Strategic Messaging, Lasting Impact  

February 26, 2025 • By: Hale Creative Consulting

Adapting Language Without Losing Purpose 

Introduction 

In today’s shifting political landscape, nonprofits committed to equity and social justice face increasing scrutiny, particularly from federal agencies and policymakers seeking to defund or restrict Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related efforts. This resource is designed to help Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA) members understand how organizations are identified and targeted, and to provide practical strategies for minimizing exposure while maintaining their core mission and impact. 

Not all organizations are at risk of losing funding or partnerships, and if you are NOT federally or state funded we encourage you retain the current language you are using and continue devoting resources to better understanding and amplifying all the voices within your organization and community. 

However, if your organization is at risk of losing funding (risk assessment resource here), it may be a helpful time to make small tweaks to language while continuing to meet your mission.  

By thoughtfully reframing language, adjusting public visibility, and proactively adapting organizational messaging, nonprofits can continue to serve their communities without unnecessary risk. This guide outlines key methods currently being used to flag organizations, offers actionable steps to reduce vulnerability, and provides alternative terminology that aligns with DEI values while avoiding politically charged opposition. 

The goal is not to compromise the integrity of your work but to ensure its sustainability. By making strategic adjustments, nonprofits can navigate these challenges while remaining dedicated to creating equitable and inclusive opportunities for all. 

Section 1: Tips to Minimize Exposure While Upholding Your Mission  

Analyze the Threats

Consider the primary risks your organization faces:

  • Are you trying to protect staff and clients?
  • Are you trying to minimize exposure to protect funding sources?
  • Are you aiming to avoid being targeted at in-person events or locations?
  • Do you want to reduce social media backlash and public criticism?

Understanding your specific concerns will help you take the right approach.

Ease Into It

  • Start with the most visible areas, such as your website, mission statement, and public materials
  • Avoid making public announcements about language changes—quiet, strategic adjustments are more effective

Adapt Language Without Eliminating Meaning

  • Removing language completely will alienate the communities you serve. Instead, replace key terms with alternatives that retain the same intent
  • Scrub keywords and replace them with terms that communicate the same values but are less likely to attract negative attention

Reframe Without Compromising Values

  • Opponents of DEI often claim it is exclusionary and divisive. Instead of saying you “prioritize equity,” say you “work to ensure everyone has access to resources, support, and opportunity”
  • This approach helps you limit exposure to keyword searches while also creating common ground with skeptics

Conduct a Language Audit

  • Use ‘Control + F’ (Find & Replace) to systematically update content across your materials
  • Consider AI language tools to assist, but manual review is recommended first to ensure consistency and authenticity
  • Establish new standard phrases that align with your mission but reduce exposure

Refresh and Adapt Over Time

Language evolves, and organizations should update their terminology every 3–5 years regardless.

This practice is not new—DEI-related language has been shifting since the Civil Rights Movement. Examples include:

  • From “minority, underserved, underrepresented, marginalized”
    To “systemically excluded, historically excluded, communities with limited access”
  • From “handicapped, differently abled”
    To “people with disabilities, accessible solutions”

Section 2: How Organizations Get Identified

Here are some of the methods government agencies may use to identify businesses and organizations engaged in “DEI-related” efforts. These include methods that have been used in the past, as well as methods that reputable sources predict the administration may attempt to use in the future.

Online Keyword Searches & AI Tools

    • Agencies could use automated tools or AI-driven web scrapers to scan publicly available websites, reports, and social media for terms like “diversity,” “equity,” “anti-racism,” “unconscious bias,” or “racial justice”
    • Federal agencies and political groups have used AI tools for media monitoring, sentiment analysis, and identifying organizations engaged in specific social justice efforts

Reviewing Federal Contracts & Grants

  • Agencies could search government funding databases (like USASpending.gov) for organizations receiving federal grants or contracts for DEI-related initiatives
  • If an organization received funding for programs that either directly or indirectly advance DEI principles, agencies could use that as justification for review, reduction, or elimination

