How Nonprofits Can Fight Back Against Harmful Executive Orders with Bethany Snyder

Summary

Podcast Summary: Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell
Episode: How Nonprofits Can Fight Back Against Harmful Executive Orders with Bethany Snyder
Release Date: January 31, 2025

In this compelling episode of Nonprofit Nation, host Julia Campbell engages in a vital conversation with Bethany Snyder, founder of Snider Strategies, LLC. The discussion centers on navigating the tumultuous landscape of recent executive orders that threaten the stability and funding of nonprofit organizations. Together, they delve into the implications of these orders, strategic responses, advocacy techniques, and maintaining mental well-being amidst uncertainty.

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1. Introduction and Context

[00:01] Julia Campbell:
Julia opens the discussion by highlighting the pressing need to address the chaos and despair many nonprofits are experiencing due to recent executive orders. She introduces Bethany Snyder, whose extensive background in advocacy and policy provides a foundational perspective for the conversation.

[00:13] Bethany Snyder:
Bethany sets the stage by explaining that the current administration's use of executive orders aims to create chaos deliberately. She emphasizes that understanding the intent behind these orders is crucial for nonprofits to effectively navigate the challenges ahead.

Bethany Snyder (02:24):
"The goal is to sow chaos and wreak havoc. So we can't keep our eye on the ball."

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2. Understanding Executive Orders and Their Impact

[02:56] Bethany Snyder:
Bethany provides a detailed analysis of the recent executive orders, distinguishing between those that fall within the executive branch's authority and those that overreach, potentially requiring Congressional approval. She discusses the uncertainty surrounding the administration's intentions and the temporary nature of executive orders, which can be rescinded by subsequent administrations.

[04:36] Julia Campbell:
Julia adds that executive orders often serve as "shots across the bow," signaling policy intentions regardless of their legal standing.

Julia Campbell (05:11):
"This is just the intention of the administration, and we're going to see these policies introduced."

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3. Immediate Implications for Nonprofits

[06:42] Bethany Snyder:
Bethany breaks down the immediate consequences of the executive orders, particularly focusing on the funding freeze initiated by an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo. She explains how this freeze affects various nonprofit programs and the ensuing legal injunction that temporarily halts the implementation of the memo.

[11:16] Julia Campbell:
Julia underscores the widespread ramifications, noting that millions of dollars in funding for essential safety net programs are at risk, which directly impacts communities reliant on these services.

Bethany Snyder (12:04):
"Programs touch all people's lives, from food support to housing to healthcare."

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4. Strategic Framework: Prepare, Respond, Advocate

Bethany introduces her strategic formula to help nonprofits combat the negative effects of the executive orders: Prepare, Respond, Advocate.

4.1 Prepare

[13:20] Bethany Snyder:

• Fortify Your Organization: Stay informed by following the National Council of Nonprofits and state nonprofit associations.
• Diversify Funding: Transparency with donors about funding uncertainties is crucial.

Bethany Snyder (14:50):
"Being really transparent with your donors about what's happening is critical."

4.2 Respond

[17:31] Bethany Snyder:

• Issue Public Statements: Create rapid response plans to address executive orders promptly.
• Provide Emergency Support: Foundations and funders should offer rapid response grants to help nonprofits sustain their operations.

[20:30] Julia Campbell:
Julia commends Bethany for providing practical tools, such as a rapid response template, to help organizations act swiftly in times of crisis.

Bethany Snyder (17:56):
"Nonprofits must be ready. Rapid response planning for success."

4.3 Advocate

[20:35] Bethany Snyder:

• Build Partnerships: Collaborate with other organizations to strengthen advocacy efforts.
• Educate Lawmakers: Inform local and federal legislators about the essential roles nonprofits play.

Bethany Snyder (21:48):
"Reach out to your local lawmakers and say, I want to tell you about our organization, how we receive funding."

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5. Communication Strategies Amidst Chaos

[32:23] Bethany Snyder:
Bethany highlights the importance of clear and direct communication with donors and stakeholders, recommending the use of email to bypass the clutter of social media algorithms.

Bethany Snyder (32:23):
"Email communication is the number one way to get directly to your folks."

[33:11] Julia Campbell:
Julia reaffirms the necessity of transparency, sharing that nonprofits should openly discuss the impact of executive orders without veering into politically charged territory.

Julia Campbell (34:14):
"You can talk about current events. You can say we lost this grant or we are scared to lose this grant."

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6. Handling Pushback and Maintaining Integrity

[24:49] Bethany Snyder:
Addressing concerns about backlash from boards or donors, Bethany clarifies that nonprofits can engage in advocacy without violating IRS regulations, as long as they steer clear of political campaigns and candidates.

Bethany Snyder (25:10):
"Politics, political parties, candidates, and elections are what the IRS considers political."

[26:21] Julia Campbell:
Julia encourages nonprofits to create their own definitions and language around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), distancing their mission from the politicized narratives imposed by the administration.

Julia Campbell (26:39):
"When you stand up for what you believe in, you deserve funding."

