Serving Nonprofits In A Year Of Change

Number Cruncher
4 days ago
2 min read

As this year comes to a close, the word that keeps showing up in conversations with nonprofit leaders is “change.”

Funding shifted. Programs expanded or paused. Key staff moved roles or moved on. Some organizations experienced unexpected growth. Others felt the pressure of doing more with less. Very few would say, “This year looked exactly like what we planned on paper last January.”

We feel that on our side too.

Inside Imagine New, we are in our own season of internal change. Roles are shifting. New team members are stepping in. Some of the ways we have “always done things” are being re-evaluated. None of this is fully wrapped up yet. We are learning in real time, just like you are.

What this year has reminded us, again, is that change rarely feels tidy while it is happening. You do not always get the benefit of distance before you have to make decisions.

For nonprofits, that reality shows up in a few familiar ways:

A long serving staff member or volunteer steps away and leaves a gap in operationsA grant that felt reliable is not renewed, or a new grant arrives with new reporting expectations
A new Executive Director or board chair comes in with different priorities and questions

In the middle of those shifts, it can be tempting to treat the financial side as something to just “get through.” Do the minimum, keep things moving, and tell yourself you will clean it up when things settle down.

The problem is that things rarely settle down as quickly as we hope.

From our vantage point, three things become especially important for nonprofits in seasons of change:

Clarity about what is actually happening. You cannot make good decisions if you are relying on guesses or outdated reports. You need simple, accurate numbers that show what changed, when it changed, and how it affects your cash and your plans.
Continuity in day to day work. When roles shift, you need more than “this person has always done it.” You need basic documentation, shared logins handled carefully, and a clear understanding of what must happen each week and month to keep the organization steady.
Space for honest conversations. Change brings questions. Staff, board members, and funders often see different pieces of the picture. Someone needs to translate the financial side in plain language so people can respond calmly instead of reacting from anxiety.

We do not have all of our own answers neatly tied up yet, and we do not expect our partners to either. What we do know is that how you handle your finances during seasons of change matters for your long term health.

As we walk through our own internal shifts, we are paying close attention to the practices that help organizations stay grounded. That perspective is already shaping how we support our current partners and how we will serve new ones in the year ahead.

If this year has been full of change for your nonprofit, you are not alone. The work now is to make sure your financial systems help you navigate that change, instead of becoming one more source of uncertainty.