By Tricia Gueulette
I wake up to the news every morning but am contemplating changing this part of my routine. It’s become overwhelming. Today I learned about the issuance of an executive order pausing federal grants and loans to nonprofits in the United States. This has unleased confusion and worry from charities, including one that my sister works for, a watershed council in Oregon. She arrived at work to find that all her grant funding had been frozen. They were given no guidance but only told that they must stop working. Their reimbursement portal was completely shut down and everything was in chaos. This situation reflects the growing sense of turmoil in the world, and as the leader of a non-profit charity, it makes me nervous. How can we find meaning and navigate these challenging times, particularly within the nonprofit sector?
Leading a nonprofit in today’s complex world requires a unique blend of resilience, adaptability, and a deep-seated sense of purpose to navigate uncertainty and find meaning in the face of challenge. This article will explore strategies for navigating these challenges and finding meaning and purpose amidst the chaos.
I joined Beacon Community Services three and a half years ago as its CEO and have become intimately familiar with the nonprofit sector’s unique challenges. This includes reliance on funding that doesn’t cover the need (65% of our funding comes from government grants and contracts), increasing need from vulnerable populations and the need to navigate fractured political landscapes.
The non-profit sector in British Columbia is vulnerable. In its 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector report, Vantage Point found that non-profits have become indispensable, now more than ever, as governments depend on the sector to deliver essential services. They also found that the sector is operating in extremely challenging times with feelings of being overwhelmed, stretched, and underfunded. Inflation has meant that all basic costs have gone up significantly. Funding has not kept up. In addition, 76% of survey respondents reported experiencing increasing demand for services and supports from communities which has taxed volunteers and staff.
The demand for services that Beacon provides has never been higher as the affordability crisis has affected the entire region. One in four seniors in British Columbia earns less that the poverty line and many seniors are facing food security and housing issues. Childcare costs in the Capital Regional District are among the highest in Canada. There is an escalating affordable housing need in our region – the last census identified that 21,745 affordable homes need to be built as soon as possible. Only 56% of our region’s youth rate their mental health as good or excellent (a drop from 71% in five years). 28% of youth purposefully cut themselves.
All of this takes an emotional toll on those who choose to work in the nonprofit realm. So how can we ensure that non-profits continue to thrive in such a way that they can continue to positively impact the communities they serve? Ensuring the success of non-profits requires a multi-faceted approach. At Beacon we have embraced a number of key strategies. The first has been to diversify our funding streams through setting up a fundraising department, expanding our thrift stores, and creating a strategy to utilize our real estate to help fund Beacon going forward. We are also embracing technology and innovation to implement online fundraising as well as to track our progress to measure our impact in the community using data analytics. We are focusing on impact and transparency to track and measure our outcomes, communicate our successes, and ensure our transparency about our finances and operations to build public trust. We are investing in leadership and staff to ensure we continue to create a culture of collaboration and innovation, and one that supports learning and growth. We have built a solid governance structure. We are engaging with policymakers to raise awareness of our work and are advocating for policies that support the sectors we work in, such as childcare, supportive housing, and food security.
One of the most important reminders I have had in these last three years of leading a non-profit organization is the vital need to support our staff and volunteers. They are the difference-makers in the community. If we don’t support our teams to learn, grow and thrive, they can’t do the incredible work that they do with those we serve.
At Beacon, we are building a strategy of wellbeing for our staff including building a culture where staff feel supported, are able to seek meaningful connections, and have channels to get help when they are feeling overwhelmed, and we measure this impact quarterly to ensure we are on the right path. We are investing in our teams’ professional development through training and scholarships, we celebrate success, we practice gratitude wherever we can, and we remain mission-focused and values-centred.
We are living in challenging times, but this doesn’t mean that non-profit charities like Beacon can’t thrive. Through focusing on key strategies, we know we can strengthen our capacity and enhance our impact. Through connecting with our stakeholders with open communication, our shared purpose, and ensuring our team are well supported, we know we can navigate these periods of challenge and emerge stronger than ever.