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7. Mental Health and Self-Care for Nonprofit Leaders

[30:21] Julia Campbell:
Recognizing the emotional toll on nonprofit workers, Julia asks Bethany for strategies to maintain mental health while staying informed.

[39:35] Bethany Snyder:
Bethany emphasizes the importance of self-care, encouraging leaders to take breaks and rely on their support networks to prevent burnout.

Bethany Snyder (39:37):
"Put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you can help others."

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8. Final Thoughts and Community Support

[40:46] Julia Campbell:
Julia shares a heartfelt moment, recounting an email from a peer expressing solidarity and support, underscoring the sense of community among nonprofit leaders.

[40:53] Bethany Snyder:
In her closing remarks, Bethany reinforces the message of unity and resilience, urging nonprofits to support each other and remember that they are not alone in this battle.

Bethany Snyder (40:12):
"We're all in this together."

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Key Takeaways

• Understand the Landscape: Nonprofits must stay informed about executive orders and their potential impacts.
• Strategic Preparedness: Implement the Prepare, Respond, Advocate framework to navigate challenges effectively.
• Transparent Communication: Maintain open lines with donors and stakeholders to build trust and secure support.
• Advocacy and Education: Actively engage with lawmakers to educate them on the essential services nonprofits provide.
• Self-Care is Crucial: Prioritize mental health to sustain long-term effectiveness and resilience.
• Community Support: Leverage the collective strength of the nonprofit community to withstand adversities.

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Resources Mentioned

• Snider Strategies, LLC: snyderstrategies.me
• Bethany Snyder on LinkedIn: Bethany Snyder
• National Council of Nonprofits Executive Orders Tracking: (Link provided during the episode)

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This episode serves as a crucial guide for nonprofit organizations facing legislative uncertainties. By adopting proactive strategies and fostering a supportive community, nonprofits can continue to fulfill their missions and advocate for the communities they serve.

Transcript

[Julia Campbell]

And it's live. Hi everyone. Thanks so much for coming live to today's LinkedIn Live. And if you're listening to this as a podcast recording, thank you for listening to Nonprofit Nation. We're going to repurpose this as a podcast recording as well. So today, I mean, what is happening? It's January 31st as of this recording. I really wanted to have my friend Bethany Snyder on to talk to me, to kind of talk me off a ledge, talk all of us, hopefully off a ledge, but give us some real tips on how to navigate the crises, the chaos, the gaslighting, the whiplash, kind of the constant state of despair that a lot of nonprofits have been in. And just confusion, even if you're not in despair, just confusion about where to turn, what's really going on, how to react, how to communicate. All of these questions I've been seeing on social media, I've been seeing in my inbox. And Bethany, I know you have two. So just a really, really quick intro for Bethany. If you're not familiar, Bethany is the founder of Snider Strategies, llc, a boutique consulting firm she formed to share and leverage her deep understanding of the advocacy world with nonprofit and membership based organizations. She's been on all sides of the advocacy desk as a grassroots advocacy director, a lobbyist, a consultant, a comms director, and a U.S. senate staffer. And having worked for a range of organizations, she's passionate about ensuring that nonprofit and social justice organizations use their voices and expertise to influence policies that impact those most in need. Are we taking a breath? How are we doing? First of all? How. How are we doing? How are you doing, Bethany?

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah, well, it has been a week. I can't believe it's Friday. I felt like Wednesday was Friday.

[Julia Campbell]

I really felt like Wednesday was Friday. And I wanted January to be over.

[Bethany Snyder]

This week has lasted many, many months. But I, first of all, what, how I want to kind of provide context to this.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah.

[Bethany Snyder]

Is that the goal is for us to be in chaos. That is the goal.

[Julia Campbell]

Not our goal.

[Bethany Snyder]

No.

[Julia Campbell]

But the administration, that's not our goal.

[Bethany Snyder]

But all these executive orders, the goal of how they're rolling out the memos to implement them, it is to sow chaos and wreak havoc. So we can't keep our eye on the ball. So, so just want, if everyone's feeling that way, I just want you to know you're not alone, that's intentional and that this is what the purpose is. So just to give a little bit of background on the timeline that we've had so I'm going to be referring some to some documents over here on the other my other screen if you see me.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah, sure.

[Bethany Snyder]

So last week, the White House put out a slew of executive orders. Now, what's interesting about executive orders is they are a very, I call them like a gray area of the law or gray area of policy. There are some things that the White House and the executive branch can definitely do through executive order. But then there's other issues. And I think this administration is testing the boundaries of this that we have not seen creating executive orders on things they intend that should be policy or they intend to be policy, because executive orders only last as long as the as that administration. And typically the next administration can keep the executive order or rescind it. And so we've seen in addition to these executive orders, we saw the rescission of many executive orders as well. So I just want to throw that out there. And so with the executive orders, it's kind of, again, it's a gray area of the law. Some things the executive executive branch can do through executive order and some things they can't. Like, for example, they talked about NPR this morning giving federal workers the option to quit next month and be paid through September. Unprecedented. We don't know. Can the executive branch do that with any congressional oversight or approval? We don't know. But the point is, what I think we should take from these executive orders is that this is the intention we're this is the intention of the administration, and we're if these executives or to stay or don't stay, these are policies that we're going to see introduced. Okay.

