Building Current Events into Your Program

How much should you use your executive director’s speech to provide a powerful, focused, current vision of your organization’s work in relation to the politics of today? Turns out, a lot—especially when your organization is connected to important current events as so many social justice nonprofits are.

We get this question regularly, along with fears about alienating donors by speaking the truth. But your donors want to know where you stand. They value your opinion. And the more specific, direct and timely your message, the more it has the potential to resonate, move and inspire the donors you most want to cultivate.

 

This played out in a powerful way at Basic Rights Oregon’s Oregonians Against Discrimination Business Leaders Luncheon. Each year, Basic Rights Oregon looks at their advocacy and activist agenda to build their program, and this year was no exception.

The program was built around the Masterpiece Cake Case before the Supreme Court, the most important civil rights case in decades, which is poised to maintain or change laws of public accommodation. Because this lunch is oriented toward an audience of business leaders, it was an opportunity to talk about how the business community should respond, their chance to build a coalition of support to keep Oregon open to all, regardless of the law.

 

Then the weekend before the event, Starbucks—one of the businesses being honored at the event for their commitment to LGBTQ-affirming rights and spaces—fielded a public backlash when two Black customers were arrested for not leaving a Philadelphia store. The opposite of safe, open and affirming public space.

The leadership at Basic Rights Oregon saw this as an opportunity to further an ongoing conversation about public accommodations, race and discrimination. BRO’s co-executive directors spoke candidly, openly and passionately about the work all businesses need to do to be truly equity-focused. They acknowledged the difficulties of this work, and the need to lean into hard conversations.

 

And the donors responded by affirming this message and supporting this work. Current events, even when they bring up some of the most sensitive problems we face, give us a platform to lean into the conversation rather than leaning away. And donors and supporters are better equipped to be advocates and value your real work when you tell them what it is, and why it’s so important.

Photos by Andie Petkus Photography