Whistleblower Tips & Complaints

  • Some organizations or individuals have reported DEI programs to federal agencies, particularly after Trump’s 2020 Executive Order 13950, which aimed to restrict “divisive concepts” in workplace training
  • Conservative groups have encouraged employees and students to report DEI efforts they saw as discriminatory

Public Reports & Social Media

  • Agencies monitor organizations’ own websites, mission statements, and reports for evidence of DEI-focused work
  • Social media activity, public statements, and event promotions related to racial equity, gender inclusion, or similar topics could be flagged

Targeting Universities & Government Contractors

  • Higher education institutions, federal contractors, and nonprofit organizations receiving public funds are a primary focus
  • Agencies have conducted compliance reviews and audits on government contractors to ensure they aren’t engaging in training or policies that could violate restrictions on DEI-related work

Congressional & Think Tank Reports

  • Conservative think tanks and advocacy groups (like the Heritage Foundation and Manhattan Institute) have published reports identifying organizations they viewed as advancing DEI or critical race theory
  • Some policymakers have used these reports to guide investigations or recommend funding cuts

Section 3: Strategies to minimize exposure

Organizations that face scrutiny or risk of funding cuts under the Trump administration’s restrictions on DEI work can adapt in several ways to continue their efforts while minimizing exposure. Here are some key strategies they used:

Reframing Language

  • If necessary, we recommend shifting away from explicit DEI terminology to less politically charged language like:
    • “Workplace Culture” instead of “Diversity & Inclusion”
    • “Access & Opportunity” instead of “Equity”
    • “Professional Development” instead of “Anti-Racism Training”
    • “Sense of Belonging” instead of “Inclusion”
  • This can allow you to continue the work while avoiding flagging terms that agencies are targeting

Shifting Funding Models

  • To the extent that is possible, organizations that rely on federal grants should seek alternative funding sources, including:
    • Private philanthropy (foundations less affected by federal policies)
    • Corporate partnerships (some companies maintained DEI funding despite political shifts)
    • Crowdsourced funding or donor networks
  • Some nonprofits may also consider reclassifying DEI-related programs under broader categories like “Leadership Development” or “Workforce Readiness” to avoid scrutiny in grant applications

Internalizing Training & Programming

  • Instead of public-facing DEI programs, consider moving training and initiatives in-house to avoid external audits
  • For example, universities and nonprofits kept DEI goals but implemented them through internal committees and less-publicized initiatives

Avoiding Public Reporting & Visibility

  • If your organization is vulnerable to cuts, caution in publicizing DEI-related work may be necessary to keep your staff and clients safe.
  • Organizations seeking to become more cautious in publicizing DEI-related work, may opt to:
    • Limit detailed descriptions on websites
    • Reduce the use of DEI-related keywords in reports and job postings
    • Move discussions to private networks, password-protected sites, or invite-only meetings
  • It’s important to balance caution in exposure to risk with the importance of communicating values to your community. Every organization will have a different tolerance of risk. For those serving communities and audiences to whom DEI-related values are extremely important, we recommend keeping DEI-related language and reporting public to the greatest extent possible.

Legal Repositioning

  • Some organizations have revised policy language to align with federal mandates while maintaining core principles
    • For example, instead of emphasizing “racial equity,” they emphasized “compliance with equal opportunity laws”
  • You may consider consulting a lawyer to ensure you can defend DEI programs against potential challenges.

Partnering with Advocacy Groups

  • Organizations under scrutiny should consider collaborating with legal defense funds, advocacy groups, and civil rights organizations (such as the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and labor unions) for support and strategy
  • Networks of DEI professionals are sharing best practices for navigating restrictions while keeping the work alive

Waiting It Out

  • Another option is to pause public-facing DEI efforts temporarily, anticipating that political tides will shift eventually
  • Instead of dismantling programs, keep key infrastructure in place so initiatives can resume later

Section 4: Moving from ‘DEI’ to More Neutral Terms

In today’s politically charged climate, some organizations are seeking language that is less divisive but still reflects their values. The key is to align DEI efforts with business goals, workplace culture, and community impact while avoiding language that triggers opposition or defunding risks.