[Julia Campbell]

So that's very important, I think, because I think a lot of people might not be as familiar with executive orders versus, like a policy or a law passed by Congress. Right. And so in what you've seen, and I think what I've seen also in other administrations is that these, if they are not a law passed by Congress, this is an intention set. This is sort of like a shot across the bow like this. We want this to happen. Whether or not it can happen as an executive order, we want to make this happen. Is that what you're seeing?

[Bethany Snyder]

I'd say absolutely. I'm not sure if other administrations have used it that way, but definitely this is how we're seeing this administration use it. So like I like to tell people this week, we are just, we're we won. And I'll talk about this in a minute. The first battle of a very long game. This is just the beginning not the end of what's going to be happening. So I'm, that probably makes you more anxious. You're like, what I thought we got this injunction. I'll talk about that in a minute. But this is going to be how we're going to be doing. We need to be preparing to do things and seeing things come out from this administration. And that's what we want to be here to talk about is how can you prepare? So we're going to see a lot of things be thrown at us. But as long as you have, like, a plan and you're prepared and we just re, we do that over and over again, then you will feel a little bit more at ease and be able to weather these, you know, tough storms.

[Julia Campbell]

So let's talk about, I do want to talk about your, your formula, you know, prepare, respond, advocate. But I want to talk about the funding freeze. Nonprofits of all sizes and all spectrums and all verticals really scrambling. And so what, what happened? You know, maybe some of us saw headlines, I'm sure we saw on LinkedIn. We saw maybe, you know, our executive director was talking about it. I didn't see communications from nonprofits about it, but that's the big headline this week. Can you, can you give us some context around that? What happened and what are the implications?

[Bethany Snyder]

So last week, the Trump administration put out a slew of executive orders. And I'm going to put, there's, we'll share some links. I'm not sure if I put a link in the chat here if it will go to, if you put it.

[Julia Campbell]

In Streamyard, I can send it to LinkedIn.

[Bethany Snyder]

So I'm going to put a link in the chat from the National Council of Nonprofits that lists all the executive orders. And they're keeping this up to date and tracking it. So.

[Julia Campbell]

Oh, I have that link, too. I will get it.

[Bethany Snyder]

So when you put out an executive order, that's, that's kind of stating this is what we want to happen. But then the OMB is kind of the implementation of that order. Right. And so while we saw this executive order around, DEI happened the week before when it was the OMB memo that came out that said, okay, to implement this executive order, this is what we need, the agencies do we need, we want them to freeze funding starting at 5 o'clock tomorrow, they'll freeze funding for 90 days. As they answer these specific, these questions that we have to make sure that they're meeting the administration's policy priorities. So that's why people are like, what we have these executive orders already. So why do we have this other piece? So it's the OMB memo that implemented it or told the agencies what to do about the executive order. And then what happened is some, the National Council of Nonprofits and some other bigger, the small, some small organization around small businesses, they filed an injunction on Wednesday to temporarily halt the funding freeze. And so but what it halted was the OMB memo, the executive order still stands.

[Julia Campbell]

Okay.

[Bethany Snyder]

So that, so again, this is a lot of gray area. And so we're not sure, you know, and the hope, you know, the courts will weigh in on that. We're not sure if they can act fast enough, you know, that we'll need. But that's where we're at right now. A judge is going to hear the case on Monday. And so of course, the administration can appeal and then we can appeal. You know, they're going to be all of that going back and forth. So hopefully we'll get a longer injunction while they're working this through the courts. That's what we're hoping for. So then again, so then they just don't halt funding freeze. They don't freeze funding while they're looking at these questions they want to look at. So each agency has 90 days to look at these questions. And I will, I can share the questions that we got. I'll put that link in the chat. And I've seen this, these kind of questions circulating several times. So I'm pretty confident that this is accurate. And so these are the questions that the agencies are tasked with saying, okay, when they look at a program, asking those program heads, hey, you know, does the program have any pending federal funding announcements, et cetera. So what we're saying is let's keep, while you're doing that, let's keep these programs funded. Right. Let's keep them going while you do the 90 day review.

[Julia Campbell]

Okay.

[Bethany Snyder]

Again, that puts us in limbo maybe in 90 days on what's going to happen, but at least it gives us all some breathing, you know, breathing room and, you know, then it gives organizations an opportunity to do some of these things we're going to be talking about. Because when the memo came down, even though they said it wasn't going to be all funding was going to be shut down at 5, we heard that portals were shut down at noon. Community colleges couldn't draw down their federal fund.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah, I've already heard people saying grants were canceled, things like that.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's already been impacts of this.

[Julia Campbell]

And chaos is the intended impact at the end of the day.

