You reach out to a few local nonprofits and funding circles. They all note how Trump’s reduction in federal funding everywhere is squeezing them in turn. Bigger NGOs are largely making up for it with high-profile fundraising off anti-Trump sentiment, but very little flows to smaller groups. They are “surviving” but worry that further changes could prevent them from pursuing their missions.
You decide to try out a small joint fundraising venture. You bring a bunch of groups together for a fundraising event. All donations go to a local community funding source who channels them into the local groups. It starts very slowly — and you spend a lot more time than you expected answering details about who gets the money, when, and how. You build an extensive, open accountability structure — so the money is community directed.
A lot changes when a local plant is raided by ICE. Apparently the owner called ICE on his undocumented workers right before payday. Workers flee en masse, uprooting their families. Immigrant groups are struggling to find resources — right as their funding dries up. Your group is able to step up and deliver some needed money right away. The speed matters. People now understand what you’re offering — and more offers come from people from a surprisingly wide political spectrum.
