There is no doubt that the term “resiliency” has been elevated in almost every post-COVID professional lexicon, as a catch-all for any positively oriented activity. As an “au courant” buzzword within the non-profit sector, references have been made to the entire sector being “resilient”, resiliency has been identified as the cornerstone of sustainable progress, and a plethora of blog posts and articles have been dedicated towards extolling the virtues of cultivating resilience to ensure the long-term viability and growth of any charitable organization. And it’s easy to see why. After living through the ad hoc, mad scrambling of our response to the COVID pandemic, and the existential risk both the disease and our response posed on the sector, the notion that we, as well-informed, pragmatic and forward-looking charitable leaders can buttress our organizations against the risk of future calamity, is utterly intoxicating.
As a result, now more than ever, charitable organizations are returning to foundational questions about their own revenue model and wondering if their fundraising strategy and infrastructure are built to survive another tsunami of change on the philanthropic landscape. As fundraisers, our personal inclinations are to ask questions such as:
“Are our revenue streams diverse enough to navigate fluctuations in the market or the passing of major donors?”
“Are our business partnerships strong enough, and aligned enough, to survive these same market changes?”
“Are we properly building and managing our pipeline, building authentic and lasting relationships with our donors?”
“Have we made a strong enough case for support, so that if donors are forced to give less, we are the last ones that they cut?”
In the wake of a destabilized philanthropic landscape like the one we just experienced, these are the right and prudent questions to ask. However, recent signs in both Canada and the United States suggest that the next great calamity to challenge our sector may not come as a health-related calamity, but a political one. With the ever-present rise of Trumpism in the south, and a new Canadian leadership likely only weeks away, the first question that every Canadian charity should be asking itself right now is “Are we prepared?” Moreover, the second, and perhaps more important “follow-up” question to ask is “How would we know?”
The answer to these questions lies in response to these four distinct, yet intertwined lines of inquiry:
Does our organizational mission align with the political vision and ideology of the day?
In the charitable sector, mission is everything. Mission provides fundamental orientation for organizational mandate, establishes the horizon for a charity’s limits and possibilities, and is the cornerstone for all narrative storytelling about its ambitions, goals, delivery and successes.
As charities function within a given political landscape, when their mission aligns strongly with the prevailing government ideological perspective, opportunities to secure government Grant and Contribution agreements can be plentiful. This is especially true when they offer a photo opportunity to populate their social media channels and a great story to share in their “Ten Percenter”.
For example, since the ascension of the Trudeau Liberals, Canadian charities pursuing missions related to environmental stewardship, Indigenous reconciliation and DEI education and programming have experienced unprecedented funding opportunities in Canada. Meanwhile, organizations with a mission tied to Canadian heritage and patriotism, small businesses, or faith-based work, all favored by the Harper Conservatives, saw a strong reduction in government funding opportunities when the government shifted.
To address what will potentially be another seismic shift in our political environment, charities will have to assess how strongly their mission aligns with Ottawa’s new direction. If there is strong alignment, this needs to be leveraged in conversations with political actors and influencers. If the fit is weak, or even oppositional to current government positioning, charities will need to be creative in finding ways to clarify how their mission does align with government priority. A DEI program may not be attractive, but a program that draws on cutting-edge HR practices to increase company productivity might be. The term “net-zero” might turn off our new political decision-makers, but facilitating economic benefits through clean energy might be exactly what they are looking for.
One way of discerning how best to “be creative” in these spaces is to thoroughly review all Minister mandate letters, and embed language taken from the letter into conversations and supporting collateral. Politicians are always looking for both external-facing wins, as well as internal ones. And they know that if they can demonstrate to their own leadership that they are achieving what was asked of them, it bodes well for their career.
Have we prepared a communications strategy & associated tools to showcase that alignment to a changing audience?
Celebrated Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan famously posited that “the media is the message”. For charities working within a changing political environment, this cannot be overstated. While mission alignment is crucial, building the sustained narrative that conveys this alignment is no less so. As a charitable leader, you may believe that your organization aligns well with the political currents of the day. But if you have not told this story, or if your desired audience hasn’t heard it, you may be the only one to see it.
As such, one of the most important steps any charitable organization can take is developing a story that positions the organization as a champion for one element (or multiple, if the connection is deep and true) of the current government’s ambition and then implementing a strategy for regularly sharing that story with both the political establishment, and the general public.
Importantly, the story must be simple, persuasive and easy to remember. If it feels like you are trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, it will not be effective. People will see through it. It also must focus specifically on people (instead of abstract principles or causes) and seek an emotional connection rather than an intellectual one. Facts may justify a decision made, but emotions drive the decision itself. Once this story is created, it needs to be integrated into all communications products, resources and channels.