[Bethany Snyder]

So that's where we are right now. There is an injunction until Monday. A judge is going to hear it again. Hopefully we want them to, you know, our, our goal is to have it be longer, hopefully around this 90 days. So that's where we are right now. Like I said, if you want to look at the specific, the specific, the specific executive orders that are out there, you can look at that NCN one. But the ones that people are most concerned about is the DEI one. I mean, I wouldn't say no one's concerned about. I think that the ICE one is also really disturbing and having chilling effects in our communities. But when it comes to non profit and then obviously there's LGBTQ ones targeting trans people and those are also in that chart. But when it comes to like the specific non profit sector ones, it's the DEI ones that we're really tracking and that's what the Fed, the freeze was about. So they can look and see that it's. We're not spending government money on these programs that we don't agree with or the administration doesn't agree with.

[Julia Campbell]

So there's a lot to, there's a lot to unpack here. So how, what are the implications if these executive orders do go through? I mean thou. Millions and millions of dollars that go to organizations that are the safety nets.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yep.

[Julia Campbell]

Of our entire country will be affected.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah. And I, well the, again, the Trump administration continues to say this does not impact direct payments to individuals. So Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, which actually aren't direct, you know, payments to people, but they provide health care, snap, etc, those things aren't impacted. But then you think about a Head Start program that's not a direct to a family, but if they can't pay payroll and can't have teachers, those families don't have child care. Right.

[Julia Campbell]

And that affects their ability to go to work.

[Bethany Snyder]

Exactly. Or we heard about an organization in Iowa who coordinates our homeless system and they were not able to process payroll and they're like we're going to have 140 workers who won't get paid. That's going to impact them. And then the ability of the system that helps provide shelter for unhoused folks, that's going to dismantle. Right. So while I know the administration is trying to ease people's concerns saying direct payments to individuals are not impacted, these programs touch all people's lives, all aspects of their lives. Right. From food support to housing to health care to scientific research to domestic violence shelters to child care. Yeah.

[Julia Campbell]

To Veterans affairs, to elderly housing. I mean, business administration.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah. Small businesses. So it can have devastating effects. But what I think the opportunity is for us here is, and I agree, the nonprofit sector has not done a good job of sharing how awesome we are. Right. We're our least best fan. You know, we don't want to pat.

[Julia Campbell]

Ourselves on the back. We want to put our heads down and do the work. But then when something like this happens, people don't understand how vital we are.

[Bethany Snyder]

Right.

[Julia Campbell]

To day. To day life.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yes, exactly. And so one of the things we've been talking about is so when someone, you know, so the first thing let's talk about, like the things that I talked about in my blog post, which is how do you prepare for this, you know, for this fight? Right. So first is like a fortifying your organization. Right. Is like, okay, getting, getting, staying informed and educating your team. I highly recommend if you are not following or not a member of your state nonprofit association, become one and follow them. They are, as one person said this week, doing the Lord's work of fighting back, putting out information and helping their nonprofit members really weather these times. So that's the first. So follow the National Council of Nonprofits, find who your state association, your state nonprofit association is, and sign up for their emails. If you can become a member, that's even great because they need money to do this work, et cetera. So first is safe formed. Look at those executive orders. Think about how they could impact you. Obviously, we've been hearing, diversify your resources, your funding. I mean, you can't do that in like eight hours or even maybe sometimes in 90 days. But I think being really transparent with your donors about what's happening is critical. We just saw in the Twin Cities, when Target took away decided DEI programs, the Twin Cities Pride said, fine, I'm not going to take your money anymore. It's a little bit different. And they went to the community and they were able to rate, place that $50,000 in 24 hours.

[Julia Campbell]

Yes.

[Bethany Snyder]

So I think being really transparent with your donors about this is what's going on. We're, you know, you can be saying, we're uncertain, we are in uncharted waters. And I think that's okay to say. You do not have to follow answers. But you can say, the one thing we do know is that we need, we need your support.

[Julia Campbell]

Yep.

[Bethany Snyder]

And we need your help.

[Julia Campbell]

Right. So I agree. And I have two examples that I want to share. I think I can share links from organizations that I received emails from just in the last two days that were very open, saying, look, we receive, you know, 75% of funding for this particular program is from a grant that could be affected or from funding that could be affected. And we just want to let you know that we're committed to this program, but we need your help and we might need you to step up. And, you know, the way you could do this is be a recurring donor. I'm not saying you have to send out a fundraising appeal, but I think what Bethany said is true. Being open and honest with your donors that this is happening and this could affect the delivery of services and the impact you're creating.

[Bethany Snyder]

Absolutely. And I think I always have a bias towards action, which sometimes isn't always great, but I think which is sometimes a bit me. But people, silence breeds more confusion and more anxiety.

[Julia Campbell]

Yes, yes.

