It’s difficult to deny that nonprofit organizations face risks and challenges in 2025.
In our recent blog post, MCR program manager Ashley Johnson named some of these challenges, including how the tapering off of funding available after the pandemic has left the funding landscape even more competitive for grantseekers.
Pictured above: The MCR team made vision boards for our 2025 during our January staff retreat.
Scarcity often stands in the way of sustainable operations and growth for nonprofits. Along with the new hurdles coming from the changes in the political landscape, 2025 will prove to be a difficult year.
Planning activities that build connection and strategizing for collective action—whether small or large—can serve as antidotes to letting these challenges halt our progress. January is the time to make New Year’s resolutions, set goals, and commit to action for the coming year that allow us to move forward together.
In 2025, Michigan Community Resources is continuing the work we’ve been doing for over 25 years: serving community-based organizations working to improve the lives of the people they serve.
In the spirit of that commitment, here are our New Year’s resolutions for 2025:
Resolution 1: We will anchor ourselves in community.
Michigan Community Resources will continue to make sure that our work affirms the value of the communities we serve.
In 2024, we celebrated the organization's 25th anniversary, and after these many years working in Detroit, and across Michigan, we know who our constituents are. The organizations we serve represent dynamic and diverse communities that reflect the variety of life experiences that exist in our society. Our communities are not monolithic. MCR can only do its work effectively by remaining connected and present in these diverse and evolving communities.
Anonymity takes the human component out of the work we do and keeps us from more deeply understanding need. To combat this, and to better communicate about community needs to funders and to public sector officials, we commit to being present, accessible, connected, and anchored in community.
Our outreach will be personal and ongoing. Our first resolution reflects our commitment to continue showing up to events, meetings, and spaces across our service area, making connections and getting to know the organizations we serve and their individual needs and experiences.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Let us know about a meeting or event you are hosting where we can show up. Invite us to tour your community space. Our team would love to fellowship with you and grow our network.
Pictured above: MCR volunteers at Growing Joy Community Garden with founder Edith Floyd.
Resolution 2: We will be responsive and nimble as the events of the year evolve.
MCR will pay attention to ecosystem-wide trends so we can support our clients in staying proactive and informed. We say it often—our nonprofit and grassroots organization clients are at their best when they can focus on their programming. Michigan Community Resources supports this by tailoring our services directly in response to what we see and hear in the sector.
The most important aspect of our relationships is ongoing communication. In 2024, MCR’s dialogue with our clients included conversations at coffee hours, surveys with our cohorts, and the Nonprofit Needs Assessment survey and interviews we completed at the end of 2024. (Our Needs Assessment gathered the stakeholder input of over 100+ community organizations—we'll be publishing the outcomes later this year.) Each of these conversations gave us testimonies we will use to inform our work with nonprofits in 2025.
Some of our programmatic goals for the year include workshops and other opportunities around program development and evaluation, data usage, and board management, all subjects that will allow organizations to build robust and sustained infrastructure to support their crucial programming.
But we know that needs change—what is urgent and important in January and February might look different by September or October. Though the topics we aim to focus on respond to expressed needs, we will continue to listen and adapt as the year progresses. Our second resolution emerges from our understanding that community-based work, and the context in which that work is done, is ever-evolving.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Let us know what needs you and others in your peer network are experiencing.
Resolution 3: We will celebrate, share, and learn from successes.
MCR will continue to share openly the ways our clients are succeeding in their missions, not only to combat cynicism, but also to provide examples of the partnerships, skills, and strategies that lead to success.
It’s easy to get caught up in focusing on day-to-day work and can sometimes feel like there’s no end to it. But joy, like rest and solidarity, is necessary to resist burnout and resignation.
The work continues, and so do the successes. Highlighting the ways our clients overcome the challenges they face can provide a roadmap for others in similar contexts. Our final resolution recognizes that joy, rest, and envisioning success is just as important as showing up to do the work.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Share your successes with us (and with others), whether small or large. Our quarterly Resource Navigation newsletter aims to bring attention to our clients' successes, so others can be encouraged and replicate successful strategies.
Hopelessness is an awful feeling, but in spite of our upcoming challenges, we all have the ability to create positive change. These resolutions are our team's call to action. We encourage our clients, colleagues, and funders to reach out to connect, support, and hold us accountable.
We are not doing this work alone. We have the skills we need to continue moving forward. Throughout MCR's 25 years of history, we have helped organizations navigate challenges small and large, from paperwork issues to the 2008 foreclosure crisis.
In 2025, we resolve to continue doing the work that has powered lasting positive impacts across the city and the state. We resolve to continue to be here for our clients and network in as many ways we can.
Have feedback to share, or want to continue the conversation? Connect with our Digital Content Creator, Andrew, at asmith@mi-community.org.