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Nope, Not Today: Why BakerRipley Says ‘Yes’ to a More Connected Houston

Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – February 21, 2026

Houston is a city in flux, defined by its resilience and the relentless spirit of its people.

Last year, we saw cracks expand in the very foundation of our region but also witnessed the beginning of a powerful transformation. Mending what’s broken is never easy, but Houston is showing that real change is possible, right now.

Let’s be honest about what we are all experiencing as Houstonians.

Our public sphere is loud, and too often, ugliness goes viral while our shared humanity grows quietly. National debates fixate on lead news stories like Super Bowl performances, but here in Houston, nonprofits like BakerRipley, we are listening in school hallways, at kitchen tables, and in waiting rooms where people speak honestly about increasing costs of living, long commutes, and the daily work of balancing care, work, and hope.

We hear dreams that persist despite steep paths, and we see people refusing to wait for rescue. Democracy is alive every day in Houston, as Neighbors come together to solve problems large or small in nature.

Nonetheless performative outrage too often distracts from what deserves our focus and attention: peace, safety, and community. People become hashtags instead of Neighbors.

Our response? “Nope. Not today.”

“Nope, Not Today” is not a catchphrase to mimic. It is a mindset and a discipline.

It means refusing the bait of distraction. It means not sacrificing Neighbors for narratives or dignity for clicks. It means not confusing volume with truth, or outrage with outcomes.

Organizations like BakerRipley are not here to go viral. We are here to be reliable.

According to Andrea Ball’s Houston Chronicle article (December 27, 2024), like the rest of Houston’s more than 15,000 nonprofits, BakerRipley is still on this journey, refining, evolving, and figuring it out together. Our progress is real, but we do not have it all together; we are learning alongside our peers and Neighbors every step of the way.

BakerRipley’s recent journey offers an outlook in how a major Houston nonprofit can transform itself to better serve a rapidly changing city. By 2024, it was clear we needed to look inward and reimagine our approach to remain effective and relevant to our Neighbors. The vehicle in doing so was embarking upon a strategic plan process.

We began by listening deeply to our employees, volunteers, and the people we serve. This allowed us to identify our true strengths and acknowledge the challenges that could hold us back. We set out to integrate our core systems including finance, human resources, and data so that every Houstonian who comes through our doors would receive a consistent, dignified experience, no matter the center or program. We are not done, but the work has begun.

We strengthened our stabilization supports: from benefits enrollment to information and referral to utility assistance, ensuring families had a solid foundation to build from. We also overhauled our policies and performance expectations, so our teams could deliver with greater confidence and accountability.

By 2025, BakerRipley shifted from planning to measurable action. We saw real gains in education, workforce development, veterans’ and senior services, small business support, and family stabilization. This progress was driven by asking hard questions, creativity, clearer metrics, and smarter use of data. We are moving toward financial sustainability by embracing multi-year forecasting and disciplined resource allocation, choosing to build resilience by design, not by hope.

None of this would have been possible without strong partnerships with schools, faith communities, employers, civic leaders, and volunteers. Together, we proved that when a nonprofit is willing to transform from the inside out, moving forward is a must do.

Let’s bring heart and head together: human stories and honest data.

  • Nearly half of Houston-area households are either in poverty or what’s called ALICE—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed—families who work hard but still can’t cover basic needs. According to the United Way of Greater Houston’s 2022 ALICE Report, single mothers and young homeowners carry the heaviest load. The math is daunting: a single adult in our region needs $34,000 a year to make ends meet, while a family of four needs nearly $87,000. People are not falling behind because they lack effort; it is because the cost of survival has outpaced their paychecks.
  • Houston’s affordability is slipping. According to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, home prices in Harris County rose 43% from 2018 to 2023, while median household buying power increased just 1.2%. The city known for opportunity is becoming harder for working families to afford.
  • Immigration pressures are driving absenteeism, enrollment declines, and heightened fear among students in immigrant families. According to a 2025 report from KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), one quarter of Texas children live with this reality, putting school funding, health outcomes, and the future workforce at risk.

These realities present Houston with a grand challenge: Will we allow pressure to define our future, or will we build systems worthy of our people?