[Bethany Snyder]

Put out a statement. We don't know what's going on yet, but this is what's going on. People, people like that, they want to hear that. They want to hear that you are thinking of them and you're thinking about it and you've got it, even if you don't have all the answers right now. I like to remind folks that the nonprofit while. While our trust and information sources has drastically decreased over time, people still trust their nonprofits they donate to. There's still trusted sources of information. So people. And this is one of the things that we don't want, we don't want to lose right. In this chaos. We want still people. So, yes, be transparent. Engage your donors. Another one to prepare is we're going to be talking a lot about advocacy strategies. This is going to involve advocacy. Get your folks trained, get yourself trained, get your staff trained on what advocacy looks like for your organization and how you can and how you can engage in it. This is, you know, I know sometimes we're like, we're doing the good, you know, we're doing the good work of feeding people. But, you know, we all need to step up now. And these, your organizations are who lawmakers need to hear from the most.

[Julia Campbell]

Exactly, exactly. They can hear from consultants all day and lobbyists, but they really need to hear from people in the trenches, on the ground, doing the work. I totally agree.

[Bethany Snyder]

And so next, my other point, my second step is responding. So what are you doing? Like, you can issue a public statement, mobilize a rapid response. I actually just put on my website yesterday and I will share this in the link sample rapid response template for your organization. It's really generic. And so here I'm going to grab it right now. I haven't even sent it out on my email list yet, so you're the first to get it.

[Julia Campbell]

Yay.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah. It's a. Nonprofits must be ready. Rapid response planning for success. And this is something my, so my organizations, we got caught, you know, left footed on this. We, we didn't have a rapid response plan. And this is something I always tell people like outside the legislative session, when session isn't like, what can we do? I was like, you can create a rapid response plan right now. So create that rapid response plan when something happens. Who, who needs, who's making the decision? Who's looking at the draft, who do you need to consult with? Right. Have that all laid out beforehand so you're not struggling in the moment like I was this week with some of my organizations that I work with. So that's a template there that's pretty generic that you can use. It's like a five step plan. And then think like, who do we need to tell? Do we need to tell our board first? Do we have executive committee, the board staff, then our stakeholders? You know, just think through all those things, you know, so then again, when this happens again, you won't be kind of caught off guard. Provide emergency support for your community. Again, engaging these donors. If I want to call out to all the foundations who might be anyone from a foundation that's listening, if you can provide rapid response grants, right now is the time to do it. Get those one page applications ready that will not take 16 hours to create. And ask your grantees, what do you need from us right now? How can we help you? And I want to talk about a webinar I was just on that was hosted by the National Council of Nonprofits, but it was really for the, like the National Council of Philanthropy Today.

[Julia Campbell]

And that was that about how to respond to these things. Yes.

[Bethany Snyder]

And one of the, you know, of course it was a lawyer who is very, I understand, I'm married to a lawyer, so they have to like talk about risk all the time. But one of the things they talked about was like scrubbing your website of dei.

[Julia Campbell]

I don't know I would want to.

[Bethany Snyder]

I don't, I don't. I mean, of course that is the most risk adverse thing you could do. I'm not sure that's going to help our sector and I'm not sure that that's going to help the communities most at need. And I think, and I brought this up, I was like, what about organizations that are LGBTQ that serve LGBTQ people or the Latino shelf or the black led organizations, they can't squab their websites. Their whole mission is serving vulnerable and marginalized populations. So but I think having those conversations with your board and your leaders about how bold you want to take and I'm going to encourage you to be as bold as you can. That is a conversation to have when you're going through this rapid response plan.

[Julia Campbell]

100%. 100%. Okay. Oh yeah. So now we're still on respond.

[Bethany Snyder]

Well, you respond in. We're going to move on to advocate. So yeah, this is where we're going to build partnerships. We're going to push back. Who are those other folks in your community that you can rely on? So I work with Iowa Nonprofit alliance and I thought let's get a call of all the red rural, small states. Right. Our needs are way different than Minnesota or Oregon or Maryland. Right. Or California. And so I want to get us together so we can talk as leaders on like, how are we working within the unique environment that we're in in certain states? So I'm already thinking like, who I'm getting on the call, getting on calls with Iowa Council foundations. Okay, how are we going to work together? So be thinking about who are those partnerships you need to, you need to build or tap into and then have a conversation. How do we want to work together? Do we wan respond together? I think like some organizations are going to go further than other organizations and that's fine. But just having that conversation and letting them know we're going to take this as far as we can. I understand if you're can do more behind the scenes stuff, but just have those conversations and then again, engage lawmakers at every level. We the one thing this thing has taught me, this fire drill this week and we already knew this. Lawmakers do not understand the nonprofit sector.

[Julia Campbell]

No.

[Bethany Snyder]

And we already knew this. We know this every single day. But it definitely came to head this week. So take a time to say, reach out to your local lawmakers and say I want to tell you about our organization, how we receive funding. And when people ask how do you receive funding? We can't just keep saying it's complicated. You have to come up with something like, even if it's like one third comes from individual donations, one third comes from grants and 1/3 comes from federal funding or this program is federal funded. Just I think a one pager on that and just educating lawmakers and the public and stakeholders about how you're funded and the symbiotic relationship between Government and the nonprofit sector. Yes, Nonprofit sector does the work of the government. Right.

[Julia Campbell]

Where the safety net, we are the safety.

