Emergency Decision-Making for Nonprofit Boards: What Really Matters Now

Nonprofit boards in 2025 are under extraordinary pressure. With disastrous funding cuts hitting social services, environmental, arts and culture, education and healthcare organizations, leaders are being forced into emergency decision-making.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Demand for services keeps rising, while revenue streams are shrinking. 

In this environment, the choices that boards and leadership make today will determine whether their organizations merely survive – or whether they emerge stronger, more resilient, and better positioned for the future.

The good news? Crisis brings opportunity. Many nonprofits are rethinking their business revenue models and considering opportunities for strategic revenue growth.

Crisis Brings Existential Choices for Boards

As the Chronicle of Philanthropy is reporting this week, many nonprofits are rethinking how they operate. “Scenario-planning, exploring new sources of income, and developing partnerships are some of the ways organizations have been surviving the chaos of 2025.”

For many boards, these conversations are existential. Do you pull back and retreat? Or do you lean forward – embracing innovation, while strengthening your commitment to philanthropy?

Boards that thrive in turbulent times focus on two priorities:

• Stability today: protecting core programs, retaining staff as much as possible, and maintaining connections with their donors.
• Strength tomorrow: looking at new revenue strategies, adapting services, and investing in donor relationships.

Leadership in Uncertain Times

During upheaval, leadership begins with clarity. Staff, donors, and clients all want to know: what is happening now, and what comes next?

Boards that rise to the moment tend to:

• Stay transparent about tough decisions, especially financial ones.
• Show empathy for employees, recognizing the strain they are under.
• Keep eyes on the big picture, balancing today’s emergencies with long-term positioning.

This combination of honesty and vision can help stabilize an anxious community.

Why Strategic Revenue Growth Is a Top Priority 

Here’s what we’re seeing in the field. Many nonprofits are reaching out to us about launching a capital campaign. But in most cases, that’s not what they need right now. Campaigns are powerful tools, but they are complex and require much preparation.  

What these organizations really need is to focus on fundraising and look for opportunities for Strategic Revenue Growth.

Many organizations have untapped fundraising potential. When you step back and strategically review fundraising opportunities, it’s possible to identify the most promising funding streams out there. 

What fundraising strategies hold the most potential? What priorities can you focus on? Stepping back helps set a realistic roadmap to stabilize revenue now while preparing for bigger growth later.

Without this roadmap, organizations risk jumping into a campaign too early – or cutting programs too deeply – without solving the core revenue challenge.

Major Gifts: Your Most Resilient Revenue Stream

Even during downturns, major gift fundraising remains the most reliable growth strategy for nonprofits. Wealthy donors continue giving, and often increase their giving, to the causes they trust most.

That’s why major gifts must be at the center of any Strategic Revenue Growth initiatives. 

This work starts with donor relationships. We all know how important it is to stay close to our top donors and funders!

And when reaching out to top donors, you can be transparent about the financial picture. Then, you can ask clearly for the kind of support that matters most right now.

When donors understand both the (1) urgency and (2) the vision for the future, they are more likely to step forward with transformational gifts.

So, here are 3 simple but crucial recommendations for right now:  

• Stay close to your top donors and funders.
• Be transparent about financial realities.
• Ask specifically for support where it is needed most.

Scenario Planning: Builds Confidence and Resilience

Uncertainty makes planning harder. But it also makes planning more important.

The Chronicle highlights how nonprofits are using scenario planning to prepare for different outcomes. Boards can follow the same approach.

You might ask: what happens if funding is cut by 20 percent? What about 40 percent? Which programs are so central that they must be preserved? Which could pause temporarily? 

And what steps could you take to diversify revenue, so the organization is not overly dependent on a single source?

These conversations are difficult. But they are NOT doom and gloom! Most of all they give board’s confidence that they are ready for whatever comes next.

Transparency Builds Donor Trust

Donors don’t expect you to have everything figured out. But they do expect you to be honest.

That means being upfront about today’s challenges. It means sharing the scenarios you are preparing for. And it means explaining clearly how donor support can make the difference.

This kind of transparency builds trust. It shows donors that they are true partners in the work – not just bystanders.

Innovation Amid Crisis: What Will Stick?

We’ve seen incredible creativity emerge over the past few years, post-pandemic: botanical gardens offering paid online classes, theaters selling virtual performances, health nonprofits experimenting with telehealth services.

Some of these adaptations are stopgaps. Others will become long-term growth engines. But they are great examples of shifting to fit the new environment. 

Boards that encourage innovation are building a culture of resilience – and that’s exactly what’s needed in today’s uncertain environment.

What Nonprofits Need Before Campaigns

We’ve noticed a trend: many leaders are asking about launching campaigns. Yet after deeper discussion, most realize they aren’t quite ready. 

Instead, what they need first is clarity – defining revenue growth possibilities that sets the stage for long-term stability.

A strong revenue strategy starts with an honest look at current income streams. It also considers different scenarios so leaders can prepare for what might come. And it highlights major gifts as the most resilient source of growth.

Campaigns may well be in your future – but right now, the most urgent priority is to stabilize and strengthen your revenue base.

Bottom Line: Crisis Leads to Opportunities! 

Serving on a nonprofit board in 2025 is challenging, but it is also a moment of possibility. 

By focusing on strategic revenue growth, strengthening major donor partnerships, and encouraging innovation, boards can guide their organizations not just through the current storm – but into a stronger, more sustainable future.