How to Access Legal Aid in the ICE Era
The article explains that civil legal aid provides free or low‑cost representation for issues such as housing, family law, and immigration, but eligibility hinges on income thresholds. With lawyer fees ranging from $75 to $1,000 an hour and median U.S. income at $44,225, most Americans cannot afford private counsel. Nonprofit referrals and centralized portals like LawHelp.org and LSC.gov are critical for connecting vulnerable populations to aid, especially as ICE raids increase demand. However, legal‑aid agencies routinely turn away half of qualified applicants due to chronic underfunding.
The Gatekeepers: For-Profit Platforms, Nonprofit Power, and the Risks to Charitable Giving
Online giving now channels nearly $600 billion annually through for‑profit platforms that act as gatekeepers for charities. Recent crises—Flipcause’s 2025 bankruptcy wiping out $29 million for 3,200 nonprofits and GoFundMe’s creation of 1.4 million unauthorized pages with a 16.5% tip—exposed severe regulatory gaps....
What Leading Planned Parenthood Is Like Now
Since taking the helm in 2020, Alexis McGill Johnson has steered Planned Parenthood through a post‑Dobbs landscape marked by federal defunding, a wave of clinic closures and a shifting political spotlight. The organization, once operating over 600 health centers, has lost 53...
Faster Than Authoritarianism: Rapid Response as a Frontline Strategy for Democracy Defense
The article argues that rapid‑response intermediaries are essential frontline tools for defending democracy against authoritarian “flood the zone” tactics that rely on speed and confusion. It highlights a surge in demand for rapid‑response funding, citing Emergent Fund’s jump from 70...
Maternal Mortality Is a Policy Failure
Maternal mortality in the United States remains a public‑health emergency, with a 2022 rate of roughly 22 deaths per 100,000 live births—more than double that of comparable high‑income nations. The crisis is driven by policy gaps, including limited postpartum insurance...
What If I Freeze with a Major Donor Ask?
Rhea Wong, a nonprofit fundraising coach, explains why the silence after a major‑gift ask is often misinterpreted as rejection. She argues that a polished pitch can trigger a donor’s defensive brain response, turning the conversation into a monologue rather than...
Getting $750 a Month Didn’t End Homelessness—But Our Study Shows It Still Improved the Lives of Homeless People
The USC Homelessness Policy Research Institute teamed with Miracle Messages for a randomized trial that gave 103 homeless Californians $750 per month for a year. Nearly half of the cash recipients secured housing, but the control group achieved a similar...
Trapped and Alone: Fear of ICE Is Deepening Postpartum Isolation for Immigrant Mothers
Immigrant mothers in Minneapolis, such as Laura and Reina, are experiencing severe postpartum isolation because of lingering fear of ICE raids. The heightened anxiety prevents them from seeking routine medical care, accepting help from family, or even leaving their homes,...
Weakening the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Will Widen Inequality
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s November 2025 proposal would strip key protections from the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by eliminating disparate impact liability, narrowing discouragement claims, and banning race‑ and gender‑based Special Purpose Credit Programs. Those changes would make it...
Democracy Needs You: 5 Steps Nonprofits Can Take to Support Free and Fair Elections
The article urges U.S. nonprofits to mobilize voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, emphasizing their unique community trust and legal ability to conduct nonpartisan voter registration and education. It outlines five practical steps—from appointing a coordinator to launching a GOTV...
Philanthropy’s Drag Coefficient: When Process Costs More Than Failure
The article argues that philanthropy’s administrative processes act like a drag coefficient, consuming resources that could otherwise generate impact. It compares high‑drag grantmaking—lengthy applications, frequent reports, site visits—to low‑drag, trust‑based approaches, showing that even a single failed grantee costs less...
Using AI for Fundraising Still Requires Human Strategy
Nonprofit development leaders are being bombarded with AI tools promising to automate fundraising, but experts warn that AI should augment, not replace, human strategy. AI excels at speeding up prospect research, grant prospecting, content drafting, and workflow automation, allowing staff...
How Dissolving Your Nonprofit Can Strengthen the Sector
The Opportunity Agenda, a two‑decade narrative‑strategy nonprofit, voted to dissolve in November 2025 after its leadership determined that a restricted‑grant‑heavy revenue model left no sustainable runway. A $4 million unrestricted grant in 2020 temporarily masked deeper funding diversification flaws, but by...
AI in the Nonprofit Sector Is a Question of Governance, Not Just Technology
Nonprofits are rapidly adopting AI, but most lack formal governance policies. The sector faces a governance gap as larger NGOs develop AI principles while smaller groups struggle. Diverging federal and state AI regulations add compliance complexity, and philanthropic AI funding...