Research shows that strength is not about “toughing it out.” Resilience grows from the systems and relationships we build strong social ties, credible institutions, and community assets that help people bounce forward, not just back.

So where does Houston go from here?

We as nonprofits must commit to strategy and to a human-centered approach—always.

Bipartisan partnership is essential because families are not talking points, they are people with jobs to keep, kids to raise, and dreams to protect. We must stay informed by data, accountable, and transparent. For BakerRipley, the trajectory we are shaping involves the following priorities:

First, stabilize. Keep the front door wide and handoffs warm. Strengthen basic needs supports, benefits navigation, utilities relief, childcare connections, and timely access to resources. Waitlists for low-income adults stretch for weeks; transportation gaps still keep too many from care, school, and work.

Second, connect. Deepen employer partnerships and expand credentials that pay. Strengthen small business coaching, access to capital, and digital tools where people live and work.

Third, sustain. Build an infrastructure with stronger data, safer centers, and durable funding so Neighbors experience one connected ecosystem.

We are also caring for the people who carry out this mission (our employees), prioritizing communication, wellness, and resilience so staff can thrive even as the outside world grows heavier.

Through it all, our promise stays the same:

When anyone tries to make our Neighbors feel small, we make the table bigger. When outrage tries to set our agenda, we open the doors earlier and keep the lights on longer. That is democracy in practice. Neighbors figuring things out, one issue at a time, at the speed of trust and respect.

And with our Neighbors, we say: “Nope. Not today.”

But we must also say yes.

Say yes to discipline: clear goals, transparent measures, relentless follow-through. Say yes to human dignity at the center of every decision. Say yes to each other because Houston’s progress depends on all of us, moving together, with strategy in every step, discipline in every detail, and a human-centered heart that refuses to let fear have the last word.

Nope to the noise. Every day, yes to the people.

Houston, let’s keep becoming.

Until next time!

About Ernest Lewis III

Ernest Lewis is a nonprofit executive, strategist, consultant, originally from New Orleans and living in Houston, TX. He currently serves as Vice President, Community Impact and Vitality at BakerRipley.

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Shared Leadership Is Essential to Securing Houston’s Future

Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – February 7, 2026

Headlines highlight Houston’s progress of beauty and burden, revealing issues like disparities in socioeconomic mobility and housing instability. Despite a strong economy, the income gap widens, the top 20% earn half the income, bottom 20% only 3-4%. Median home prices are $125,000 above incomes, and 52% of renters are cost burdened.

During the 2025 43-day federal shutdown, 3.5 million Texans lost food assistance. Nonprofits expanded aid quickly. A research report by Fallon, Martin, and Tomasko (October 2025) warned that a federal shutdown would intensify financial instability across the nonprofit sector, noting that two‑thirds of nonprofits rely on government funding and are highly vulnerable to disruptions. The Nonprofit Times also reports that half of nonprofit leaders now worry about finances, up from 38% a year earlier.

This contradiction is forcing a fundamental reset.

As a nonprofit leader, I witnessed organizations respond to crises by establishing operations, distributing supplies, linking families to resources, and rebuilding after government failures. At BakerRipley, one of Texas’s largest nonprofits, we distributed $554 million in rental aid during COVID-19. Nonprofits are crucial in crisis response and system change.

Houston faces a crossroads between economic pressure and corporate purpose-driven efforts. According to Chen, Xie, and Liu’s 2021 study in Sustainability, nonprofits that diversify partnerships and strengthen organizations are more likely to survive and grow. Houston can shift from crisis-driven charity to lasting transformational partnerships.

Houston’s vitality depends on corporations and nonprofits sharing power, decision-making, and strategic investments. This requires a shift in partnership views: returning to streamlined, non-burdensome donor-recipient dynamics and transitioning to co-strategists who build shared solutions.

A New Model is Required

The pattern is undeniable: when systems fail, nonprofits respond and adapt. But this creates a paradox: Nonprofits cannot be society’s stabilizers and responders while relying on unstable government funding that vanishes during crises.

The solution lies in organizational strength, which, as outlined by Chen, Xie, and Liu’s 2021 case Study in Sustainability, has five dimensions: capital stability, strategic adaptability, cultural cohesion, relationship trust, and continuous learning. Most nonprofits try to build these dimensions on their own, competing for the same limited pool of grants and donations.

