“All change begins in conversation." Before we strategize, we talk. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is time for nonprofit leaders and leadership teams to make time for a variety of conversations about areas of critical importance to ongoing sustainability.

When a major storm approaches the captain of a ship has two choices. In short, a ship can turn and run, or it can sail directly into to the storm. Both options come with risks. Either choice requires deliberate action and preparation to have a chance of success.

There is little doubt that we are in a crisis. Our lives, both personally and professionally, confront this reality daily. At home and in our organizations, the stresses and challenges of working and living in a seemingly unending pandemic are manifold. Crisis has come to define much of our existence. As we enter month two of this reality, our modes of working are settling into a new norm. While we know that this state of crisis cannot last, the roadmap for moving forward remains unclear.

The past weeks have been a whirlwind for nonprofits. In a matter of days, the pandemic changed both the ways we work and the environment we work within . . . . But in any disaster or wide-scale public emergency, there is a period when organizations and the community as a whole move from response to recovery.