Since the Supreme Court announced its decisions to overturn Roe v. Wade, many of us have experienced a cascading wave of emotions — shock, horror, sadness, and anger.
For nonprofit leaders, regardless of whether their organizations focus on issues related to reproductive-health care, these difficult times require a different approach. Executives need to recognize the pain experienced by their staff. They should also embrace practical measures that clarify to staff, constituents, and donors that they are committed to supporting those who are hurting most and who will need ongoing support.
Take care of your people. Fully 73 percent of those in the nonprofit workforce are women, and many are experiencing the impact of the Roe decision in deeply personal ways. The field also attracts a large number of politically and socially conscious people who expect their organizations to fully live their values.
Nonprofits can send a clear message of support by providing resources for counseling and for gatherings that allow people to share what they’re feeling and to discuss practical considerations related to the end of a constitutional right. These actions could include: holding a series of town halls or similar meetings featuring external speakers; creating or strengthening of affinity groups focused on reproductive-health care; and providing appropriate confidential counseling and referral services.
Nonprofits should also review their benefits package to address the obstacles faced by employees and their partners who need to obtain abortions and other reproductive-health care. Benefits packages should include:
- Quality confidential sexual and reproductive-health care. This includes covering the costs of abortion, contraception, and maternal-health needs.
- Travel costs associated with accessing abortion services. Large companies made headlines for offering to cover travel expenses for women who need to go to other states to get an abortion. But they are now dealing with the complexities of putting such plans into practice, including privacy and legal concerns. Given the obstacles, less well-resourced nonprofits may need to get creative. They can start by checking to see if their current health-insurance provider covers abortion travel costs and if employees can use their flexible-spending or health-savings-account funds for this purpose. To maintain employee confidentiality, nonprofits could consider contracting with an outside provider such as Planned Parenthood, which would send an anonymous bill for abortion services, possibly including travel, on an employee’s behalf. The simplest step any organization can take is to provide information about abortion funds that pay for some or all abortion costs, including travel to other states.
- Time off to volunteer and vote. Staff should be encouraged to attend protests and to volunteer at reproductive-rights organizations during the workday. Nonprofits should also allow all employees to take time off to go to the polls and vote, which is of course the best way to ensure that those in power support the issues we care about, whether abortion rights or other vital social issues.
Along with these practical steps, nonprofit leaders should share with staff how they are processing events and model the types of actions they encourage others to take.
Issue a public statement. If they haven’t already, nonprofits should widely distribute a public statement in support of comprehensive reproductive-health care, abortion services, and gender justice. That statement could also outline policy changes made by the organization in the wake of the Roe decision.
Public declarations, such as those made by several philanthropies and medical associations following the decision, are important for any organization. But they are especially powerful if they come from those outside the reproductive-health care field and express solidarity with the movement. Several environmental organizations, for example, immediately issued statements denouncing the opinion. The Sierra Club said it would “continue to rise and fight alongside our allies to ensure reproductive justice for all.” Earthjustice pledged to “fight alongside our partners across the [reproductive justice] movement to galvanize the political will for action to protect people and our planet.”
Other groups have highlighted the connection to their own work. Protecting Immigrant Families noted that the decision “will fall disproportionately hard on low-income immigrants of color, who already face language, economic, and immigration status barriers to reproductive health care.” It pledged to “stand firmly with ... organizations fighting for reproductive health access and justice.” LGBTQ+ organizations filed a brief in support of Roe following the leaked decision, and the Human Rights Campaign stated “that all of our rights are on the line right now. ... We must fight back.”
Form alliances that involve interconnected causes. The Roe decision is not an isolated incident, but a harbinger of future political changes. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has already stated that similar judicial opinions on contraception and same-sex marriage could follow. In addition, the recent string of conservative decisions by the court on guns, religion, and climate change makes clear that an array of rights is under threat. This calls for the nonprofit world to strengthen its collective power by forming deeper collaborations with organizations that share their values but may focus on different — if interconnected — issues.
In my experience serving in leadership positions for organizations focused on a range of issues including reproductive rights and climate, resistance to such coalitions is often rooted in the fear of taking on additional controversial issues that are not critical to a group’s mission and on which they lack expertise. As the nation braces for the possible rollback of other important rights, nonprofits need to overcome those concerns. They also should not let the so-called controversial nature of different movements prevent broader coalition building.
By joining an alliance, even nonprofits with limited resources can expand their expertise and incorporate issues such as gender and reproductive health into their work. For example, the Voting Rights Alliance brings together groups as diverse as Latinos United for Change, the National Organization for Women, and the Association of Black Social Workers to fight voter-suppression laws.
Such alliances should include nonprofits that represent those bearing the brunt of the court’s decision, namely people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+, low-income people. These cross-issue coalitions can organize at the state and local levels for abortion access and other rights that are under assault. They can press to put measures on local election ballots, lobby for legislation, prepare resources for voters, mobilize people to vote, organize marches, and initiate fundraising campaigns. These strategies and alliances may need to be maintained in the years ahead as additional rights are threatened.
Nonprofit leaders must rise to the challenges of addressing a post-Roe world. Executives should support their staffs and the larger reproductive-health care movement by taking concrete actions that may involve rethinking how they approach their work. In uncertain times, strong leadership requires compassion and the courage to embrace new ways of doing business.