Some will disagree, and their perspectives merit consideration. Some business leaders argue market solutions can address poverty without nonprofits. Some officials support expanded public funding. Some philanthropists favor traditional donor-recipient models.

The breakthrough is that corporate-nonprofit partnerships can build all five dimensions by sharing influence, creating what neither sector can do alone. Corporations gain community confidence, cultural intelligence, and access to populations. Nonprofits gain financial diversification, strategic expertise, and innovation.

What Partnership Looks Like

A true partnership involves shared decision-making, co-designed programs, and success measured by community and financial impact. Sustainable funding is essential, but without shared governance and strategic alignment, relationships remain transactional and limited. Nonprofits bring community ties and cultural insight; corporations provide expertise, networks, funding, innovation, and shared governance.

According to the 2020 Harvard Business Review article “Becoming a Better Corporate Citizen” by Nooyi and Govindarajan, the article recommends integrating social responsibility into business by aligning with community needs, practicing adaptive leadership, and demonstrating strategic courage. Chen, Xie, and Liu’s 2021 case study on Sustainability further found that collaborations between nonprofits and corporations improve uncertainty management, with 73% success, as exemplified by Houston during crises. The next step involves formal shared governance, joint accountability, sustained funding, and measuring community outcomes.

Houston’s response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017 highlights how coordinated efforts, such as the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, can build leadership, responsiveness, and impact. After Hurricane Harvey struck, the Greater Houston Community Foundation partnered with former Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Ed Emmett to create the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, which disbursed $114 million to 126 nonprofits. This cross-sector coordination produced collective leadership, responsive decisions, and measurable impact.

A Call to Action

To Nonprofit Leaders: Assess vulnerabilities and strengths before partnering with corporations. Seek outcome-based funding, co-governance, and mutual accountability to amplify impact.

To Corporate Decision-Makers: Go beyond funding—invest expertise and networks. Nonprofits offer community trust, cultural insight, and infrastructure that reach underserved populations. View local workforce development as strategic.

To All of Us: Face future challenges as opportunities to build capacity, creating ecosystems where everyone prospers, and capacity is built. Houston can lead this change.

 About Ernest Lewis

Ernest Lewis is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and consultant, originally from New Orleans and living in Houston, TX. He is also Vice President, Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley.

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Room for All: Charting a New Course in Talent and Leadership

Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – February 4, 2026

Leadership is not handed out; it is claimed, often in rooms where you are told you do not belong. When I say “they,” I am talking about the gatekeepers: the institutions, decision makers, and unspoken rules that have long dictated who gets to lead and who is left out. They say leadership is reserved for a select few, but I have spent my career proving that claim wrong.

Tuesday night, Dr. Guolei (Chris) Zhang from the University of Houston Downtown invited me to speak to his MBA 6334 Talent Management class. Logging on to Zoom for a hybrid class, I was a guest. I was also a nonprofit executive, grit in my voice, and my organizational development foundation visible in everything I conveyed. What started as a guest speaking opportunity quickly became a mirror. Suddenly, I reflected on my own MBA journey from thirteen years ago, thinking about every late night, every moment when I needed encouragement or reassurance, and every win, large and small, that brought me to this point.

I have learned that growth cannot be faked and there are no shortcuts to authenticity, principles that ground Authentic Leadership theory. According to Avolio and Gardner (2005) in their article “Authentic Leadership Development: Getting to the Root of Positive Forms of Leadership,” authentic leaders are most effective when they are self-aware, transparent, and anchored by their core values. By regularly practicing self-reflection and embracing vulnerability, I strive to lead with these qualities in my work and beyond.

This approach also aligns with Transformational Leadership. According to Bass and Riggio (2006) in their book Transformational Leadership, transformational leaders inspire and elevate others by motivating teams to pursue a shared vision, encouraging them to surpass their own expectations, and to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Throughout my career, I have worked to motivate teams to pursue a shared vision, urging them to turn obstacles into opportunities and lessons.

