Imagine you are a leader of a small nonprofit in an under-resourced, under-serviced community. You provide a vital service like nutrition assistance or medical care to your neighbors at a time of high prices and lagging wages. Public funding for organizations like yours has been slashed, and the federal programs that make up our social safety net have been gutted. You’ve had to freeze hiring and pause new programs to stay afloat, but demand for your services is higher than ever. In a moment of need, you pick up the phone to call philanthropic partners for emergency support to keep the lights on — but your call goes unanswered. If you do get a call back, your ask is brushed away with a polite, vague ‘maybe’ — an answer that leaves you with little clarity and even less trust.
This is the kind of story I’ve heard with increasing frequency from nonprofit leaders. Many are frustrated by what they see as a culture of silence and overcaution from the philanthropic community in a moment when nonprofits are strained and scared. As the president of an organization that represents both nonprofits and philanthropy, I can see the other side, too: philanthropic foundations have been a primary political target of the current administration, and many have stepped up to provide vital resources for nonprofits where government has stepped away. They are facing a changing and uncertain policy environment that could constrain their resources meaningfully in the years to come. It is perfectly understandable that in the face of this uncertainty, organizations are choosing to bring on new leadership and rethink their funding strategies before pursuing new partnerships. But these changes demand more transparency and candor between nonprofits and philanthropy, not less.
As a convener and connector for the entire charitable sector, Independent Sector is working to break down the barriers between nonprofits and philanthropies and create opportunities for honest dialogue, collaboration, and meaningful partnerships. At Independent Sector’s National Summit 2026, we are bringing together hundreds of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders in Phoenix to build a strategy for a truly collaborative future: a future we build together. Through hands-on trainings, collaborative workshops, cutting-edge strategy labs and groundbreaking panel discussions, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders will be pushed to forge new bonds and work through collective challenges – as allies, not competitors.
Moments of crisis can also be moments of clarity. For the charitable sector, this crisis we are living through has shown us how deeply nonprofits and philanthropy need each other – as equal partners and with full respect for each other’s humanity. That respect starts with transparency and open communication. For the philanthropic leader picking up a call from that small nonprofit in need, sometimes that will mean not shying away from hard truths: nonprofit leaders can handle the word ‘no’. But honest dialogue has to start with picking up the phone.
Dr. Akilah Watkins
Dr. Akilah Watkins is president and CEO of Independent Sector.
