When Politicians Call Nonprofits “Thugs” and “Sleazebags,” What Will You Do?

Fund the People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl

When politicians and elected officials try to brand nonprofits as “thugs,” “sleazebags,” and “terror-supporting orgs”, will you freeze? Take flight? Or stand up and fight back?

In this episode, you’ll get:

1. Tips on how the incoming Trump Administration may behave toward philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, and some important ways your organization can prepare and respond;

2. An overview of what FTP did for nonprofit workers in 2024, how we’ll build on that work in 2025, and how you can plug-in; and

3. You’ll get a sneak peak of what’s up next on FTP Podcast S7

There’s a lot going on in our country right now: A transition of power to what may be the most anti-nonprofit administration in history; the death and funeral of President Jimmy Carter; and the devastating wildfires in Southern California. It’s a mind-boggling moment.

But as leaders of the nonprofit workforce, we have to keep our heads on straight and keep our hearts regulated. We make civic life possible. And when government and business fail, we fill in the missing pieces. America needs philanthropy and the nonprofit sector to be strong and enduring now and this year and in the coming years.

In the first half of this solo episode, Rusty shares three ways the Trump Administration may behave toward nonprofits and philanthropy, and offers three recent examples that inform these assumptions. He implores listeners and the entire sector to not just prepare to defend and protect our own organizations, but to speak out in defense of the entire sector, and to communicate boldly and proudly about the value of the sector and our workforce for our economy, democracy, and communities.

In the second half of the episode, Rusty updates you on what Fund the People did for the nonprofit workforce in 2024, and how we will keep this work going in 2025. And he ends with a sneak peak of some of the upcoming guests and topics in the next set of episodes in Season 7 of the Fund the People Podcast.

Go to our website for a transcript of this episode and links to the resources discussed in the episode. You can find all the episodes of this podcast plus our blog, toolkit and other resources on our website, ⁠⁠⁠fundthepeople.org⁠⁠⁠. And we invite you to learn from all the amazing past guests of Fund the People - A Podcast with Rusty Stahl at ⁠⁠fundthepeople.org/ftp_podcast⁠⁠.