Now, as I pursue my Executive Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Houston, I am even more committed to Inclusive Leadership, a talent management approach that recognizes the power of diverse perspectives. According to Shore, Cleveland, and Sanchez (2011) in their article “Inclusive Workplaces: A Review and Model,” inclusive leaders foster environments where every voice is valued, and new standards of excellence can be elevated. By challenging traditional gatekeepers, I commit to creating spaces where everyone can lead, contribute, and thrive.

Every space I enter, I bring authenticity, excellence, and the determination to make a difference. My presence reflects the strength and purpose I bring as a nonprofit leader and doctoral candidate committed to advancing what leadership can be. The journey is far from over. As I continue to grow, I intend to lift as I climb, leaving the door open for others to walk through.

About Ernest Lewis III

Ernest Lewis is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and consultant, originally from New Orleans and living in Houston, TX. He is also Vice President, Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley.

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When Authenticity Surpasses Perfectionism at Every Turn: Reflections & Tools for Nonprofit Leaders

Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – October 26, 2025

Perfectionism sets impossible standards. Authenticity is rugged but brings humility, peace and change.

In the nonprofit space, perfectionism can lead to burnout, stifle creativity, and hinder adaptive leadership. Leaders often chase ever-changing expectations when the stakes are already high. Welcoming and practicing authenticity, though difficult, lets leaders connect more deeply with teams. This creates a supportive environment that champions making room for what’s next and resilience, which helps organizations remain relevant and agile. Using these ideas as a springboard for refining and aligning organizational strategies, nonprofit leaders can address operational challenges, foster staff development, recognize individual contributions, and enhance long-term effectiveness. This became real for me in the following example.

A hard lesson I had to navigate early in my career, spanning to the mid-point, was to be okay with — and set the culture within my teams — that we have the freedom to fail.  But, in the same vein, it does not stop there; we must own where we missed the mark, take stock, regroup, and start again to make a significant impact.  

What are your earliest memories of perfectionism and authenticity? For me, these concepts surfaced early in life, and it took considerable reflection to recall my initial experiences with both. Let’s take a few seconds to reflect, and in the spirit of authenticity. I will share mine.

In third grade, my love for music was cemented. My family shaped my taste in gospel, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and funk. People started calling me an ‘old soul.’ For my school’s Halloween talent show, I chose to lip-sync to Luther Vandross’s ‘Having a Party’ dressed as Dracula. I was determined to win, so I spent hours perfecting my performance, even though no one would hear me sing. Trying so hard to be perfect took its toll. I felt exhausted, while the other contestants just had fun.

This experience taught me the importance of balancing aspiration with enjoyment. Nowadays, I remind myself to focus equally on the process and the outcome. As a leader, I encourage those around me to strive for quality and excellence without falling for the perfectionism illusion, and I support them in celebrating the momentum, and affirm their contributions and achievements. I had to shift my mindset and behavior that was anchored in the reasoning that if I made no mistakes it somehow proved my credibility, worthiness, and impact. This way of thinking and being as well as this internal narrative is more prevalent than we care to admit and is accelerated in atmospheres where equity is absent or unrealized fully. Coming to terms with the fact that I am still a work in progress is not easy, but it demonstrates that no one is perfect, and the illusion is flawed.

 As a nonprofit leader, I encourage open dialogue to avoid unintentionally or intentionally creating an echo chamber, especially during meetings, strategy roundtables, and one-on-one sessions, so that every voice is valued. Though we, including leaders and teams, or peer-to-peer, sometimes disagree, that’s the actual test of open communication: shared ownership and solutions to advance our work. This approach, while occasionally messy, fosters an inclusive, innovative setting that prioritizes being present and proactive over being provocative.

Tips from my experience involve: 1) Learning to navigate disagreements constructively and encouraging active listening and empathy. 2) Understanding each other’s perspectives helps in reducing tension. 3) Setting explicit norms at the beginning of these opportunities to connect and engage with each other, such as respecting time and allowing everyone to speak. and 4) If a disagreement escalates, guide the conversation towards finding common ground and collective solutions.

I see the same drive in other nonprofit leaders, all of whom are motivated by a sense of purpose. Those who embrace authenticity often see better team dynamics and mission success. Some of my best mentors implemented open dialogue as I described, enhancing morale and organizational outcomes. Embracing authenticity and open dialogue can be especially beneficial for culturally diverse teams, where different perspectives are brought to the table.

