NonProfit Fundraising Highlight

Resilence Through Messaging

In 2025, nearly all our nonprofit clients were put to the test as billions of dollars of funding at the state and federal levels disappeared, nearly overnight. FMG was prepared; that is our job. We are more than a communications agency; we are partners with our clients. We monitor the news, read the comment sections, and know our clients’ programs, budgets, capabilities, and successes. 

Here is what we did for one nonprofit organization.

This health and human services nonprofit organization provides programs addressing hunger and homelessness. They are one of the only service organizations in a 5-county area; without them, thousands of rural residents would have no place to turn when they are unhoused or are experiencing food insecurity. 

Their community strongly supports the Trump Administration’s efforts to root out wasteful spending, and there was nearly universal support for the DOGE program. When the Administration announced cuts to the US Department of Agriculture’s farm-to-food bank program, the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the organization’s hunger initiatives (food pantry, monthly grocery program) faced shutdown within 2 weeks. 

All these cutbacks came at a time when the community was experiencing double-digit increases in food insecurity and housing instability. 

Our approach was 3-Fold: 

• Press Releases and Desk Interviews with Local Media, 
• Email and Social Media Story Distribution, and 
• Talking Points for Staff and Board Members

As the announcements hit the news media, clients also started calling the organization in a panic. How would they feed their families? Would they have to leave the shelter? Would their heat be shut off in their home? We helped the organization create messaging that helped clients navigate these new, often uncertain realities. The messaging provided factual information without unnecessarily worrying families already living in crisis. 

We also helped create messaging for the broader community, stakeholders, and donors. The organization needed to quickly raise tens of thousands of dollars. The messaging also had to be fair and balanced because of the political climate. Finally, we took every opportunity to help the organization educate their community about the importance and quality of their programs. These were not bloated government programs; they were the programs that fed the elderly, disabled veterans, and children in their community

There were a lot of emails, phone calls, and frankly, sadness as we navigated the first 8 months of 2025. We are proud to say that our client was able to continue providing food and housing support through a x4 increase in private donations to fill the immediate gaps created by federal funding cuts. 

As we look ahead, we know the only constant is change, but we will continue to provide proven support to our clients so they can fulfill their missions of protecting our most vulnerable citizens.