To ensure that your story does overtly connect with a new political audience, it is always helpful to ground it in their most comfortable language. In the political sphere, that language is not difficult to find. All politicians are trained to return to key messaging, so a quick survey of media clips, press releases and web pages will reveal a handful of terms, phrases and positioning language that are consistently returned to. This jargon is the passcode to open up the government safe. When politicians hear it, partnerships opportunities open. When the bureaucratic class reads it, inaccessible programs suddenly become aligned opportunities. Embed it in your communications material, and suddenly your organization becomes a vehicle for the fulfilment of their own promises, and a proof point of their personal success.
Have we cultivated access to the country’s new powerbrokers, an engagement plan for them, and the necessary reputation for them to prioritize meeting with us?
It is commonly understood that when governments change, many of those controlling the levers of power change with them. We see new Ministers, new Chiefs of Staff, new people in PMO and recognize quickly that our previously direct path to funding has now completely changed. What we often do not sufficiently consider is the radical change in the “indirect” path to funding.
Often the most powerful political influencers exist outside the political apparatus, so it is integral for charities to not only map out who the key influencers are, but also to have a strategy in place to connect with them, emphasize their mission alignment, and demonstrate capacity for positive impact. For example, under the Trudeau regime, having a strong connection with someone like Frank Graves, Greg MacEachern, or Geoff Green, helped not only identify the right doors to knock on, but also helped open them. With the Conservatives in position to make major political gains this year, it may behoove charities to look west to Jeremy Hunt, Managing Director for Harper & Associates, and see if he is available for a conversation. Further, with momentum behind Mark Carney taking on the leadership of Liberal Party, getting to know the people around Mr. Carney could prove incredibly useful, especially if the polling spike around his leadership solidifies.
Politically resilient charities will not only design and implement communications strategies that use the “right language” in press releases, public statements, websites and all organizational collateral, but they will be actively working to better understand the new influencer audience and working to authentically build early relationships. It is this “authenticity” that is the key.
While charities must always prioritize working collaboratively and in alignment with the government in power, they must not neglect building relationships with people of potential significance in opposition circles. That way, if the politics of the day changes, the mission remains top of mind for the new influencer class, and the pathway to an audience with them will be easier and more fruitful.
Are we diversified enough to mitigate risk coming from changing government funding programs?
As seasoned fundraisers, we all recognize the importance of diversifying revenue streams, so that our organizations can continue to thrive when expected revenue sources do not come to fruition. This principle is even more significant when we consider that many charitable organizations are fundamentally reliant on specific government Grants and Contributions agreements, supported by specific political relationships, to deliver some of their most impactful programming. Moreover, the longer the relationship lasts, and the more times the agreement is renewed, the greater confidence some may put in the likelihood that the funding will continue indefinitely.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. The life cycle of a government funding program is often random at best. Programs are open unexpectedly, closed without warning, topped up circumstantially, or drastically cut, all at the whim of political expediency. Politicians themselves also run on a very short and unpredictable life cycle. Even if a party stays in power for nearly a decade, Ministers are constantly changing their portfolios, advisors are promoted or shuffled, and the new people filling those chairs may not have the same attachment or commitment to your organization as their predecessor.
As such, politically resilient organizations avoid dependency on discreet government funding opportunities for core delivery. Instead, they leverage these unique funding opportunities to create targeted programs that demonstrate their alignment to government priority, their capacity to deliver and achieve positive outcomes, and to illustrate their worthiness for future funding.
Additionally, they leverage the relationships established with influencers and decision-makers to stay abreast of opportunities that may be opening or closing, so that they can pivot accordingly.
While these four questions, and the subsequent responses, do not define resiliency, they are the start of a conversation that every charitable sector leader will shortly be asking themselves, if they haven’t done so already. Consultants poised to meticulously guide prospective clients through these questions, assessing their current resilience and providing solutions and support to navigate this intricate path to their goals, will inevitably be in very high demand.
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About the Author
Jason Muscant is a Senior Consultant with Global Philanthropic Canada in Ottawa, Ontario with a 20 + year career in the charitable sector, scaling organizations to meet the challenges of the day. A passionate bilingual (French & English) communicator and storyteller, Jason excels at transforming complex material into simple, impactful messaging that supports mission and drives revenue. As a seasoned philanthropy professional, Jason’s expertise at building relationships has helped numerous organizations achieve financial success in some of our most challenging times. Jason believes that donors never give their money away. Instead, they invest their money into hopes, dreams, and the people they believe will help fulfill them. When working with clients, he seeks creative, customized fundraising solutions that help bring these dreams to fruition. In doing so, Jason draws on his unique blend of experience in philanthropy, government relations, communications and strategic planning. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Theory from Carleton University, and is a graduate of Concordia University’s Liberal Arts College. He has held Senior positions at JFS-Vancouver, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and the Metis Nation Saskatchewan.