  • Diversity → Representation, Variety of Perspectives, Broadening Access
  • Equity → Fairness, Opportunity, Removing Barriers
  • Inclusion → Belonging, Welcoming Environment, Connected Culture
  • “Culture & Belonging” – Focuses on creating a welcoming environment.
  • “People & Culture” – Common in HR and workplace well-being contexts.
  • “Inclusive Leadership” – Highlights leadership’s role in fostering belonging.
  • “Workplace Experience” – Emphasizes improving employee engagement.
  • “Social Impact & Responsibility” – Broadens beyond internal DEI efforts.

Example:
Instead of “We are committed to DEI”, organizations say:

  • “We are building a culture where all employees feel valued and empowered.”
  • “We prioritize creating a workplace where people can thrive and contribute fully.”

Reframing Equity as Access & Opportunity

  • “Expanding Opportunity” – Focuses on fairness without using politicized terms.
  • “Removing Barriers” – A more action-oriented way to describe equity work.
  • “Pathways to Success” – Highlights career and economic mobility.
  • “Fair & Inclusive Practices” – Centers on improving systems.

Example:
Instead of “Advancing Equity in Hiring”, organizations say:

  • “Creating pathways to success for all candidates.”
  • “Ensuring fair access to opportunities.”

Positioning Inclusion as Belonging & Workplace Culture

  • “Belonging & Connection” – Highlights emotional and social well-being.
  • “Inclusive Work Environment” – Stresses fairness and collaboration.
  • “Respect & Collaboration” – Emphasizes team dynamics.
  • “Building Stronger Teams” – Ties inclusion to business success.

Example:
Instead of “We foster an inclusive culture”, organizations say:

  • “We cultivate a workplace where everyone belongs and can contribute.”
  • “We create an environment where all voices are valued.”

Avoiding Identity Politics by Centering Business & Innovation

  • “Diverse Perspectives Drive Innovation” – Links diversity to creativity.
  • “Talent Development & Retention” – Focuses on business impact.
  • “Expanding Market Reach” – Ties diversity to customer engagement.
  • “Future-Ready Workforce” – Emphasizes adaptability in a global economy.

Example:
Instead of “Diverse teams are more equitable”, organizations say:

  • “Teams with diverse perspectives create stronger solutions and better serve customers.”
  • “A wide range of experiences helps us innovate and remain competitive.”

Broadening DEI to Social Responsibility & Community Impact

  • “Social Impact & Community Engagement” – Expands beyond internal policies.
  • “Access & Opportunity for All” – Links equity to economic growth.
  • “Corporate Citizenship” – Frames DEI as good business ethics.
  • “Responsible & Ethical Leadership” – Aligns with governance principles.

Example:
Instead of “We support racial equity”, organizations say:

  • “We are committed to expanding opportunities in the communities we serve.”
  • “We strive to create fair and accessible pathways to success.”

Top 20 key terms

  • DEI, DEIJ, DEIB
  • Diversity
  • Equity
  • Inclusion
  • Social Justice
  • Anti-Racism
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Critical Race Theory (CRT)
  • Racial Equity
  • Systemic Racism
  • White Privilege
  • BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
  • Gender Equity
  • LGBTQ+ Inclusion
  • Gender-Affirming
  • Trans Rights
  • Disability Justice
  • Ableism
  • Wealth Gap / Income Inequality
  • Environmental Justice
  • Affirmative Action

Conclusion

As political and social landscapes shift, nonprofits must remain adaptable while staying true to their mission. By strategically refining language and reducing exposure to scrutiny, organizations can continue their vital work with less risk. The goal is not to abandon DEI efforts but to ensure they remain sustainable and effective.

By implementing the strategies outlined in this resource, your organization can navigate challenges, protect funding, and maintain community trust—all while continuing to foster equity, access, and opportunity. Thoughtful adaptation is key to resilience, allowing nonprofits to thrive despite external pressures.

This guide to DEI messaging was created in partnership with Hale Creative Consulting, a firm that helps organizations implement social responsibility and DEI values into their core practices.

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