CalNonprofits Trump 2.0 Resilience Series: New Year, New Fights

Published on: by Gene Takagi Category:CURRENT AFFAIRS & OPINION, EVENTS, RISK MANAGEMENT
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On January 28, 2026, CalNonprofits provide its first virtual townhall as part of its Trump 2.0 Resilience Series. As with all of our posts capturing highlights of events, my interpretations, opinions, and additions of supplemental resources may be sprinkled in with the information provided by the presenters.

Join CalNonprofits CEO Geoff Green and Protect Democracy’s Executive Director Ian Bassin for a virtual conversation on how nonprofits can stay strong and mission-focused amid growing threats to democracy here in the United States. Freedom in America is being tested, not only by external pressures but by democratic institutions faltering from within.

This 60-minute virtual townhall will help nonprofit leaders start the year with clarity and confidence, exploring how these challenges affect the nonprofit sector and what organizations can do to protect their missions and communities. Participants will also learn about Protect Democracy’s tools and resources to help defend democratic values and ensure nonprofits can continue to lead with integrity and impact in 2026 and beyond.

Some Highlights

  • Protect Democracy is a cross-ideological nonprofit group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat
  • The Authoritarian Playbook includes seven basic tactics in the pursuit of power: Politicizing Independent Institutions; Spreading Disinformation; Aggrandizing Executive Power; Quashing Dissent; Scapegoating Vulnerable Communities; Corrupting Elections; and Stoking Violence
  • Nonprofits and civil society acts as a check against abuses of power and consolidations of power, which explains why authoritarians attempt to attack nonprofits as part of their strategy – See Why Protecting Democracy Means Protecting Nonprofits (Ellinor Heywood and Genevieve Nadeau, NPQ)
  • Weaponization of bad faith application of existing rules in retaliatory ways; good faith is not as strong protection as in the past
  • How can your organization prepare for a potential investigation?
    • Keep calm and carry on with the mission
    • When in doubt, contact a lawyer. (And have one ready!)
    • Have a plan
    • Embrace good governance
    • Implement document retention policies now
    • Ensure confidential information is protected
    • Establish physical and cybersecurity protocols
    • Get honest with funders and partners
    • Build broad coalitions
    • Assume anything in writing could be disclosed
    • Train staff to be aware of bad-faith actors
  • Revocation of 501(c)(3) status is not that simple and we have not seen this at the scale many are worried about because of all of the threats and rhetoric coming from the federal and some state governments
  • State can serve as a check to federal abuses
  • Fair elections are critical and we cannot take fair elections for granted
  • 501(c)(3) organizations can advocate and promote policies – learn the rules
  • Every crisis in our country precedes a moment in which we advance our democracy; going back is not a good option
  • Ian Bassin – “We are going to win.”

Additional Resources

Nonprofit Resilience Under Trump 2.0: Resources (CalNonprofits)