[Bethany Snyder]

And it's a, I think it's a good thing where our communities are on the ground. We're closest to the people. We can provide care and services in a culturally competent, community based way. Right. You want that person, you see the grocery store helping you out, not, you know, some government bureaucrat. Right. I think. And that's the way the system works. Great. And it works great when we have mutual respect for each other. And so that's one of my main takeaways when I'm talking to our lawmakers here in the state of Iowa is this relationship is symbiotic. We rely on each other. And in order for this to work, we need to work together. And these kind of things are not helpful. Like what just happened this week that's so important. So if you can have a conversation with your local lawmakers or state lawmakers just to explain to them about your organization how you know. And this is not lobbying because you're not asking for a bill. No.

[Julia Campbell]

You're just explaining to them how it works.

[Bethany Snyder]

Educating. Exactly. And then lastly, of course, invest in long term policy change. Right. We want to make sure that we create more equitable systems. And we're seeing where we already knew where the gaps were this week has just highlighted them and illuminated them. And so now I think hopefully longer term we can work on filling those gaps and making sure that we, I think we can come out as a stronger nonprofit sector. After all of this, I have hope.

[Julia Campbell]

Absolutely.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah.

[Julia Campbell]

I, I want to just address some of the questions that I have received and some of the conversations that I have had with my clients, because clearly you and I are very much on the same page. Anyone that has spoken to us, talked to us, been on training with us, listened to us talk, looked at our backgrounds of our office, like clearly understands that we are, we're very pro advocacy and speaking up for what's right and what's not right and just very proud speaking up for the communities that we serve and at the nonprofit level. But what about pushback from our board and our donors? And what about a board that says, oh, no, we can't delve into politics and.

[Bethany Snyder]

Right. Well, one thing we want to remember is that in the eyes of the irs, politics, big picture is candidates, political candidates, political parties and elections. None of this we're talking about has to do any with that.

[Julia Campbell]

Exactly.

[Bethany Snyder]

Now, of course, things have been politicized. Right. Things I would have Thought would be politicized masks, vaccines, the word dei. Right. But we can't play into their handbook. We can't now take that on and us say this is political. It's not. Vaccines are not political. Masks are not political. Equitable practices are not political. We know that they improve the lives of our communities. When we have equitable practices, when we know that, we just see this. I just think of the Small Business Association. That's why they have programs geared at veterans and women and people with disabilities because they are disadvantaged. But they know that the more we have those sorts of small business owners, the better our communities are served. Right. And another thing, we need to think we can't fall into the trap of defining DEI as they are. We need to say this is what DEI means to our organization. This is what it means to be diverse to us, serving with integrity and without, you know, whatever that looks like. But I would say, I would push back and say we don't need to fall into their trap and start using the master's language. We can create our own language around this and educate around it.

[Julia Campbell]

I completely agree. Like, let's own the language. And we also. And also, I think what nonprofits, what I would love to implore to them, which I do say all the time, is that no matter what you do, someone is going to push back on it.

[Bethany Snyder]

Absolutely.

[Julia Campbell]

Whether you're saving kittens or you are helping, you know, it doesn't matter, like really anything. Libraries, museums, arts organizations, research, domestic violence. There's always going to be pushback. But at what point do we stand up and say, no, this is what we stand for, this is what we're doing. This is what we believe in and we're willing to stand up for what we believe in. And we deserve funding. We need to get more funding. I think what's so interesting about the call you were on today, I would love to ask you, and you talked a little bit more about it, but how can funders, philanthropists and foundations really be responding to this as well? And what's our sort of call to them to be more proactive in this space?

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah, I mean, the people with the purse strings have the most power. And so again, I would encourage any foundation or funder or donor on this call to be thinking, how can I again, how can I fortify and strengthen this organization? What can I do to help them so they can weather the storm? Now, not admitted. Not talking about DEI or equity is not going to help organizations not weather the storm. Right.

[Julia Campbell]

Just brushing out of the rug and Pretending it doesn't exist.

[Bethany Snyder]

Exactly. And the thing is, we know. We know if you capitulate, they're not gonna be like, oh, great, they did what we said. No, they're just gonna keep moving the goalpost back and back. You know, this is not like, oh, great, they took DEI off their website. Now we're not gonna target this org. No. That's just the first step. Right. So we can't, like, then what. How many steps down do we now decide to stand? Like how you said do now do we decide this is. Yeah. I think that's a very slippery slope for organizations. Organizations to think about. But if you can start talking about this is what diversity means to our organization.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah.

[Bethany Snyder]

This is how we practice it. You know, just start. I think education is the number one thing we need to do right now. It's clear we've always known this. People not understand the nonprofit sector. And so we need to do better about educating them. And I think. I think foundations can help with that. Foundation strong voice. They can be doing a lot of this work and talking about how important the nonprofit sector is. They could put out those one pagers on funding. Right. These people are already working to, like, feed people and house people. The foundations can create a one pager. They have brains just. They have. As my mom used to say, their hands aren't painted on.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah, their hands aren't painted on. What an amazing saying.

[Bethany Snyder]

Right?

[Julia Campbell]

Why I'm starting that to my kids.

