Your Small Nonprofit Is the Bright Spot in a Gloomy Jobs Report

Welp. So much for my unbridled optimism in light of current headlines, eh!?

Right on the heels of my “hard doesn’t mean hopeless” video I dropped this week is the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s brand‑spanking‑new layoff tracker reads like the minutes from a budget apocalypse.

Since Inauguration Day, at least 14,430 nonprofit jobs have evaporated, and most of them belong to the big dogs in international relief, global health, and other program areas that rely on Uncle Sam’s credit card.

RAICES? Gutted.

FHI 360? Trimmed like a sad bonsai.

The Center for Family & Child Enrichment in Florida? Feeling the fiscal squeeze.

Add a few spicy stop‑work orders from D.C., toss in inflation, and voilà: the perfect storm of uncertainty.

It’s brutal stuff—especially if you’re one of the countless humans who just had their “Sorry, we’re closed” moment delivered via email.

But here’s the thing I will reiterate again this week:

“Hard” is not the same as “hopeless.” 

And if you’re a hyper‑local, shoes‑still‑muddy‑from‑the‑food‑pantry‑garden nonprofit in the rural Midwest (or any hometown USA), you might just be standing in the least shaky part of the philanthropic landscape right now.

Here’s what I’m seeing: It’s a Tale of Two Sectors

And t’s incredibly interesting what is going on in our nonprofit realm.

In the two-decades I’ve been on the front lines of fundraising organizations, I’ve never quite experienced such whiplash standing in between nervousness and opportunity.

Here are some really jarring numbers:

1. International, Foreign Affairs & National Security – Lost 4,295 jobs.

2. Health Care – Lost 4,347 jobs.

3. Human Services – Lost 1,984 jobs.

   
   

But, notice a pattern?

These are mega‑mission organizations with budgets that look like phone numbers and program officers whose sole hobby include deciphering the Federal Register.

When the administration tightens the spigot—or axes entire agencies—those orgs get caught in a hydraulic press.

Contrast that with Furry Friends Rescue of Nowhere, North Dakota or a random Main Street Literacy Council.

Your funding isn’t 85 percent federal.

Your donors probably see you in the cereal aisle.

Your board members could double as the town’s entire bowling league.

And because you’re powered more by pies at the church fundraiser than by USAID grants, the D.C. drama barely dents your bottom line.

And yes, this is an opportunity for you, your community and your nonprofit organization.

I’m convinced more than ever that groups doing good could be on a precipice of potential resources…but only if they are paying attention and taking action.

Why?

1. Displaced Donor Dollars Need a New Home

   The philanthropists who love global causes aren’t suddenly going to invest in yacht dealerships. They’ll look for alternate avenues to create impact. Enter you: the scrappy local charity with proof‑of‑concept programs, matching photos of those you serve, and staff members who can literally introduce donors to the families they help.

   
   

   Rarely do nonprofits have an opportunity to present themselves as the local alternative with local impact to some of the largest entities in the world. So embrace this seemingly chaotic world. And leverage the good you do. Now.

   
   

2. Local Media Loves a Good Underdog Story

   
   

   National layoffs equal splashy headlines. Local stability (or growth!) is the unexpected twist reporters crave. Call your hometown paper and pitch a feel‑good profile: “While international aid groups downsize, Tiny Town Tutoring Expands Homework Help.” Trust me—newsrooms are hungry for that contrast right now.

   
   

   In addition, regional businesses who are on the lookout for attracting talent to their workforce, can latch themselves to your awesomeness by becoming a partner for good, and letting potential (and current!) employees about how they give back, make a difference and support local members of the community.

   
   

   Makes for a really good local story doesn’t it!?

   
   

3. Your “Reserve Treadmill” Is Slower

   
   

   Candid’s analysis warns that 14,000 nonprofits would run out of cash within three months if government funding disappeared. If you’ve never depended on big checks from Washington, you’re already conditioned to stretch a dollar. That frugality looks positively heroic today.

   
   

   It also gives you an really easy on ramp to develop a campaign for ensuring your nonprofit is recession proof. Your insistence that gifts continue to provide stable funding buckets to make sure your programs don’t contract, or jouyously promoting that you have been around for a long time, and have no intention of stopping now is a great rally cry for donations. Big AND small.

   
   

4. Community Roots Trump Beltway Branches (God, my pun game is on POINT)

   
   

   People give where they live, especially when uncertainty peaks. Show them how your programs keep local kids learning, seniors socializing, or rivers clean.

   
   

   The more specific the impact, the faster donors grip their wallets like, “Take my money—now!”

“This sounds great Patrick, but you’ve not given me any actionable items to do in order to prioritize my work life!”

Listen, I got you Boo.

Here are Five “Do Right Now” Moves:

1. Audit Your Origin Story

   
   

   Toss the jargon in a wood chipper. Replace “strategic initiative” with “Miss Betty’s after‑school cookie brigade.” Hyper‑local details equal emotional Velcro.

   
   

2. Map. Your. Donors.

   
   

   Who once wrote checks to the now‑struggling global orgs? (Hint: scan your town’s Rotary roster.) Invite them for coffee and a tour. Show, don’t tell, how you steward gifts.

   
   

3. Launch a Micro‑Wins Campaign

   
   

   Ask for a tangible, fast‑turnaround gift: “$98 buys art supplies for every fourth‑grader in the district.” When donors see immediate proof, they’ll stick around for your next campaign…and might tell a neighbor or two.

   
   

4. Turn Layoff News into Teach‑able Moments

   
   

   This is great content for a newsletter or local paper Op-Ed Explainer: “Why big cuts don’t mean your local shelter closes.” Become the calm, informed voice your supporters crave.

   
   

5. Strengthen Your Talent Bench

   
   

   Good people are suddenly on the market. Snag a brilliant grant writer or program coordinator while the dust is still settling—if not full‑time, then as a consultant.

Now, could we still take hits?

Absolutely.

Inflation makes copier paper feel like lobster. Insurance premiums keep ascending the elevator to space. And yes, some rural orgs will feel knock‑on effects if state contracts tighten or foundations shift priorities.

But history (and a guy named Zeno, who shipwrecked and started stoicism – Good Lord, that’s a really great former blog call back from like a year and a half ago!) reminds us: misfortune can be the mother of reinvention.

I’m not asking you to throw confetti at a pink‑slip parade.

I am challenging you to find the thread—your unique, mission‑driven, community‑rooted thread—that donors can follow out of the chaos.

Bureau of Labor Statistics won’t update nonprofit employment numbers again until 2029.

Seriously.

By then we’ll probably commute to work via drone piggyback. So let’s focus on data we can control: the stories, relationships, and outcomes we create today.

Hold a mirror to your mission. Polish it.

Shine the angle that reflects hope over helplessness, community over confusion, and (my new personal favorite) action over apathy.

Because “hard” is part of the nonprofit job description. But “hopeless”? That’s optional—and in your neck of the woods, it’s downright unlikely.

You got this!

-Patrick

Hey, need help with all this? Feeling stuck!? Ping me - Patrick@DoGoodBetterConsulting.com. I got you!