Now is the Time for Heart

If the last few weeks have taught us anything, it’s this:
​we’re in a season where resilience favors the bold.

The federal shutdown may be over, but the aftershocks are still moving through our sector – delayed reimbursements, shifting priorities out of Washington, and an uneasy sense that the ground can shift again without much warning.

Here’s the deeper truth beneath all of it:

This moment is asking nonprofits to be courageous.

Every organization I talk to is feeling it – the budget pressures, the year-end fundraising crunch, staffing decisions, and the emotional fatigue of leading through uncertainty. The old nonprofit reflex to wait, to hedge, to hope things settle… isn’t serving us currently.

Nonprofits are leading in a climate that demands courage.

And courage, at its root, comes from the French coeur — “heart.”
Nonprofits have plenty of heart.
​Now is the time to use it.​
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Risk Management Won’t Carry Us Through This Moment

For decades, nonprofits have been conditioned toward caution.

Governance is often framed as “protecting the organization."
Boards slow decisions to avoid mistakes.
Executives wait for clarity before moving.
Managers do more research, wanting more information – more clarity, more assurances, more guarantees.

But uncertainty is now the water we swim in.

In this climate, risk avoidance no longer equals safety.

Courage – aligned, mission-anchored courage – is what creates resilience.

The organizations I see thriving right now share three traits:

• They are crystal clear on their mission.
• They are organized around fulfilling their purpose, not protecting their comfort.
• They act with intention, even when the path isn’t fully visible.

But How Do You Know If You’re Being Courageous?

Courage in nonprofit leadership is rarely dramatic.
Here are the five signs you’re leading with courage:

1. You’re telling the truth sooner.

Courage begins with clarity. Courageous leaders name things plainly — the financial reality, the staffing concerns, the risk and uncertainty — without dramatizing it and without hiding it.

They trust that truth strengthens people.
It doesn’t break them.

You refuse to soften the truth to avoid discomfort.

Trust that transparency strengthens people.

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2. You’re acting before you feel fully ready.

Courage is rarely accompanied by certainty.

It means that you have enough to take the next step – even if it’s not everything that you want.

You ask:

What is the part of this we can pilot now?
What can we learn by taking one small step?
What version gets this in motion?
What’s our next actionable priority?

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3. You’re choosing purpose over protection.

Risk-averse leadership asks,
“How do we avoid harm?”
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Courageous leadership asks,
“How do we stay faithful to our mission?”

Boards show courage when they invest in future capacity instead of stalling to preserve comfort.

Executives show courage when they lead transparently through ambiguity.

Managers show courage when they speak honestly with their teams about realities.

Courage is choosing the mission over fear.

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4. You’re widening the circle instead of isolating.

Courageous leaders don’t go it alone.

They bring in partners.
They call their funders.
They seek counsel from their board chairs.
They tap into the expertise of community peers.
They get a coach.
They pull in trusted colleagues.
They call a funder before a crisis hits.
They reach for expertise rather than carrying everything themselves.
They invest in a formalized strategic plan.

Isolation breeds fear.

Connection strengthens clarity – and strategy.

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5. You’re tending to your heart as seriously as your strategy.

This may be the most important item of all.

It is the part we skip – but it is the foundation of everything else.

Courage requires a steady nervous system.

It requires rituals that anchor you.

It requires rest, reflection, and space to think.
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​If your heart collapses, your strategy collapses.

Sustainable courage requires care.

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The Courage We Need for 2026

As we move toward a new year — with political volatility, funding uncertainty, workforce challenges, and community needs growing more complex — courage can no longer be something we admire from afar.

It has to become part of how we lead.

And the good news is:
​Courage is not innate.
It’s practiced.
It’s strengthened.
It’s shared.

Nonprofits are built on heart.
This is the season to use it — to act boldly, make mission-anchored decisions, have honest conversations, and lead with conviction and care.

The courageous organizations — the ones willing to move with purpose and clarity — are the ones that will thrive.