Securing The Grange’s Future
By Tom Gwin
State Grange
Master/President
The Grange’s long term stability comes from pairing a clear strategic direction with resilient funding, strong governance, and the ability to adapt as conditions change. The most durable organizations treat “securing the future” as an ongoing discipline rather than a one time plan.
Strategic clarity that anchors the organization
A Grange’s future is strongest when its mission, intended impact, and theory of change are explicit and shared across staff and board. Strategic planning helps define how limited resources will be used to achieve that impact and creates a roadmap that can be revisited as conditions shift. Many organizations begin with a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to understand internal capacity and external opportunities or threats.
Key elements of the analysis include:
• Intended impact and theory of change — clarifies what success looks like and how programs create it.
• Prioritized goals — short-, medium-, and long term objectives that guide decisions.
• Adaptive planning — a commitment to revisiting strategy as the environment evolves.
Financial resilience and diversified revenue
Granges and other nonprofit organizations increasingly face funding volatility, especially when public funding declines and private giving cannot fully compensate. Building resilience requires broadening revenue streams and strengthening financial management.
Effective approaches:
• Diversified fundraising — combining grants, individual giving, earned income, and partnerships.
• Scenario planning — preparing for funding cuts or economic shifts.
• Reserves and long term financial planning — ensuring the organization can withstand disruptions.
• Equity centered resource allocation — aligning sustainability with the needs of marginalized communities served.
Organizational capacity and leadership strength
Grange’s future depends on the people who carry out its mission. Strengthening internal capacity ensures the Grange can grow without burning out staff or diluting impact.
Important components:
• Leadership development — cultivating leaders at all levels, not just the executive team.
• Board governance — ensuring the board is engaged, informed, and aligned with strategy.
• Talent sustainability — investing in staff well being, training, and manageable workloads.
• Operational systems — improving processes, technology, and data use to support growth.
Program strategy and impact scaling
Sustainable nonprofits scale impact intentionally rather than simply expanding programs. This means understanding which programs create the greatest value and how to grow them responsibly.
Core practices:
• Evidence based program design — using data to refine and strengthen offerings.
• Smart scaling — expanding programs that are proven and aligned with mission, while sunsetting those that are not.
• Partnerships and collaborations — extending reach through alliances rather than duplicating efforts.
Continuous learning and adaptability
The most future ready nonprofits treat strategy as a living process. They regularly revisit goals, assess progress, and adjust to new realities—economic, political, or community driven. Strategic plans are dynamic tools that evolve with the organization.
Practices that support adaptability:
• Regular strategic reviews — checking alignment between mission, programs, and resources.
• Environmental scanning — monitoring community needs, policy changes, and sector trends.
• Culture of learning — encouraging experimentation, reflection, and improvement.
Bringing it all together
Securing the future of the Grange means aligning mission clarity, financial resilience, strong leadership, and adaptive strategy. Granges that invest in these areas build the stability needed to serve their communities for decades.
Navigating The 2026 Legislative Session Deadlines
By Jesse Taylor
Legislative Lobbyist
The 2026 legislative session has been a blur with the short year bringing a faster pace to the process. As of this writing, we are winding down the policy committee work with only fiscal deliberations left in the session.
In two weeks from now the legislature will pass three new supplemental budgets including the operating, capital and transportation. These supplemental years are generally designed to be mid-biennium adjustments to the budgets based on revenue forecast changes. We don’t usually see big changes to the budget in these years or big policy bills.
As of late February, lawmakers have navigated several major deadlines, including cutoffs for bills to advance from policy and fiscal committees, leading to the demise of numerous proposals while prioritizing budget negotiations amid a projected revenue shortfall of around $2.3 billion for the upcoming cycle. Both the House and Senate released their supplemental budget proposals in late February, with the Senate’s $79.3 billion operating plan and the House’s $79.2 billion version proposing to tap the state’s rainy day fund, increase spending on legal settlements, and make cuts to programs like child care for low-income families to address fiscal challenges. Transportation budgets from both chambers emphasize preservation and maintenance, adding hundreds of millions for infrastructure upkeep, job creation, and long-term sustainability, reflecting bipartisan support in contrast to more partisan operating budget debates.
On the policy front, several high-profile bills have advanced, including a proposed “Millionaire Tax” on high earners that passed the Senate and is now under House consideration to generate revenue. We still don’t know if this bill will clear in the final hours of session, but it sure is making headlines.
Other notable progress includes legislation on producer cooperatives, protections for immigrant workers, voter privacy enhancements to combat suppression, and measures addressing home insurance amid wildfire risks. AI-related bills have also gained traction, such as those requiring disclosures for AI-generated content, safety measures for chatbots aimed at children, and regulations on deepfakes and surveillance in schools. Meanwhile, proposals like lowering the drunk driving threshold, recognizing additional state holidays, limiting ICE access in public spaces, and regulating license plate readers have been introduced or discussed, though not all survived early cutoffs. With the session winding down, focus has shifted to cross-chamber bill advancements and finalizing budgets to tackle ongoing issues in housing, transportation, and revenue generation.
If you have followed along with the weekly session watch this year you may have noticed the number of bills that were introduced. This biennium has seen the introduction of 3,366 bills in total with about 1400 of those coming in the supplemental year alone. In 2025 there were 1905 bills introduced with 422 of those passing representing a 22% pass rate. I expect a similar rate this session with a couple hundred bills passing before the March 12th deadline.
Post-Session
Once the Legislature adjourns sine die on March 12, legislators are no longer in active session. This lifts the primary restrictions tied to the legislative period, allowing them to shift focus to campaign activities.
