"If you live in a family that has never had to ask the question of who is going to take care of my kids if I'm deported, you won't naturally think of the fact that you need a community-based organization or institution like a church or school to provide the information that isn't necessarily a legal consultation, but supports people facing continuous anxiety and fear during these times," Raghuveer said. NPNA members provide rapid responses to urgent community needs from "Know Your Rights" workshops to assistance in formulating plans on what to do in case a family member is deported. While the organization has received increased support following the election, the demand for services has also risen.

The U.S. is home to over 1.5 million charities, most of which are small organizations that deliver a wide range of services while financially challenged by their overhead. According to GuideStar, which reports on U.S. charities, only 10 percent of registered nonprofits have annual revenues of $500,000 or more. The headline-making donations following the presidential election are the exception rather than the rule.

The issue of immigration aside and how people may or may not feel about it, what strikes interesting is that this is somewhat common knowledge for a lot of types of charity, from providing healthcare to food to shelter, never once have I thought about legal advice. It makes a lot of sense though, smaller local charities often have a better understanding of the challenges affecting their communities and while they don't have the same kind of resources, they can often have a surprising amount of flexibility when it comes to addressing issues that you don't see in larger organizations.