Updated September 30, 2025
Since we published the below, new developments affecting the nonprofit sector have come fast and furious. We’re offering some updated thoughts to help you keep up.
After the horrifying assassination of Charlie Kirk, right-wing reactionaries took advantage of the public’s sympathy to attack political targets they have been trying to undermine for years. This has taken the form of escalated attacks on the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, including an Executive Order on antifa, a National Security Memo on domestic terrorism, Federal Communications Commission attacks on free speech, and more. In short, it’s been a lot.
Though the Executive Orders targeting nonprofits are definitely stress-inducing, it’s important to keep in mind that the order creates no new law, no new authorities. Nothing can be done now that couldn’t have been done before this memorandum was issued.
Organizational Considerations:
In light of these escalating attacks on the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, many organizations are considering whether or not to speak out against these abuses of power. Executives are questioning whether to go on the record for comment; boards are debating whether to sign on to statements (like this Open Letter Rejecting Presidential Attacks on Nonprofit Organizations, released this week, and this Statement on Political Violence and the Fundamental Freedom of Speech, from over 180 philanthropies).
The guiding questions LightBox Collaborative are offering to clients who are wrestling with this conversation are these:
What is an organization’s right role in the movement ecosystem? What are we for? What’s our purpose in the larger space, and how can we live into that role and purpose?
Each organization needs to understand its role, and assess the specific risks to its operational, legal, financial, digital, and physical security to make well-informed decisions.
Some resources to inform those choices:
- Progressive Safety Alliance has published updated recommendations.
- Vision Change Win offers a Risk Assessment Toolkit.
- Activist Checklists offers excellent tools on digital and physical security.
- Democracy Protection Network can offer tailored solutions for organizations and individuals working across the ideological spectrum to protect and strengthen American democracy.
Overall, our recommendation remains the same: Do not obey in advance.
Especially for advocacy organizations, anticipatory silence does not serve us, our mission, or our people. In fact, failure to speak out when we see our government being weaponized against our people may erode the trust we’ve worked so hard to build.
Message Guidance:
Call it what it is: An abuse of power. When any administration weaponizes the government to crack down on anyone who challenges them, that’s a danger not only to organizations working to serve their communities, but also to everyday Americans holding their leaders accountable.
Invite everyone in. These abuses of power are of grave concern across the political spectrum, for anyone worried about the harmful precedents set by an out-of-control executive. The norms that are changing now can do damage for a long time to come.
Make it human. Emphasize the people who are harmed: the millions of Americans who rely on nonprofits in their communities for food, healthcare, education, and much more.
Make it local. These are not Washington DC abstractions; these are attacks on the local nonprofits that serve our own communities. Talk about the local impacts in your home communities, especially when communicating with elected officials.
*The above guidance is offered with deep gratitude to Americans Against Government Censorship and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (also offering further links to guidance on messaging around troop deployments in our cities), and to those who informed their recommendations.
Originally posted June 5, 2025
If you’ve been feeling the pressure lately, you’re not alone.
Over the past several months, our sector has been navigating a wave of legislative threats and funding cuts. While some federal proposals have fortunately been blocked or delayed, the underlying agenda remains—and these high-stakes moments are becoming more frequent and increasingly complex.
Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s DOGE Subcommittee staged a hearing to discredit and defund nonprofits under the guise of rooting out “radical agendas.” And now more than 200 immigrant rights nonprofits have been swept into baseless investigations designed to intimidate and distract.
It’s the latest attempt to discredit and defund nonprofits by framing them as part of a so-called “radical” agenda.
This kind of messaging isn’t just inflammatory—it’s strategic. It’s designed to erode public trust and make it harder for all of us to do our work.
In moments like these—when threats escalate, headlines swirl, and questions come from every direction—having a strong communications strategy is essential.
Here’s what we’ve been sharing with our clients who are navigating tough decisions under pressure:
Start Here: LightBox Tools
- Is this a Crisis? How to Decide and Respond
Not every headline requires a statement. This guide helps you assess the situation and choose your next step.
- Should We Make A Statement?
A helpful checklist to guide your team through the decision-making process—with clarity, not chaos.
- First Question in Crisis Communications
When the pressure’s on, this foundational question can help ground your response in purpose.
- Less Stress, More Strategy
A curated set of tips and tools to help you amplify frontline voices, avoid reactive traps, and stay mission-focused.
In Case You Need More
Searching for context or message guidance? We’re also keeping tabs on what others in the field are sharing:
- The latest from the National Council of Nonprofits: Attacks on Freedom of Speech: What Nonprofits Need to Know
- This helpful primer from Protect Democracy places these attacks on civil society in the context of the Trump Administration’s attempts toward authoritarianism. It offers helpful tips for countering them as such.
- ASO Communications offers helpful messaging to counter the MAGA Regime’s Efforts to Silence Those who Serve Our Communities.
We’ll keep updating our guidance as this landscape continues to shift.
In the meantime, we hope these tools help you feel a little steadier for whatever may arise.