This unprecedented time invites unprecedented innovation and opportunity. Embolden WI was built for this moment - built for deep and authentic community-led radical imagination & transformation.
This year marks my 21st year working in nonprofit management and advocacy. Over the past two decades, our journey as a small, scrappy nonprofit has been filled with some incredibly heartbreaking and immensely frustrating days. From the Act 10, to gerrymandering ala the 2010 midterm election, to the fall of Roe, to the harsh and persistent disparities starkly highlighted by the pandemic - this work has often been overwhelming, exhausting, and it's been really hard to get a win.
Yet on January 20, 2025, a seismic quake rocked our nonprofit community. The hardest work week of my entire career was the week of January 27th when our entire societal infrastructure was made uncertain, unstable, and extremely unsettling with Executive Order after Executive Order. Never before had I experienced the level of professional devastation, fear, anxiety, and paralysis than I did that week and unfortunately things have not gotten easier. I share this with you to let you know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand you. Our collective hearts are breaking and we are drowning in a tsunami of sweeping threats to our nonprofits, our scientific research and medical institutions, our charitable programs, and most importantly, our communities. So many of us are struggling to make sense of things and to figure out what can be done to stop this onslaught of threats. Please know that Embolden WI is here as a trusted partner and resource and we invite you to work with us to write the next chapter of our American history.
Our nonprofit has weathered many storms since 2004 - especially the COVID pandemic. While challenging, these tough times have only strengthened our resolve and resilience. Our staff, our program participants, and partners are ready to meet this moment. Embolden WI was built for this moment and we're ready to support deep and authentic community-led radical imagination and transformation. We will not shy away, we will not back down, we will not let one man deny our diversity and humanity with unlawful orders or lists of newly banned words. Yet we must recognize that by standing resolute, we risk losing critical federal funds that make our incredibly impactful initiatives like our Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) program possible.
By making a donation of any size today, you can help us save, sustain, and strengthen the programs and initiatives that center lived experiences, amplify the voices of those we serve, build community power, and create the safe and supportive spaces that are paramount to our ability to convene, converse, collaborate, and coalesce. With your support, your investment, we can embolden communities across our state.
Please know how much we value, appreciate, and celebrate you. But none of us are super heroes and we all could use some grace and space to support our physical and mental health. These wise words from sociologist Jennifer Walter have been incredibly valuable to myself and many in our community of advocates:
Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.
Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.
Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.
Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context
Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload. Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.
In addition, here some warm Lines that Don't Call the Police from @Inclusive Therapists
Call Blackline: 1-800-604-5841 - Centers BIPOC, LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (US) - Run by & for Trans people. English & español
Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 1-888-407-4515 - Trained peer supporters
Thrive Lifeline: 1-313-662-8209 - 24/7 Trans-led and operated
LGBT National Help Center: 1-888-843-4564
Strong Hearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483 - 24/7 Centers Native Americans experience intimate partner or sexual violence
We have also compiled a list of trusted resources including immigration resources and about how to identify and reach out to your elected leaders. You can also find a copy of powerful reads that have informed, inspired, and instructed me throughout my career.
I also want to close by reminding you of the parable of the choir. This parable beholds that a choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. This is how we get through this. We unite in this "choir" and support those who need to take a step back to catch their breath.
Thank you for standing with the nonprofit community and the communities we serve. Please keep your head and heart above water and lean on each other. I'm ready to sing with you.
Sara Finger
Embolden WI Executive Director
