Do we need nonprofit hospice?

Good nonprofit endings Part 3

Image description: A multicultural group of people seen from the back, standing in a circle with their arms around each other. Photo by The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash.

Nonprofit dissolutions are difficult and affect many people. What can we learn from hospice care to ease the process and the negative impacts on the community?

Hospice care is provided to people with a terminal illness who are choosing not to undergo further treatment and are not expected to live more than six months. Hospice care brings together a team of skilled people who work together with the person who is dying, the caregiver, and/or the family to provide the medical, emotional, and spiritual support needed. The hospice team attends to the patient’s comfort and quality of life until their death, helps the individual accept death, and provides grief and loss support (anticipatory and afterward) and assistance with advance planning.

A struggling nonprofit organization is not a sick individual. It is a collective of people who are working together to support a valuable mission. Still, I think some lessons from the hospice field may be relevant, because there is a human side to losing a nonprofit. Our organizations are composed of caring, invested people. Closing the organization may be a needed step, but it is highly emotional for our teams and will impact people individually and as a community with shared values. Reducing trauma and alienation associated with job loss and forced abandonment of the mission should be a goal as we think of the nonprofit sector more broadly. We can reduce harm to individuals who are caught up in a difficult situation. We can increase the odds that our talented workforce will stay in the nonprofit sector, and that our board members and volunteers will not give up on working to make a difference for their communities.

Hospice practical needs include respite care. In an organizational setting, this might mean wellness support or intentionally inviting staff members to set aside 10% of their remaining work hours to apply for new jobs or plan for what next. It is also important to create space for conversations about legacy and advance planning. For a nonprofit, this might include recognizing the work that has been accomplished, celebrating its legacy, and reflecting on how to honor the people who have been at the heart of the work as they transition on to new endeavors.

Hospice spiritual needs include finding meaning in one's life, ending disagreements with others, or making peace with life circumstances. All of these concepts apply to a nonprofit closure and can be done in community. Affirming the importance of the work that has been accomplished and sharing memories may help people balance the emotional distress caused by the loss and move on with more confidence. Acknowledging the difficulties and dealing with conflict may also help people resolve and let go of grievances and/or stay engaged in the cause.

What do you think? When I think of nonprofit closures that I have been involved with or heard about, I think of overwhelmed people doing the best they can and not having the capacity to attend to some of these less tangible aspects of the organization’s closure. But I think we would all be better for attending to these issues. I hope we can find the help we need to sunset our organizations with grace and care, even as we work for a society that will value community work more highly.