How to Stay Relevant—Even If You’re Not Saving Lives

In a world filled with urgent headlines and heart-wrenching crises, it’s easy for fundraisers to wonder if their cause stands a chance of breaking through the noise. Especially when they’re not rescuing animals, feeding hungry people, or fighting the types of injustices leading the news cycle. But relevance isn’t reserved for emergencies.

THINK.

With the right framing, your mission can connect powerfully to the concerns, emotions, and values top-of-mind for people right now. This is important, because the social benefit sector is being called upon like never before to do its job of tipping the scales back into balance and helping people live better lives.

“Better” can mean a host of things.

Your Mission Matters Deeply, Even if it Doesn’t Make Headlines

Take, for example, a local theater company. On the surface, it might not seem urgent compared to causes addressing hunger or disaster relief. But during times of societal stress or upheaval, the arts offer something essential: reflection, connection, and healing. By framing their work as a way to help people process current events, foster dialogue, or simply find joy and escape, the organization can show supporters how their mission meets the emotional and cultural needs of this moment—even if it’s not on the front page.

I’m delighted to share a real-life example I recently received as an email. It’s from the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Playhouse in his periodic newsletter. It is lovely, thoughtful, emotional and deeply resonant. Plus, I love that he asks people for feedback (I sent him some, asking if I could share this letter with you.).

Sacred Space

A Note from the Empathy Gym

Our theatre is a sacred space. A place where hearts are cracked open, souls are stirred, and compassion is not just spoken of, but practiced. The Empathy Gym is not just a clever phrase; it is a spiritual calling. In a time when we are taught to armor up, scroll past pain and judge rather than connect, theatre offers something radical: a return to feeling, a return to each other.

As the poet Mary Oliver wrote, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” And that is what happens here. We sit. We watch. We give our full attention to the life of another. And in that quiet act, something sacred happens: We grow in empathy. We grow in love. At San Francisco Playhouse, the stage becomes an altar, the actors become vessels, the plays, scripture, and the audience a congregation bearing witness. Together, we engage in a ritual as old as humanity: storytelling that transforms.

As Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” And in the theatre, we are invited to feel the wound—of a character, of a culture, of ourselves. And through facing their pain, we find the light. In culture like ours, full of contradiction and complexity, we need this sacred space. Not to escape, but to awaken. Not to be entertained, but to be lifted up.

Theatre’s mission is not merely artistic—it is devotional. It invites us into the work of becoming more whole. More humble. More human. Maya Angelou said, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” That truth lives in every play, every moment of silence, every shared tear and breath inside the Playhouse. So let us honor our space. Let us show up—not just as spectators, but as seekers. Let us take our seat in the Empathy Gym and allow ourselves to be changed. Because in a world so hungry for healing, theatre can be the cure.

Please respond to this email to share your thoughts with me.

All the best,

Bill English, Artistic Director

You Can Always Make Your Case for Support Meet the Moment

Let’s look at a few other types of organizations and how they might frame their case for support to stand out, and resonate, today.

THINK.

Consider a private secondary school that isn’t on the front lines of social or environmental issues. It might seem disconnected from the broader conversations dominating public attention. But when the school highlights how it’s preparing thoughtful, compassionate leaders—or addressing mental health, equity in education, or digital citizenship—it taps into urgent societal themes. By connecting its mission to the kind of future we all want to build, the school can show donors that investing in students today is a powerful way to shape tomorrow.

Now think about a nonprofit focused on wellness—say, promoting better sleep, nutrition, or managing stress. It may not be treating trauma or curing disease, but its mission still touches lives in meaningful ways. In a time when burnout, anxiety, and chronic conditions are rising, this kind of work addresses the quieter health crises affecting millions. By connecting their impact to mental health, productivity, or quality of life, these organizations can show supporters that prevention, balance, and long-term wellbeing are vital – now and always.

Imagine an environmental nonprofit focused on native plant restoration or urban tree canopy growth. It’s not battling wildfires or leading climate marches, but its work is still critical. These quieter environmental efforts contribute to cleaner air, biodiversity, and long-term climate resilience—issues that are deeply relevant, even if they don’t dominate breaking news. By framing their mission around community health, environmental justice, and sustainable futures, these organizations can draw a powerful connection between their work and the challenges people care about today.

Talking Points: How to Stay Relevant Without Being in Crisis

Here are some suggestions for tailoring your messaging to better emphasize how your mission contributes to solutions people care about—resilience, healing, education, equity, joy, or belonging – today and tomorrow.

1. Reframe Relevance

• Emphasize how your mission makes meaningful impact, meeting present-day needs and building long-term resilience.
• Example: “We may not be on the front lines of a crisis, but our work strengthens the wellbeing of communities every day—and lays the foundation for a better future.”

2. Tie Your Work to Today’s Headlines

• Use current events as a backdrop to show why your cause matters now.
• Example: “While headlines focus on division and isolation, our organization is creating space for connection, creativity, and renewal.”

3. Lead With Impact, Not Urgency

• Highlight lasting outcomes: educated students, healthier lifestyles, stronger neighborhoods, sustained ecosystems, heightened empathy.

• Example: “Educated students become informed citizens, creative thinkers, and compassionate leaders—our work shapes the people who will shape tomorrow.”

4. Tell Stories That Show Emotional Truth

• Share personal stories that reflect how your mission touches real lives—even in subtle ways.
• Example: “Thanks to you, a young person will leave the theater not just entertained, but empowered—with new friends and a broader view of the world around them.”

5. Make the Donor the Connector

• Position the donor as someone helping bridge a gap—bringing light, hope, strength or calm to others in a time of darkness, despair, stress and noise.

• Example: “Your support offers a steady hand in uncertain times, reminding people they are seen, supported, and not alone.”

6. End With Vision, Not Just Need

• Paint a picture of the future you’re building together—not just a gap to fill.

• “With your support, we’re not just planting seeds—we’re healing the land, reviving lost beauty, and creating a future where both nature and people can thrive together.”

THINK.

Help Donors See How Your Impact Connects to the World They’re Living In Today

Whether you’re nurturing creativity, building community, restoring nature, or supporting quiet but essential aspects of human wellbeing, your work is relevant—especially now.

The key is to help donors see the thread between your impact and the world they’re currently experiencing.

THINK about pulling this thread.

When you tell that story, with clarity, heart, and vision, you’ll remind supporters that lasting change often begins in the quiet places—and that their generosity is part of something meaningful, needed, and very much of this moment.

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Photo: My own. William N. Copley. Untitled (Think/flag). 1967 Whitney Museum, NYC