By Kevin Essington, CEO, City Greener Strategies LLC
Radical changes are coming. You were made for this. Now get organized for what is to come.
The United States has narrowly elected a fascist and kleptocratic man and his supporters to be President until at least January 2029. The role of nongovernmental organizations under fascist regimes is a critical one in supporting the everyday needs of civil society. As public resources are redirected away from people in order to enrich private allies or preferred populations of the fascist or kleptocratic leader, public assets will degrade for many. Daily life will become more difficult for the average person.
Your role as community and civic leader has never been more urgent and vital than it is about to become. You, your mission, and your services, are a pillar in a civic structure that has at least one less pillar. You have never been more needed, and more important to your community. Your government is not going to restore that river, feed your hungry neighbors, or house the poor. You are!
In this environment, transformative public funds are gone. Your funding model to meet the increased importance of your mission is changing. If you are a new organization, this may not impact you immediately, but if you are in growth or mature lifecycle stages, you may in fact lose funding and be forced to quickly adapt.
Despite the pressure to do more with less, there are paths to growth. Many civic organizations and leaders will also find themselves serving a role beyond their mission: inspiring broader action for a fairer society. Because of your courageous commitment to your community, and because of your impact in the face of government pressure, you will give courage to others and they will remember that you did!
There are examples around the world and through modern history of nongovernmental organizations who successfully organized public action in the face of fascist or kleptocrat governments. For example, the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition stopped the construction of a nuclear power plant during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Furthermore, this campaign’s success inspired action throughout the country that led to the People Power Revolution that deposed the dictator. In South Africa, the Institute for a Democratic Alternative organized the movement for democratic representation and helped end apartheid. In the Soviet Union, while not fascist, the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Nature made nature protection a matter of national importance despite Stalinism’s ruthlessly repressive nature.
You and your organization were made to serve in this environment, even though the stress and pressure may feel overwhelming at times. To help you prepare for this environment, I want to offer three questions for you to consider.
Is your business model still viable?
Have you conducted a ruthless review of your funding? Have you built two or three financial scenarios for the next few years? Have you considered a radical rebalancing of funding and how that will affect your strategies and programs? Should you prepare to put different people to work on your programs? Should you consider entirely new labor models, such as coops, mutual-aid, or volunteer corps? Planning for all financial contingencies and imagining new ways of working won’t reduce surprises, but it will give you some guardrails to lean on as shocks occur.
Is your culture fascist-ready?
Have you, your staff, and your board acknowledged the environment you are now in? Are you going to accommodate the demands of the government or actively work against them? What are the risks of either? Do you have the right board and staff culture to move down the path you chose? These will be highly divisive times, building a shared culture will help you maintain morale and stay resilient.
Have you cultivated allies or strengthened ties to people in power?
Have you cultivated new relationships? Can you build or join a coalition that can be resilient under pressure from above? Have you made your plans clear to powerful people such as mayors, county commissioners, state reps, or even religious or labor leaders? Shifting political times may require new alliances, and you may need to rely on powerful people to protect you from powerful counterforces as well.
We cannot know the future, nor the many events that may unfold in the coming years of fascist rule of the United States. But your organization is more important than ever to your community. Preparing for contingencies, building the right culture, and being part of coalitions will help you be resilient, adaptable, and impactful in ways you may not imagine. Be brave and bold, but be prepared!