Dawn Franks

For many conservatives, Monday, Jan. 20 was a great day. It was a day of angst for those in the middle or on the other side of the aisle. The anxiety many felt has shifted from fear of anticipated threats to reality.

In our lifetime, presidents have served for eight years and some held consecutive terms. It has been 132 two years since Grover Cleveland arrived at the White House for his second term of office behind Benjamin Harrison.

Various presidential historian experts rank him at best 17th and 25th place. He’s described as mid to upper-tier among presidents. A fiscal conservative, Cleveland believed in limited government. His record was weak on race relations, supporting policies that disenfranchised Black voters. As history lessons go, we’re skimming the top of what I learned from an internet search.

What’s very different today from 100-plus years ago is the amount of information, speed of disinformation, proliferation of political pundits and the level of political noise intended to influence our choices.

And President Trump is not the type of leader who accepts defeat and heads for the golf club. While he’s on the links and many of his waking hours during four in-between years, he had time to think, plan and organize for the day he set foot back in the Oval Office.

Proof is the 37 seven executive orders signed in his first week of office and the speed at which he has moved to fill cabinet positions. President Biden held the record of 22 executive orders in the first seven days, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt was far behind at six.

President Trump bested them all. And while making history, he created panic and fear among nonprofit organizations, small and large. With the far-reaching complexity of our federal government has also come many funding streams that provide needed funds for critical services. Some federal dollars even pass through state government first and then on to local nonprofit organizations.

It would take many more words than we have space for here to explain how those different streams work. Here’s my explanation for why some executive orders have created panic.

When a nonprofit organization receives federal or state dollars, there are requirements attached to the grant. Nonprofits respond by writing policies and procedures to implement the funded programs. Sometimes, the policies impact the entire organization.

Most importantly, federal and state funds create the illusion that nonprofits do not need us or that they do not need very much of us. And by us, I mean our support as donors.

It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle you are on or if you stand firmly in the middle. We need to recognize our role as donors during this moment in history.

We may receive more fundraising letters, see an uptick in special events or read about funding challenges in nonprofit newsletters. The concerns are real, and the impact is significant as nonprofit organizations work to continue serving and meeting critical needs.

I strongly believe that many small donors make for a healthy nonprofit. I count myself as one of you. Together, we improve their ability to withstand unexpected changes from large funders. Our giving provides nonprofit executive leaders and board members time to address the immediate challenges to ongoing budgets.

Bill Clements was the governor of Texas in my very early years at the East Texas Crisis Center. Shortly after Mark White became governor in January 1983, a letter from the Governor’s Office informed us that Gov. White would not sign off a grant awarded under Gov. Clements until after reviewing the funding details.

The review process took months, and making payroll became a challenge. We contacted local donors to help us make it through that time. I’m reminded of the phrase, “All politics is local,” famously attributed to Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill.

Local means addressing the everyday concerns of a local community. Regardless of what happens in Washington D.C. or Austin, Texas – we live here. Watch for more information and clarity on these challenges to the organizations you support. I believe in the power of smart donors to give well, making up a critical broad base of support. Join me and pay attention; there’s more to come.