JOURNAL ARTICLE

The CEO of Save the Children U.S. on Navigating a Sudden Funding Crisis.

  • Published In: Harvard Business Review, 2025, v. 103, n. 5. P. 33 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Soeripto, Janti 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on how Save the Children U.S. responded to the Trump administration’s 2024 freeze on all U.S. foreign development assistance, which threatened about one-third of its global program funding. Under CEO Janti Soeripto, the organization moved through stages of crisis management—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—before pivoting to transparency, financial agility, and strategic outreach to sustain critical programs. Save the Children has since entered a rebound phase, securing new funding sources and advocating for bipartisan support, while planning reforms to increase efficiency, collaboration, and innovation in delivering aid. The organization emphasizes key leadership qualities such as radical acceptance, flexibility, focus, decisiveness, and vision to navigate funding volatility and continue its mission to support vulnerable children worldwide.

Additional Information

  • Source:Harvard Business Review. 2025/09, Vol. 103, Issue 5, p33
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Political Science
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0017-8012
  • Accession Number:187287187
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