do you need to protect, and what are some active ways you can do this? What good outcome will you actively work towards?

Experiment intelligently, making room for failure and success.

You can use both fear and hope to inspire philanthropy to create good outcomes.

You’ll lose some folks along the way, but you’ll likely gain some new ones. The new ones will be more aligned with your values. They’ll be fighters and leaders themselves.

INSIGHT: Use fear, first, to set forth the impending danger. The black and white problem. The issue that makes someone say either “Yes I’ll help” or “No I won’t.” Then use hope to inspire folks to join in the solution. Enthuse the donor to do something positive to eradicate that which is terrifying. Maybe it’s the end of democracy… deconstruction of the administrative state…  children on the streets… too many undocumented immigrants crossing the border… hunger… the cost of housing, cars, schools and medications…  polluted rivers…  cancer…  a world without music and art and uncensored literature… or???

Begin with hope.

Optimism and hope are often used interchangeably; they’re not.

The former is passive; the latter active. Hope is a state of mind that leads to working for something because it is good.

INSIGHT: Rabbi Ben Sacks, an English religious leader, author and philosopher, noted: “Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue; hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope… Those who hope refuse to be comforted while the hoped-for outcome is not yet reached.” Similar thoughts are contained in the writings of Vaclev Havel, the embattled first President of the Czech Republic: “Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will tum out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”

Things you can do now to make the world a safer, more egalitarian, just place.

Here are a few organizations I trust to help tip the balance towards justice, equity and humanity. You may have others. I’m simply listing these to give folks saying “I don’t know what to do,” “Where should I get involved?,” or “Who can I trust to put my money to good outcomes?” a few points of contact. This is a place to begin when the world – particularly the rule of law and system of checks and balances in the U.S. – is feeling wildly out of whack.  I’m sure you all have others.

Focus for Democracy Action. Focus for Democracy Action (F4D) is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering political donors to make the most impactful contributions possible to strengthen democracy. They rigorously evaluate programs, recommending both non-partisan and partisan strategies to win key elections to protect democratic values and fundamental rights. They review scientific evidence of impact to recommend the most cost-effective, evidence-based programs with the highest impact per dollar spent. Both c (3) and c (4) donations can be made. They usually ask that donations go directly to the organizations they’ve evaluated and recommended, rather than to them directly. You can join an online informational meeting on July 16 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET here.

They recommend:

Accelerate Action. C (4) – non-tax-deductible. Own important social media properties, networks, and influencers to drive messaging on areas of import to these demographics. Reach 33% of Americans/month.  Will reach 45% in key states w/donors’ help. Create videos and stories. Target youth (Gen Z) & voters of color.

Accelerate Change. C (3) — tax-deductible. Target same group as above,

Galvanize USA. C (3) and (4).  Supports women (largest voting bloc in America), particularly in swing states that will win or lose the general election, to use their civic power to create an America that works for everyone.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Strong focus on saving democracy right now. Always a focus on upholding Constitutional rights. If there’s a civil liberty about which you’re concerned, they’re likely in the fight. For more than one hundred years, ACLU lawyers have been at the center of one history-making court case after another, participating in more Supreme Court cases than any other private organization. With attorneys nationwide, they handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated. Both c (3) and c (4).

If you want to tell Congress NO ONE should be above the law,

FreePress. Defend press freedom and net neutrality. Fight at intersection of media and technology, both essential to democracy, assuring they are freely accessible, held accountable and used for justice. C (3).

Here are other charities that advance freedom of the press.

Here are other charities that promote democracy globally

Final thoughts

Are you hearing people say they feel doomed?  I am. Yet, if you think about it, being doomed is connected to a lack of autonomy and power. Instead of passively waiting for the worst to happen, why not use the autonomy you have NOW to make the world a better place? Whatever you do, don’t lose hope. Don’t isolate yourself. Join with your neighbors. Your co-workers. Your family and loved ones. Reflect. Discuss. Reflect some more. Figure out something you can do to make the world a better place – one person, one deed at a time.

Dedicate yourself to goodness and to “philanthropy” — where we come from a place of love (philos) of humankind (anthropos).

If you have other thoughts on how to show up to fight and lead for what you believe is right, feel free to share in the comments below. We’re all in this world together.

Image: My photo of a street sign next to a neighborhood lending library found on a walk in San Francisco 4th of July weekend.