“Tell me about your outcomes.”

This is the question that causes many behavioral health leaders face to freeze. Shoot! you think. I know we’re doing great work, but I feel like we just can’t quantify it!

“We’ve got lots of data. I see the change in our youth every day - just come by and visit one of our programs, and you’ll see it too!”

You know it’s just an ok answer. When funders and other community partners experience and see your work, they’re more likely to get involved and support you.

Most behavioral health programs are doing meaningful work. They are serving individuals in crisis, coordinating care, building coalitions, and responding to evolving federal and state requirements. The commitment is real, and the impact on communities is significant.

Yet many program leaders quietly feel vulnerable as grant terms approach their end. Not because the work is weak, but because sustaining it often requires securing new funding. When a federal award sunsets, the question becomes whether the program can compete effectively for the next opportunity, whether from the same agency or a different source altogether.

I hear nonprofits tell me all the time, “I think our program is working. But I just don’t know how to show it!”

They weren’t alone. Many nonprofit and public-sector organizations are working incredibly hard, delivering services every day, and meeting urgent needs in their communities. And yet, when it comes time to answer a simple question of whether the organization has evidence that their program is working or not, the room gets quiet.

“We know it works. But I can’t give you any data to support that.”

This uncertainty isn’t a failure. But it is a sign it’s time for you organization to level up.

The federal government is once again on the brink of a shutdown. For nonprofits and public agencies that rely on federal grants, contracts, or approvals, this brings familiar uncertainty: Will payments stall? Will grant reviews be delayed? Will already-thin staff be forced to do more with even less?

Will it last a day, a month, or longer?

In moments like these, it’s easy to hunker down and think only about survival. And yes—addressing immediate needs is critical. But organizations should resist the pull of near-termism. Shutdowns come and go. What matters most is positioning your organization to thrive not just tomorrow, but one, three, even five years from now.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck in a cycle of scrambling for funding, worrying about payroll, and trying to do more with less, you’re not alone. Many nonprofit and public sector leaders face the relentless pressure of what’s called the nonprofit starvation cycle. It’s the reality of being asked to deliver big impact with limited resources, often under the weight of funder expectations to keep “overhead” low. The result is a scarcity mindset that keeps organizations in survival mode rather than thriving.

The danger of a scarcity mindset is that it convinces leaders they can never invest in the very things that would strengthen their organization — staff, systems, and strategy. Every week feels urgent, and long-term planning feels out of reach.

Across the country, nonprofit and public sector organizations are facing the hard truth of reduced funding. Whether due to shifts in government priorities, economic slowdowns, or the winding down of pandemic-era investments, the result is the same: organizations are being asked to do more with less.

I was on a call with a public sector client recently who was sharing their concerns about funding cuts, and the potential for impact on their programs and services. They said [paraphrased], “We’ve been told the cuts are coming, and decisions are being made on what programs to keep. So we really need to get better at sharing our data and telling our story.”