[Bethany Snyder]

Your hands are painted on.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah, like, oh, my gosh.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah. I would love to see, like, our foundations here putting out. This is why the non profit sectors and putting out those one pagers. And then we'll just use them. Right? We can, like, tweak them and use them our own. But I think that would be great and a great role for our foundations to do.

[Julia Campbell]

I agree. And foundations often have pretty powerful movers and shakers on their boards in their donor file. They have connections with businesses, people that might not. That are definitely not on the ground or might not be as close to the work. So I do see education as a huge, huge piece of this. And I've always sort of. I've always thought that. So I guess my. I guess one other thing I wanted to ask you. How can we stay informed while maintaining our mental health? Like, do you have any tips for us? Because I know so many people on this call and on this LinkedIn live and listening to the podcast. That's something they're really struggling with right now.

[Bethany Snyder]

Well, and it's hard because you're like, I'm already dealing with this already tough situation of, you know, again, feeding people housing. These aren't always easy days already. Right. And now, like, you're adding this to my plate again. I would say look to your state association. Find out what they're doing. Sign on to their communication channels. Most of them are holding some sort of call this week and next week with their networks. Try to jump on that call. The National Council of Nonprofits is holding a big national call on Friday. The registration link isn't live yet, but as soon as it is, I'll make sure Julia knows. Yeah, I think two to three central.

[Julia Campbell]

That's next week. Next Friday. Friday.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yep. On the 7th. And so that's an opportunity. If you miss your state's call or if your state hasn't, like Iowa, we haven't gotten one together yet, but we're in the process of it. Join that call. They're not gonna be taking questions, but you can, like, sit in here. They're kind of go through what's happening from a really big picture level. Yeah. And I think, you know, obviously some of those really basic things. Call your program officer at the agency, talk to them, find out what they know. Call your grantors and say, hey, did you know that this whole program that we do is federally funded? Is there a way that can we provide, get some emergency funding in case it goes away? Start having those conversations now. So then in 90 days or. And who knows? You know, this administration doesn't really keep to its word. They could do something in 45 days. Right. We don't really know. So that's what I'd be doing now is getting information, putting together information as well. So I think get you guys getting information, but then gathering information so you can really educate your community as well.

[Julia Campbell]

How should we be communicating right now? And I know we should be, but I do see a lot of, especially maybe smaller organizations feeling like there's so much clutter. There's so many things. People are so overwhelmed with information right now.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yeah.

[Julia Campbell]

What are some strategies you have for maybe how we can communicate with our donors, with our stakeholders?

[Bethany Snyder]

Well, obviously, people are using social a lot. I think the one challenge with social and you know this, Julia, that's your bread and butter, is that not everyone's going to see that message that, you know, the powers that be and the algorithms that be. But email communication is the number one way to get directly, you know, at your folks. So if you have an email list, I think you can say, we know there's A lot of noise. We know there's a lot of you knowledge it. Yeah. Just acknowledge it and say we're working through it too. But just so you know, we're here. This is what we do know. Maybe this is what we don't know. But we are keeping on top of it. I think just, I think being transparent like that is really will help put people at ease. Is.

[Julia Campbell]

I love it. Oh my gosh, this has been amazing. Elisa asked on LinkedIn the three big P's for the IRS considerations as political.

[Bethany Snyder]

I don't know. Oh, what those. Oh, so that's political parties, political candidates and elections. That's what we call the three big P's right. Those are things that like not 501 C3s can't do. You can't say, you know. But all these other things we consider political. I come small P political right. Like LGBTQ people's lives and masks. I can't. I just, I used to use the example of fire hydrants. I was like someday maybe fire hydrants become political. I don't know.

[Julia Campbell]

I'm sure they are. They probably are.

[Bethany Snyder]

It might be. I bet they're federally funded. But. Right.

[Julia Campbell]

Oh, everything is political. It doesn't matter.

[Bethany Snyder]

Right. And so but you don't fall into the trap of defining what's political by our. Our opponents. Right. These are people's lives. People are not political in beings. And so just remember the big three P's are. You just can't say anything about political parties, candidates which are not really in any kind of active campaigns, especially of special elections happening in your community and elections.

[Julia Campbell]

Yeah, right, exactly. So that's what I really think is so important about advocacy. We talked about this when you were. You've been on my podcast a couple of times and this is something that I just want to really drill home for non profits is that you can talk about current events. You can say we lost this grant or we are scared to lose this grant or we are really scared about the implications of this law on the constituents and the people that we serve. That is not going to violate your 5:1 C3 designation. It really is. If you say you know anything about an election or like you just said a candidate. But I do think really making, you know, pretending that these things don't exist is not going to build trust and it's not going to build community. Our donors and our supporters and stakeholders, they. They turn to us for to be the go to resource on the issue that they care about the problem that they want solved. And when I don't. When I hear just sort of radio silence from organizations that I know are working on issues that I care about that are in the news, that I don't. I don't have the time to be on the forefront of every single headline and every single everything. So I really do trust the non profits to do that. I think we're doing a disservice being silent.

