Nonprofit Resources of the Week – 1/3/26

AI generated view of a section of Earth from space with the start of sunrise

Nonprofit Resources of the Week curates timely articles, tools, and commentary to help nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and their advisors stay informed about legal developments, sector trends, and emerging issues affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic ecosystem, including those related to equity, climate change, and resilience. The series also seeks to share tools, perspectives, and sources of inspiration that support more effective, thoughtful, and sustainable nonprofit leadership, and that help those working for and with nonprofits carry out their roles with greater confidence, efficiency, and purpose.

Notable Nonprofit Posts, Articles, & Other Resources:

Need a Boost? 14 Stories That Inspired Us in 2025 (SSIR)

Opinion: For 2026, There’s a Better Way to Be Hopeful (David DeSteno, NY Times)

Let’s try to be nicer to ourselves and one another while we fight against fascism | Let’s be less nice while we fight against fascism (Vu Le, Nonprofit AF)

What Surviving 2025 Taught Us About 2026 (Scott Curran, The Do (More) Good (Better) Newsletter)

How new protest laws are impacting political demonstrations (Akilah Johnson, Washington Post)

Trump Tries to Deport a U.S. Nonprofit CEO (Darryll K. Jones, Jonesing For Nonprofits)

Kennedy Center changed board rules months before vote to add Trump’s name (Janay Kingsberry and Kelsey Ables, Washington Post)

Philanthropy Awards, 2025 (Inside Philanthropy)

December Fundraising Developments (Linda Rosenthal, For Purpose Law Group)

Anonymous money fuels $5 million in attacks on Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (Jeff Amy, AP) [Ed. The anonymous (dark) money is reportedly coming from a social welfare organization, likely tax-exempt under 501(c)(4), and may represent a rapidly growing trend in this election year. For new tax-exempt organizations, information returns (Forms 990) may not be due or public until well after the elections and their donor lists may remain private. This is the system our conservative Supreme Court that favors moneyed interests gave us.]

Significant Events:

“A wave of protests started by shopkeepers swept through Tehran in December. Iranians have had such a terrible year—facing such a decline in living standards and such a sense of political impasse—that no one was terribly surprised when demonstrations filled the streets.” Atlantic
“American consumers aren’t feeling great about the economy or their own financial situation, with the phrase “affordability crisis” dominating headlines and political campaigns over the last few months.” CNBC
“Donald J. Trump promised to drive America in a different direction. One year into his second term, he is doing so, enacting or seeking fundamental changes to policy, politics and society. He has driven illegal crossings at the border to record lows and has made clear that the United States has shut the door to most nonwhite refugees. He has eliminated diversity programs in the government and has pushed corporate America to do the same.” NY Times

Equity and Justice Related Articles & Resources:

Yes, women’s rights are under threat around the world. But we’ve found hope in unlikely places
(Rahila Gupta, Guardian)

What America Might Look Like With Zero Immigration (Lydia DePillis and Campbell Robertson, NY Times)

John Robert’s Dream is Finally Coming True: The chief justice has been working to neuter the Voting Rights Act since the beginning of his career. (David Daley, Atlantic)

Climate Change Articles & Resources:

‘This is the Costco of energy, man!’: author Bill McKibben on the promise of renewables (Steve Curwood interview with Bill McKibben, Guardian) [Ed. Wealth and power may not like this – “As long as you rely on a source of power that’s only available in a few places, the people who control those places will end up with inordinate wealth and power.”]

Greenwashing, illegality and false claims: 13 climate litigation wins in 2025 (Isabella Kaminski, Guardian)

How climate change is threatening human rights (Pooja Yadav, United Nations News)