The events that came to light in November were serious. In some cases, staff were dismissed. In other cases, employees left voluntarily. Change begets change and it's not uncommon for organizations that chart a new course to see a percentage of staff decide that the new direction isn't where they want to go. It should also be mentioned that the average tenure of full-time NaNoWriMo employees who worked in 2023 was ~7.5 years and that some of those who decided to leave were simply ready to move on.
Recent events have also forced us to re-examine our budget. Nonprofit giving is down nationwide, and, like many nonprofits, NaNoWriMo has seen a decline. Even before November, budget cuts were being discussed and staff is our largest expense. Finally, our need to implement new (expensive) measures like background checks for hundreds of volunteers has placed further strain on our budget, forcing us to make other cuts sooner than anticipated.