Thriving in Fundraising Is a Two-Way Street

You probably know a development professional who chose to leave their job due to burnout. Perhaps you are such a person. I certainly am.

My first job as a development director (DD) was at a small nonprofit with a mission I loved. The group had an annual fund fed by very low “membership fees”.  Each year, members were sent a beautiful glossy calendar created through a photo contest the DD managed. Despite its member focus, the group relied on foundation grants – most in the $5000-20,000 range, each requiring applications and reports. It took several staff to keep all the plates spinning.

Just before I started, three development staffers were laid off due to a budget deficit.

Despite this, I was determined to succeed and optimistic that mining the donor database would yield major gift prospects. When I wasn’t tending to members or writing grant applications or reports, I carved out time to find the gold in the clunky database.

My boss complained that I wasn’t finding enough new foundation prospects. I explained that the ROI of major donor work was much higher than that of institutional fundraising. In HIS first ED role, he was wary of change. When I began developing health issues related to overwork, I realized something had to give and I quit.

Burnout Is Not Your Fault, But It Is Your Problem*

The Chronicle of Philanthropy described some of the causes of the problem in a new report called Caring Too Much. Research by Irish fundraiser turned psychologist Michelle Reynolds pinpointed four factors contributing to development professionals’ high rates of burnout: 

1.     Their “inherent empathy” – often viewed as a key to fundraising success;

2.     Their tendency to put the interest of clients, colleagues and others ahead of their own;

3.     Perceived or real pressure to achieve more for less; and

4.     The sense of responsibility for the organization while at the same time feeling “unseen.”

The new study also highlighted the ways fundraiser burnout places a huge burden on both the nonprofit and the individuals affected. As anyone who’s hired a development professional knows, replacing a highly skilled and experienced person isn’t easy. For individuals, the price is often very steep.

What Can We Do About It?

The Chronicle has been tracking this issue for years and offering solutions for leaders to take steps to avoid burnout among their development staff. At the same time, individual fundraisers need to monitor their stress to avoid burnout. (See How Leaders Can Help Fundraisers Avoid Burnout and Fundraisers Need to Speak Up about Their Challenges & Funders Need to Listen.)

 It’s the responsibility of nonprofit leaders (EDs & DDs especially) to:

•       Pay attention when an employee shows signs they’re less engaged than previously

•       Listen when they talk about stress or overwork or tell you they might be burning out

•       Ask non-judgmentally about what’s going on with them & how they can together make changes to ease the pressure

•       Provide mental health resources in serious cases

•       Pay attention to the person’s team-mates -- burnout is highly contagious

•       Proactively seek employees’ anonymous input about what’s stressing them at work

•       Ask specifically about the 6 kinds of worker-job mismatches

•       Make it safe for employees to speak up about their chronic stress

Fundraisers themselves need to monitor their own health, mental health, work stress levels, (especially their workload) and perception about job sustainability and speak up when you need help.

See my  posts: Denial Can Be Deadly, The Lure to Overcommit, Listen to Your People! Time to Rescue Yours Truly, and Stress vs. Stressors Explained

* This is the title of an excellent post on workplace burnout by Dilan Consulting Group.