Among Benson’s and Greene’s recommendations:

• Do a cash flow analysis and prepare for different scenarios. Benson says in addition to those steps, it’s important to understand the full costs of delivering programs and figure out where cutbacks might be possible without sacrificing core operations.

  Greene says he started planning 12 to 18 months before the 2024 presidential election and prepared two budgets, predicting what would happen to World Relief’s financing under a Democrat or a Republican victory. While the changes happened faster than he expected, doing all that forecasting allowed the organization to react immediately.

• Reach out to grant makers and other donors. World Relief got a fundraising appeal out a day after the White House announced cuts in refugee resettlement programs and then followed up with more specifics about the impact as it learned them. Those appeals helped World Relief raise $10 million in two months, allowing it to make up for immediate shortfalls. Meanwhile, Benson says to be in touch with your grant makers and help them understand how flexible, long-term funding would make a difference.
• Advocacy matters. With lawmakers now considering spending cuts, “reach out to your elected officials at the city, state, and federal levels,” says Benson. “Tell them your stories. Use good impact data. What are the economic benefits and contributions of the work you are doing? How are you really helping people through their challenges?”

Listen to the full conversation.

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