November 18, 2025
Dear Readers,
There’s a scene in the beloved (to me) 1988 film Willow, in which the heroic protagonist, the diminutive Willow, finds himself facing down a whole castleful of evildoers. His job? Antagonize these warlords into lowering their drawbridge to attack. The twist: All around Willow, hidden under cover, is a small army of good guys, ready to exploit the overconfidence of the enemy. As he stands before the fearsome turrets, seemingly alone, our hero says to himself, “Courage, Willow!”
Courage, and a great deal of it, is indeed needed as our sector faces down malevolent forces in the White House, in Congress, and in the private sector—forces that seek to use the current power of the Trump administration to crush values of equity, justice, free speech, and the nonprofits that uphold them.
In this week’s Nonprofit Leadership newsletter, we offer some examples of the kind of courage we need.
As always, we love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected].
And remember: Courage, Willow!
Isaiah Thompson
Leadership
Editor