This installment encourages leaders to recognize the importance of learning from our mistakes, staying true to our roots, and bringing every aspect of ourselves to work. Amid recent societal and legislative changes, we should still leverage our cultural backgrounds to enrich our professional and personal lives, even when it is no longer popular, and without fear of penalty. This remains our right and responsibility.

Demonstrating vulnerability, authenticity, and courage reflects strength and cultivated skill. Like muscles, these tools strengthen with experience and will become one of our greatest assets as a leader. My experiences, good and bad, shape how I coach leaders. As leaders, our teams and communities are relying on us. Therefore, we must model learning, name tensions, and act from internal and organizational values.

The throughline includes going beyond standard advice, delving deeper, and focusing on creating a lasting impact. Being unapologetic about our uniqueness preserves our authenticity. That is the sentiment behind the quote on my hoodie and this installment’s opening graphic: ‘You are enough.’ Know we possess the necessary qualities to lead and serve with confidence and integrity. As a practical habit, let’s take a few moments before checking emails to note something we are grateful for and how we demonstrate our values, or reflect during our commute if time is limited. Adapt the practice to suit our routine. This daily exercise highlights the development of our evolving leadership identity and realization.

Authenticity is essential for building and maintaining trust, supported by honesty and transparency. As leaders, we have to be bold and normalize authenticity by establishing a shared definition, norms, integrating it into our processes, and rewarding our teams when it is achieved.  Let’s turn authenticity from a lofty goal into a deliverable, measured by internal feedback, pulse surveys, performance evaluations, and storytelling.

Openness about our strengths and goals is essential. There are no shortcuts. Genuine authenticity means committing fully to the journey and working to drive real change. When our work matters, we must not hold back.

With this in mind, consider formulating leadership strategies should be a priority. What actions can we take now to grow ourselves, our teams, or our communities? Here are a couple of ideas. Schedule regular team deep dives to foster open communication. Or set a goal to read one book on leadership or strategy each month to keep our skills sharp. I encourage us to focus on topics that empower us and our teams.

A win for me in applying authenticity: I started a leadership circle with my directors. We cover topics that help us grow individually and as a group. Now, we are reading a book on Emotional Intelligence; before that, we were reading another book titled Strategic Doing. The current leadership circle exemplifies our intention to push through our discomfort and be vulnerable, where we shared our overall Emotional Intelligence assessment scores and areas of development. These circle sessions serve as a vehicle for us, as teammates, to learn and improve skills in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship building. At the same time, each of us has an accountability partner.

My closing thought is this: being enough and authentic never expires. Remember, staying true to ourselves and igniting authenticity within ourselves and our teams are powerful, strategic tools for the radical change we want to see and deserve.

Until next time!

About Ernest Lewis III

Ernest Lewis III is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and systems thinker who currently serves as Vice President of Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley and Founder & Chief Consultant of The Harvey Lewis Group. With over two decades of leadership across Houston and New Orleans, Ernest is known for architecting straightforward strategies that unify legacy wisdom with future-ready innovation.

A champion of collective impact and organizational resilience, Ernest bridges theory and practice to drive transformation at scale. His work spans strategic planning, organizational development, fundraising, and executive advising, always grounded in cultural intelligence, adaptive leadership, and a deep commitment to community.

Whether guiding complex realignments, cultivating emotionally intelligent teams, or shaping thought leadership across sectors, Ernest leads with a human-centered approach, garnering results. He does not just refine strategy; he stress-tests it to ensure its longevity.

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Animal Kingdom—Nonprofit Identity Which strategy model fits —unicorn, zebra, or camel?

Strategy in Orange Series: published previously on LinkedIn – September 8, 2025

Before we get down to business, good people, a quick personal update: I have officially begun an exciting new chapter in my journey as a nonprofit strategist and practitioner. I was accepted into the C.T. Bauer College of Business Executive Doctorate in Business Administration program at the University of Houston. This past Sunday marked the completion of our first cohort residency. This doctoral opportunity will help me sharpen my strategy lens, focus, curiosity, research, and application.

