Stop Saying, ‘The Stakes Could Not Be Higher.’ Say This Instead.
When every nonprofit statement sounds like an alarm bell, even real warnings stop landing. Here are four overused phrases that need a rewrite.
By Matt Watkins
Contributor
June 2, 2026 | Read Time: 4 minutes
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The nonprofit world has many reasons to sound urgent right now. Federal funding has become unreliable. Democratic norms are under sustained strain. Climate disruption, economic inequality, and artificial intelligence are reshaping communities at an alarming rate.
So yes, the moment is serious. Fear is not an unreasonable response.
But people already living through crisis don’t need, or want, another institution telling them that “the stakes could not be higher,” that this is a “critical moment,” or that the moment demands “bold action.” They know the stakes because they are paying them in rent, food, care, work, debt, safety, and time.
When every statement sounds like an alarm bell, even real warnings stop landing. People hear the alarm and wonder if anything will actually change.
This is why vague language becomes corrosive. It turns real concern into something rehearsed. In a period defined by fear, exhaustion, and distrust, institutions cannot keep asking people to feel urgency while giving them so little to hold on to.
Urgency Hyperbole
A serious sentence tells people why something matters and what the institution has decided to do in response. Original language comes from original ideas and decisions. A simple test: If any other organization could publish the same sentence without changing a word, the sentence is urgency hyperbole.
Urgency hyperbole allows people to observe crises from the outside. It signals concern without naming a decision, a commitment, or a risk. It lets institutions sound close to the harm while keeping their own choices outside the frame: the money they could move, the rules they could change, the deadlines they could extend, and the public risks they could take.
To avoid such word traps, ask these five questions before sending out your next news release or issuing another call to action to donors and constituents: What is happening? Who faces harm? What decision or deadline matters? What will your organization do? What do you want others to do next?
The work starts at the sentence level, but it quickly exposes the institution behind the sentence. Demonstrating a clear sense of urgency forces leaders to show whether they have made a real decision. Strong language names the harm, reveals the commitment, gives the deadline, and gives people something to do next. With that framework in mind, here are some alternatives to urgency hyperbole:
Instead of saying, “The stakes could not be higher,” say this: “If the proposed federal cuts pass, 300 children in our early-learning network could lose access to summer programming before August. We are increasing emergency grants by $400,000 and asking other funders to help close the remaining gap by June 30.”
The stronger version identifies who is being harmed and gives people something to act on.
Instead of saying, “This moment demands bold action,” say this: “The proposed federal cuts would eliminate funding for three housing providers we support. We are asking our partners to contact their congressional delegation before the June vote. Here is the number to call and what to say.”
Bold action should point somewhere. The better version identifies the actor, the decision, the timeframe, and the ask.
Instead of saying, “We are committed to showing up in this critical moment,” say this: “Our board voted to increase our payout rate from 5 percent to 7 percent this year. The additional funds will support organizations that lost federal funding. We will publish the full list in September.”
Showing up should have a shape: money, time, staff, risk, or some other visible commitment.
Instead of saying, “We are holding space for the communities most impacted,” say this: “Our grantees told us they needed unrestricted cash and fewer reporting requirements. We eliminated quarterly reports, released $2.3 million in restricted funds as general operating support, and set a 30-day turnaround on emergency grant requests.”
“Holding space” does not help unless something changes. If an organization has heard from communities, the statement should say what it heard and what changed.
The stronger sentence in each pair gives urgency a form. It creates a record and shows follow-through.
The sector has used the term “this moment” so often that the phrase now hides more than it reveals. Which moment? The budget vote? The grant cancellation? The eviction filing?
Urgency hyperbole leaves people alone with the fear they already had while institutions keep their own choices out of view. Clear language provides concrete solutions and actions. If an institution says the stakes could not be higher, it should trust people enough to say exactly what is at stake — and then let them know in specific terms how they will respond.
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