How to Communicate a Nonprofit Closure with Care

At Lilypad, we believe great storytelling reflects the full arc of the human experience — beginnings, growth, change, and sometimes, endings.

Camille E. Acey is founder of The Wind Down, an independent studio for exploring, designing, and delivering better civil society closures.

That’s why we were excited to sit down with Camille E. Acey, founder of The Wind Down, to discuss why closure communications matter and how organizations can approach this stage of the journey with intention and care.

Why do closure communications matter?

For Camille, this work is deeply personal.

"My work is inspired by 25 years of activism and messy endings in cooperatives, collectives, community organizations, and nonprofits," she shares. "I have experienced the heartache of lost relationships, missed knowledge, and tarnished reputations. I’m driven by the belief that the same minds that drive bold innovation and courageous challenges to the status quo could turn that same energy inward — and break the false link between longevity and impact."

"I think the truth of the matter is that people who are tackling huge, seemingly insurmountable social and environmental issues should desire to work toward their organization’s obsolescence. To that end, I recommend people with new ventures think honestly about what their actual desired impact is, how long it will take to make that impact, and what legacy they want to leave behind."

When mission-driven organizations face closure, the way they communicate that transition can either honor their impact or leave confusion, pain, and unfinished business behind.

Intentional closure communications matter because they protect the organization's relationships, preserve knowledge, honor the people who made the work possible, and allow the mission to live on through others.

When should mission-driven leaders start thinking about wind-down communications?

"Day One? I am only half-joking here," Camille says.

"I think the truth of the matter is that people who are tackling huge, seemingly insurmountable social and environmental issues should desire to work toward their organization’s obsolescence. To that end, I recommend people with new ventures think honestly about what their actual desired impact is, how long it will take to make that impact, and what legacy they want to leave behind. I also think a constant practice of knowledge sharing, leadership development, and succession planning needs to be embraced at the start."

What separates a great wind-down communication from one that misses the mark?

Done well, a closure announcement can become a powerful final act of leadership and service.

The best closure communications, Camille says, are:

• Commemorative — honoring the people, relationships, and milestones along the way.

• Comprehensive — clearly explaining why closure is happening, what steps are being taken, and how stakeholders will be supported.

• Informative — giving practical next steps for staff, funders, community members, and anyone impacted.

• Celebratory — lifting up achievements without framing closure as defeat.

Two organizations she highlights are:

• The Whitman Institute — Rather than quietly winding down, the Institute invested significant time and energy in communicating why it was choosing to sunset. Through talks, blog posts, and public reflections by its executive director, the organization openly shared its decision-making process and lessons learned. By giving the philanthropic community years of advance notice and framing their closure as an intentional act of values in action, The Whitman Institute challenged broader assumptions about perpetuity in philanthropy and sparked conversations that continue to influence the sector today.

• The College of St. Rose — As it prepared to close, leaders communicated early and clearly about next steps, providing guidance on how students, alumni, and staff could access vital records and support in the future. Crucially, they developed a detailed "Teach Out" plan that partnered with nearby universities, offering students clear pathways to complete their degrees without unnecessary disruption.

Both organizations used storytelling not just to explain their endings, but to extend the influence of their missions long after they closed.

Where can leaders find additional wind-down resources and support?

Closing an organization doesn’t have to be a lonely experience. Camille encourages leaders and communications teams to seek support from others who have been through it — and to normalize conversations about closure as part of organizational health. She also offers a free hotline for nonprofit leaders who are considering or navigating closure.

Some of her favorite practical resources include:

• The Sensing An Ending Toolkit — "A workbook for designing better organizational endings by my friends at The Decelerator in the UK."

• Closing the Doors Resource Collection — "A compendium of closure and merger resources by The Power of Possibility. It includes a lot of handy Powerpoint decks!"

• Making the Hard Decision to Sunset a Nonprofit Organization — A recorded panel discussion with leaders who have successfully navigated wind-downs.

You can find more tools and reflections on The Wind Down’s website.