Like any transformative experience, it was a healthy mix of reward, intensity, and profound energy. Throughout the weekend, I was reminded that strategy begins with a theory, but it thrives in practice. And I have learned this lesson over the years: it requires… no, it demands… skill, time, and commitment. These staples are the glue of today’s installment.

Channeling my New Orleans roots: bring your best second-line energy, your Mardi Gras enthusiasm, and your most reflective thinking cap. Indulge me for a minute: We are walking through the famous New Orleans Zoo, enjoying beignets, but instead of tigers and bears, you see unicorns, zebras, and camels —and are in awe of them. I know you are saying, Ernest, “What in the world are you talking about?” but stay with me. Each animal represents a distinct strategic identity, and I am asking which identity best captures our nonprofit’s model and approach.

In our second time together, we are exploring the unpredictable terrain of startup ecosystems, where unicorns take risks, zebras collaborate, and camels survive. Let’s picture how nonprofit organizations define their strategic posture.

As I stated in the installment teaser, these ideas or concepts are not new, but for nonprofit leaders like me, they hit differently now. This is happening because, as nonprofit leaders, strategists, and board members, we are navigating both legacy and new systems, meeting funder and regulatory expectations, and addressing community needs and urgency simultaneously. Frankly, we are doing the best we can, and often it feels like we are playing defense. We are desperate for strategy, so we grapple with whether we should focus more on planning or on acting.

My epiphany is this: the strategy glass is half full of planning and intentional action, and the other half is survival skill. This only accelerates our need as nonprofit leaders to continue to lead and challenge this notion that strategy is only meant for corporations or a compliance function—it is in nonprofits’ DNA and culture.

Why Should You Care?

The nonprofit sector is at a pivotal point with a shifting landscape. We are being held accountable to do more with less, demonstrate impact faster, and respond to communities more authentically.

The linear, top-down, and funder-driven models of yesterday that we are familiar with are no longer viable. We must be bolder, update our language, stretch into new capabilities, elevate thinking, and shift mindsets that embrace the unicorn, zebra, and camel strategy models.

Why Now?

With the present landscape shifts and uncertainty, nonprofits’ strategic identities are critical to our missions.

Through my readings, I have discovered that these startup models have a lot of valuable and practical information for us to glean from:

  • The Unicorn model chases scale and valuation. For nonprofits, this shows up with us being more focused on metrics and substantial philanthropy. But as Govindarajan et al. (2016) note, unicorns must be cautious due to the possibility of facing challenges when immediate success camouflages deeper vulnerabilities in their strategy.
  • The Zebra model prioritizes profit and purpose. For nonprofits, this can be recognized when they build with others, share power and resources, and center equity and inclusion. While not covered directly in the Harvard Business Journal article, this model aligns with Kevin Barenblat’s (2018) insight that nonprofits have strategic advantages when they embrace long-term strategy and agility.
  • The Camel model conserves resources, adapts to harsh conditions, and builds resilience into its DNA. Lazarow (2020) makes the case that camels—like startups—are better suited to volatility, a lesson nonprofits can take to heart.

Why Does This Matter?

Strategic choice and clarity are no longer options for nonprofits; they are must-haves. Powering through post-pandemic realities, racial reckoning, and economic ups and downs has raised the mirror and exposed the cracks in our systems. We as nonprofits are expected to lead beyond delivery of programs and services. That expectation requires real strategy that strengthens operations and inspires transformation and dynamism.

Strategic questions for your nonprofit to answer:

  • Who are we becoming for the future?
  • What would our impact look like?
  • How do we leverage our strengths to build dynamic teams, processes, and systems?

Real-time Example from the Field

When we launched BakerRipley’s new strategic plan, we continued to answer these questions and knew that it would involve tough decisions affecting every area of our work. We have redefined our strategic identity. In my role as Vice President of Community Impact and Vitality, I revisit these questions often:

  • Are we a unicorn chasing scale?
  • A zebra building collaboration?
  • A camel surviving legacy constraints?

Initially, I tried to fit our wonderful, complex organization into a single box, but I realized we are a hybrid model, and this realization has not changed. At BakerRipley, we build like zebras, endure like camels, and dream like unicorns. But the real shift for me then and a constant nudge now is when I stopped asking, “What’s our strategy?” and reframed the question to “What kind of strategic leader do we need to be?” During moments like these are when the work gets more real and harder. That is when the culture starts to shift so that strategy can thrive.