The key change for most legislators involves campaign fundraising and related activities. Washington State’s Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) enforces a “legislative session freeze” on contributions to state or local offices. This freeze prohibits legislators (and other state officials, along with their employees or agents) from soliciting or accepting contributions during the 30 days immediately before a regular session starts, the entire regular session itself, any special session.
For the 2026 short session (January 12 to March 12), the freeze has been in effect since roughly mid-December 2025 through March 12. Once sine die occurs and the gavel drops, the freeze ends immediately (unless a special session is called later, which would restart it).
After March 12th, legislators can solicit and accept contributions (subject to standard state contribution limits, such as around $1,200–$2,400 per election depending on the office, adjusted for inflation), hold fundraisers, and engage in campaign activities like events, advertising, and outreach.
Please look for an end of session report and the rest of the way can follow all happenings by tuning into live floor action for both the House and Senate at www.tvw.org.
Grange News Staff
Every year, the Washington State Grange holds a Legislative Day to provide a platform for Grange members to converge upon the state capital in Olympia to engage with lawmakers, advocate for rural communities, and address key issues impacting agriculture, education, and rural life across the state. This annual event has become a cornerstone of the Grange’s mission to foster democracy, strengthen communities, and create meaningful dialogue between Grangers and their elected officials.
With the 2026 Legislative Session dubbed a “short session” of only 60 days, the Grange Legislative Day was held on Monday, January 26. Nearly fifty Grangers gathered at the State Grange Office in Olympia for orientation and a presentation by State Grange Government Lobbyist Jesse Taylor.
Grangers then made the trek to the State Capitol Building for tours, legislative meetings, and additional speakers. The State Grange made appointments for each attendee to meet with their State Representatives and Senator or their office staff. Time between appointments was filled with attending hearings of the Senate and House Committees.
This year’s speakers included State Senator Mike Chapman of the 24th Legislative District who also serves as the Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Chapman spoke about bills currently referred to the committee, as well as taxation policy that is making it’s way through the legislature.
The group also heard from Senator Ron Muzzall of the 10th Legislative District. Muzzall is the ranking member on the Senate Health Care Committee. He spoke on several healthcare topics, his family farm, and proposed taxation policy.
The delegation also heard from Brian Considine, Government Affairs Director for the Washington Parks and recreation Commission. Considine spoke on changes to the discover pass, new park policy around camping, and recreation fee increases.
Morgan Irwin, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Association of Business spoke to the group about business issues, proposed income taxes, and estate tazes. Irwin is a former State House Representative from the 31st District.
State Grange staff made appointments for each of the delegates to meet with their legislators, advocating for rural concerns and Grange policy regarding those concerns. Many of the delegates met with their legislators to gather support for their application for Capital Budget Funds, which will be allocated later in the session.
The 50 participants represented a wide range of Subordinate Granges, covering 14 different legislative districts. Several were first time participants, while others have participated in the program for several years.
Following lunch and additional meetings, Grange members made their way back to the State Grange Office where Grange Lobbyist Jesse Taylor completed the day with a debriefing session. It was a great day for the Grange and agriculture in the State of Washington!
By Grange News Staff
The State Grange Leadership Team, comprised of State Grange Officers, Deputies, and selected individuals, gathered at the Fruitvale Grange Hall in Yakima for their annual conference and planning session.
The primary focus of the conference was the introduction of Performance Improvement Plans for both the State Grange and the Subordinate Granges. The plan calls for using SMART Goals to develop a Plan of Action emphasizing membership growth and retention, increased community involvement, and recruitment of new Grange leaders. Upon going through the workshops, leadership team members were assigned to work with a specific Grange for next 6-12 months to assist in creating a Performance Improvement Plan for that Grange and then provide mentorship to the Granges.
Additional topics covered by the leadership team included:
• Conflict Resolution
• A review of the State Grange Mission Statement
• A discussion on this year’s State Grange Session
• An update of State Grange Legislative Activities
• An interactive Review of the Grange Declaration of Purposes as it relates to the Grange’s Non-Partisan Stance
By Grange News Staff
Scholarships are offered each year through the Washington State Grange Foundation to assist Grange members attending college.
Applicants for these scholarships must be high school seniors or graduates already enrolled in institutions of higher learning. They must be Grange members of a Grange in Washington State.
The scholarships may be used at any institution offering courses leading to a certificate or degree in a recognized profession or vocation.
The following scholarships are being offered this year:
• Grange Family Living Department Vocational Scholarship
• Grange Family Living Department Home Economics Scholarship
• Kegley Agricultural Scholarship
• Norm Buchholz Agricultural Scholarship
• Kittleson Memorial Agricultural Scholarship
• Delpha Goude Scholarship
• Horace Bozarth Scholarship
• Kiona-Benton (Koss Memorial) Scholarship
• Adrian & Betty DeVries Memorial Scholarship
• Martin & Grace Forry Scholarship
• Marion & Snowie Vanderpool Scholarship
• Riverview Grange Scholarship
• Fox Island Grange Scholarship
• Nob Island Grange Scholarship
• Ray & Marion Kammerer Scholarships
• Enga M. Anderson Scholarship
• Bear Creek Scholarship
• Rock Creek Scholarship
• French Creek Scholarship
• McCleary Grange Scholarship
• Pomona Villa Scholarship
Details on the requirements for each scholarship, along with applications forms, can be found on the Washington State Grange website, www.wa-grange.com . The online forms are set as pdf fillable, however a signature is still required from the applicant, and all recommendations must also be signed by the person making the recommendation. Completed applications and forms may be emailed, faxed, or sent via regular mail and are due by 5 p.m. on April 1.