Decisive. That’s what Luciana Bonifacio, Save the Children’s chief development officer, says nonprofit leaders must become as federal lawmakers defund and sometimes malign the social sector. Rather than wait to see how deeply policy changes — such as freezing international aid and DEI grants — impact their organizations, leaders must quickly identify survival strategies, including staffing and programmatic cuts, argues Bonifacio.
For more than a century, Save the Children has advocated for the health, safety, and education of children globally, becoming one of the country’s oldest and most prominent global nonprofits. But longevity and esteem have not protected the nonprofit from near-total elimination. In fact, when the Trump administration revoked more than $300 million in federal funding from the group earlier this year, Save the Children — within weeks — eliminated 300 of 1,000 U.S. positions and closed offices in several countries.
Now the organization is seeking new ways to raise money and continue its humanitarian work. Bonifacio has played a leading role in steering Save the Children to a fundraising strategy that relies more heavily on private philanthropy and pooling resources with other international NGOs. In recent weeks, she helped the group bring in six- and seven-figure gifts and create a plan guided by the mantra “respond, rebound, and reform.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy talked with Bonifacio about how Save the Children is sustaining its core programs during challenging times.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What has been the impact of recent federal policy changes, specifically the ending of most international aid, on Save the Children’s work?
Having been around for over 100 years and having always worked across the aisle, we know that every time a new administration comes in, it will make some changes to align to new priorities and ways of doing business. We were prepared for that, but we didn’t expect the changes would be of this magnitude and at this speed. The first step has been to respond. We had to make very immediate changes to programs and staffing. We’re now in the rebound phase. We’re not going to replace that level of funding, but we need to build back, and we also need to reassess. We’ve moved some of the flexible funding we have — like the children’s emergency fund and general mission support — to keep some of our core programs, such as hunger work, child marriage prevention, keeping midwives in conflict zones, things that we think absolutely cannot end.
What advice do you have for nonprofits weighing staffing and programmatic cuts?
If you’re seeing signs that you’re going to have to make cuts, don’t wait. Otherwise, you’ll keep eating the few resources you have. If you’re going to have to make a cut, make it immediately and then start rebuilding and refocusing and identifying the areas where you have the most potential to grow. It’s about trying to use resources in the smartest way possible.
What tips do you have for keeping up staff morale amid such massive changes?
It can be draining for people. I think, as leaders, it’s very important to show resilience and resourcefulness but also empathy. It’s incredibly important so staff can stay focused. What I always said to my team is: “Let’s stay focused on what we can control. Why are we here? What do we believe in?”
How are you adapting your fundraising strategy in response to fewer government grants and more competition for private philanthropy?
We are going to be looking more to private funding. We also recognize that a lot of donors are being asked by a lot of organizations to step up, so we need to be mindful of that. But we are seeing donors step up. We have seen very significant support with flexible type of funding, which is the ideal funding at this moment. It allows us to respond to any emergency anywhere around the world. Corporations and foundations are also navigating the moment and trying to figure out what it means to them.
I think individuals are the ones that are best positioned to step up, whether it is your high-net-worth or ultra-high-net worth giver or company employees. We are hearing from companies that employees are eager to do something and are looking for a way to feel hope through workplace giving and volunteering activities. I think it’s important for everybody to think about individuals at every level and how you engage them, what information you share, and how you give them opportunities to feel that sense of hope.
What role will partnerships with other nonprofits play in creating a sustainable future for Save the Children?
We have discussions at the CEO level with a couple of other international nongovernmental organizations. I would compare it to what happened following the 2004 Indonesia tsunami when we identified duplication of efforts and opportunities to be better organized and more streamlined. We have a number of ideas we are discussing — things like should we have a single approach to our supply chain? Should we just have one instead of all of us getting products in and out to different countries? Can we look at our systems and make them more efficient and really improve our work? That’s the area I’m most excited about and where it could really change things for us.