As this information is digested, begin to think about taking measured steps. It’s okay to start slowly, but do so with a purpose. Keep in mind the jewels of resiliency from my hometown of New Orleans: don’t walk —dance; don’t march —parade; don’t survive —celebrate. A strategy journey can be grueling, but, like resilience, we can all bounce back and be better than before. However, there is satisfaction in incorporating strategy into our work, setting ourselves and our nonprofit up for success.

Until next time!

References

  1. Lazarow, A. (2020). Startups, It’s Time to Think Like Camels—Not Unicorns. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/10/startups-its-time-to-think-like-camels-not-unicorns
  2. Govindarajan, V., Srivastava, A., & Enache, D. (2016). Why Unicorns Are Struggling. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/04/why-unicorns-are-struggling
  3. Christensen, C. (2004). Managing the Strategy Development Process: Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy. Harvard Business School Publishing. https://store.hbr.org/product/managing-the-strategy-development-process-deliberate-vs-emergent-strategy/420084
  4. Barenblat, K. (2018). What the Best Nonprofits Know About Strategy. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/08/what-the-best-nonprofits-know-about-strategy
  5. Cantor, A. (2022). How Nonprofits Can Keep Strategy Front and Center. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/10/how-nonprofits-can-keep-strategy-front-and-center

About Ernest Lewis III

Ernest Lewis III is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and systems thinker who currently serves as Vice President of Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley and Founder & Chief Consultant of The Harvey Lewis Group. With over two decades of leadership across Houston and New Orleans, Ernest is known for architecting straightforward strategies that unify legacy wisdom with future-ready innovation.

A champion of collective impact and organizational resilience, Ernest bridges theory and practice to drive transformation at scale. His work spans strategic planning, organizational development, fundraising, and executive advising, always grounded in cultural intelligence, adaptive leadership, and a deep commitment to community.

Whether guiding complex realignments, cultivating emotionally intelligent teams, or shaping thought leadership across sectors, Ernest leads with a human-centered approach, garnering results. He does not just refine strategy; he stress-tests it to ensure its longevity.

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Resilience: Strategy for Nonprofits

Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – August 10, 2025

Last month, I set the goal to write more again outside of my 9-5 responsibilities. So here it goes, just me providing my lessons learned, real-time happenings, and OMG that is good discoveries regarding strategy. I am offering this content in a series called Strategy in Orange.

The series title came about due to the strength the color orange symbolizes and its association with creativity, courage, innovation, urgency, and visibility without being overpowering . All components that make good strategy.

Hopefully, this series will be an opportunity for us to engage with each other, learn together, share practical knowledge, experiences and helpful tips to benefit leaders and organizations.

Let’s discuss Resilience as a Strategy for Nonprofits.

With 25 years of experience in nonprofit administration, I experienced a lot of things from extreme growth, massive layoffs, community needs exceeding organizations’ capacity, but through it all – one thing is for sure – the nonprofit community is resilient, resourceful, and resoundingly a force to honor and acknowledge.  Nonprofits are anchor organizations, pulse monitors and culture keepers of our communities. During times of joy, pain, and change, nonprofits help those they serve to:

  • figure it out to fight another day,
  • realize their aspirations and pay it forward – making the world we live in a little better, kinder, and resilient.

A blast from the past moment is when working at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.  During our response to Hurricane Ike, our team was activated in temporary offices with one in Galveston, a former AIG building. That office became a mainstay for families and individuals who experienced the devastation of the storm. No longer was Catholic Charities just a social service provider for basic needs, financial assistance, and other essential services, our office in Galveston and other locations in Texas City and Bolivar Peninsula became hubs for survival. 

Although the floodwaters receded, we knew the real test was beginning.  I always shared with the team that we must take the “cry” out of crisis which was easier said than done. We stood tall with our eyes open, and hearts opened wider to get through those moments.  The survivors and my team were the heroes.

During that time, I learned an important lesson as a nonprofit leader.