[Bethany Snyder]

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Like I said, it makes people more anxious. It doesn't make them feel comfortable with silence. Right. It just makes them more anxious. They just want to know, we've got it, we're following it, we'll let you know. We know more.

[Julia Campbell]

It sort of was like in Covid. Do you remember when there was like radio silence from so many non profits? And I thought this is something that actually is happening universally like around the world. And I kind of want to know, I want to know what's happening. I want to know how it's impacting you. I want to know what I can do, like most importantly as a donor and as an advocate myself.

[Bethany Snyder]

Absolutely. And I'd say, like, I know also, go see what is in your queue to be sent out in your emails. I've gotten a couple tone deaf emails today where I'm like, oh, why are they sending this? This is a weird thing to send out today considering all that's going on in the world. But I'm sure it was scheduled like last week. Right. So I'd say go back and look at your queue and be like, does this seem like the right time to send this right now? Yeah.

[Julia Campbell]

Oh, well, this is an interesting question. I don't know the name, but it's, it's boss. Coaches, would it be okay to post an open letter to the president regarding DEI on our website?

[Bethany Snyder]

Well, that's interesting. We are writing. So some of the organizations I work with are writing letters to our federal delegation. Just, hey, we're, you know, this is our organization, this is one just want to tell you more about us. And it's obvious, it's obvious. You don't know, you're confused. It's not going to say that. It's going to be very nice. But we're going to post that on our website. Definitely. Because I want to make sure that if people want to replicate it, if that gives, if that, that's another way to educate the public. So I wouldn't necessarily send one to the president. I think the more effective strategy is really your state lawmakers and your federal lawmakers.

[Julia Campbell]

Exactly. Oh, great. And I think you could just make an open statement about how you feel about dei. Like, absolutely. Just that's how this is how we feel about it. This is our policy, and this is what we're going to do.

[Bethany Snyder]

Yep. And I know some people are saying that that's going to put targets on backs. That's what kind of the gist of this webinar I went to. But this is the thing. There's organizations already with targets on their backs. Right. That can't get the targets off their backs. So I, again, this isn't going away. I think bolder action is what we need. And I think people, the privilege need to take the boldest action. And the ones who don't have the targets on their back yet, because you've heard this, you know, they came for the blah, blah, blah in the. Then there's no one left to save me. We've all heard that, you know. Yeah. So I would definitely. Instead of doing one to the president. Oh, another thing I was gonna say, I've seen a couple organizations in my community do this, and I really loved it. It's like an open letter. So the Iowa Nonprofit alliance and Open letter to Iowa's nonprofits. Just saying, we got this. We are thinking about you. We know it's been a tough week. Like, it's an open letter to Iowa's nonprofits. And I've seen that our LGBTQ organizations send one to the LGBTQ community, like these executive orders that came back from Trump. They're devastating. We know it's impacting you as a comedian. We're going to do all we can to fight against them. So I also think that's something to send a letter to your community if you serve a specific constituency.

[Julia Campbell]

I love that. I got an email from Amy Sample Ward at the nonprofit Technology Network today. Did you get that email that said, I want to give you a hug? And I almost cried. I thought, oh, my gosh, I want to so badly. So they wrote, you know, I. We've got you. We see you. Here are some resources. We don't have all the answers, but we are committed to you and we're here for you. I thought that was such a beautiful letter. Just a really. Not having to have perfection. All answers, but just saying we're here in community together and this is what we're doing. And that's really what I wanted to do today with. With this LinkedIn Live. So, Bethany, thank you. Any last thoughts?

[Bethany Snyder]

No, I, you know, my last thoughts.

[Julia Campbell]

Are just everything to the ground or no.

[Bethany Snyder]

Well, maybe, but we're just screaming and.

[Julia Campbell]

We'Re screaming at midnight tonight.

[Bethany Snyder]

Maybe we're all just gonna scream into the void together. I want to remind people who are really in this fight, take breaks, pass the torch to other people. Take care of yourself. Remember, put the oxygen man mask on yourself first before you can help others. I think that's just sometimes as nonprofit people, we sacrifice ourselves and our families and our own health. Don't do that. There are lots of people working on this. Find the helpers. If you need to step back, do that for yourself. Don't feel like. Yeah, there's now cross the die on here. We're all in this together. That's my final parting words.

[Julia Campbell]

Yes. I will post links for everyone to connect with Bethany in either in the show notes of the podcast or in the comment section. Snyder Strategies dot me Bethany Snyder on LinkedIn. And you can obviously all connect with me on LinkedIn, but I really appreciate you taking the time. I know you're so busy. There's so. There's a lot going on. This is a nice little reprise from.

[Bethany Snyder]

Looking at the news. Yeah. Well, thank you for having me on and lifting this up. Like we need to be having these conversations over and over again, over and.

[Julia Campbell]

Over and over again. I completely agree. All right, well, have. Have a great weekend and I'm sure I'll have you on again very soon.

[Bethany Snyder]

I hope so. Everyone stay safe. Take care.

[Julia Campbell]

Take care, everyone.