The lesson is that in times of disasters – no matter if it is a hurricane, pandemic, or otherwise – those moments will stress-test our values, systems, and our people.  These moments bring out the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of nonprofits, but also their limits, capacity and tenacity. 

And that my friends are the times when we have the highest levels of strategy being born to power through, overcome, think outside the box, mobilize, and lean-in to accomplish the unthinkable and do what nonprofits do best – adapt, transform lives, and change communities.  Congruently, nonprofits must be intentional in making their infrastructure better in preparation for the next disaster.

As we are in uncertain and interesting times, where disasters are increasingly becoming the norm, resilient nonprofits know this secret: 

Don’t wait for the storm to evaluate and test your organizational foundation and capacity.  Apply pressure with purpose and intention:

  • conduct audits, simulations, and authentic dialogue to uncover where the pain points are and pay attention to which opportunities to pursue. 
  • Always act on what was learned. Don’t stall, overthink or engage in planning fatigue.

Stress-testing is not about having all the answers, it is our organizational EKG to check how healthy its heart is, and what is vital for our organization to have a clean bill of health.  Above all, stress-testing is knowing our organization and knowing how our systems and people behave during strain.  It is about pondering and understanding: How do nonprofits show up when the unexpected becomes a real occurrence? 

Take the time to schedule an organizational EKG.

I promise. It will be worth it. 

Until next month.

About Ernest Lewis III

Ernest Lewis III is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and systems thinker who currently serves as Vice President of Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley and Founder & Chief Consultant of The Harvey Lewis Group. With over two decades of leadership across Houston and New Orleans, Ernest is known for architecting straight-forward strategies that unify legacy wisdom with future-ready innovation.

A champion of collective impact and organizational resilience, Ernest bridges theory and practice to drive transformation at scale. His work spans strategic planning, organizational development, fundraising, and executive advising always grounded in cultural intelligence, adaptive leadership, and a deep commitment to community.

Whether guiding complex realignments, cultivating emotionally intelligent teams, or shaping thought leadership across sectors, Ernest leads with a human-centered approach garnering results. He does not just refine strategy, he stress-tests it, ensuring its longevity.

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Knowing when it is time to call in the troops, a consultant as a nonprofit leader?

As a nonprofit leader and consultant, I have the unique opportunity to view nonprofit management from many lenses including the trenches as a staff member, a 30,000-foot view as a board member, and a 360-degree view as a consultant.

Nonprofit leaders wear many hats – Chief Fundraiser, Human Resources Director, Volunteer Manager, IT specialist, and sometimes Chief Financial Officer. Time and time again, executive directors, CEOs, and senior staff do more with less resources and staff. To a default, we wear ourselves thin and add more stress to a fragile infrastructure all in the hopes of advancing the mission of our nonprofits.

But when is it is enough and time to take a step back, reset and regroup? Often, we do this soul searching when it is too late, after major funding cuts, layoffs, a pandemic, recession, or a natural disaster. Don’t fear or beat yourself up, we all have been there. Determined to meet budget, provide quality services, support and lead our staff, mobilize volunteers, and steward donors with limited capacity. Nonprofit leaders are often considered superheroes with superpowers, but the fact is, we are human.

Throughout my 20 plus years of working in nonprofit administration, I realize that you should ask for help and bring in the troops via a consultant when times are good and not only in a time of crisis. This approach allows us as nonprofit leaders to leverage the limited dollars we have and work proactively to build essential capacity, prevent leadership burnout, and bring in expertise that is needed and lacking in your organization.

Whether it is an executive coaching, fund development, or organizational development consultant, they can make your professional life manageable. A consultant should be a vital resource and thought partner  to assist in lightening your workload and allowing you to direct the organization as the transformational leader you are, realize the vision of the organization, and grow your team and better serve the community.

Finally, you can look from under the desk and see what’s ahead, flourish, transcend the work to what you know it can be and what it should be with the help of your dedicated board, staff, volunteers, and those you serve. Remember, be brave, be bold, and ask for help. You are not an island or a one-person show. No one should expect you to be.

Hire a consultant who fits your organizational culture and make-up, enhance your work, and supports you to thrive. The right fit between you and a consultant will have you singing the Golden Girls theme song in no time because of the difference you both can make together.

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