Mental Health and Wellness Guide for Fundraising Professionals

Let’s face it: you are no use to the constituents that your nonprofit serves if you are too burned out. In the nonprofit world, it’s easy to think that everyone involved is brimming with goodwill and energy at all times. While passion for a mission is great, fundraising professionals are often juggling multiple demands with very limited resources. This is coupled with the fact that development professionals oftentimes are not the ones on the frontlines of the mission, so they get less positive exposure to the work that is being done. Over time, the pressure can take a real toll on mental health and well-being. Here’s how you can stay resilient, reduce stress, and maintain your passion for the work that matters to you.

Understanding Compassion Fatigue

What Is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is a type of emotional exhaustion that can develop when you’re repeatedly exposed to the suffering and challenges faced by the communities you serve. You might find that at some point, you struggle to empathize or feel “numb” when hearing about hardships. It’s important to recognize compassion fatigue early, as it can lead to burnout and decreased effectiveness in your role. Sometimes for years at a time in extreme cases.

Signs of Compassion Fatigue:

• Feeling detached or emotionally exhausted

• Avoiding conversations or situations where you may be asked for help

• Loss of satisfaction in work you normally find fulfilling

• Increased irritability or cynicism

If you have (or have ever had) any of these symptoms of Compassion Fatigue, you are not a bad person. This is a natural human response to this overexposure that is well documented in the medical world. Here are some ways to address it:

1. Set Boundaries and Prioritize Tasks

Why it matters:
When you have an overflowing to-do list where “everything is urgent”, it’s easy to push your limits. Remember, if everything is urgent, nothing is urgent. This is a simple fix though and an exercise in prioritizing. Constantly working at full tilt for too long can lead to chronic stress and burnout.

How to do it:

• Time Blocking: Allocate specific hours for emails, donor calls, and creative work to avoid being pulled in multiple directions simultaneously. If you have something unmissable that comes up during those times, you can move your time blocks to another time, but you cannot delete them.

• Learn to Say “No”: Politely decline extra low priority tasks that you don’t have the capacity to handle. Your mental health and the quality of your existing, high priority commitments come first.

• Delegate Where Possible: If you’re lucky enough to have a team, involve them in tasks that align with their skill sets. Collaboration not only lightens your load but also fosters a supportive workplace culture.

2. Practice Self-Care Regularly

Why it matters:
Yes, this is the fundraising firm telling you that you have to exercise and take care of yourself physically if you’re in nonprofit development. Caring for yourself is NOT a luxury—it’s a requirement. When you’re emotionally and physically healthy, you’re infinitely better equipped to handle the daily pressures of fundraising and all the other responsibilities you have.

How to do it:

• Physical Wellness: Incorporate exercise, healthy meals, and adequate sleep into your routine. Physical well-being has a direct impact on mental resilience, and mental well-being has a direct impact on physical resilience.

• Take Breaks: Step away from your desk every so often to clear your mind. Short walks or stretches can do wonders for recharging your energy. This also includes taking appropriate time off to recharge.

3. Seek Support and Community

Why it matters:
Isolation can exacerbate compassion fatigue and mental health challenges. Having a network of peers who understand your experiences can provide both emotional support and practical advice.

How to do it:

• Peer Support Groups: Join professional associations or online forums where fundraising professionals share tips, challenges, and successes.

• Open Communication: If you feel overwhelmed, talk to your supervisor or colleagues about potential solutions—whether it’s adjusting workloads, changing priorities, or extending deadlines.

4. Develop a Healthy Relationship with Goals

Why it matters:
Fundraising can be a high-pressure environment, often tied directly to financial targets. While goals are essential, fixating on them to the point of burnout can harm your well-being and performance towards those goals.

How to do it:

• Realistic Expectations: Work with leadership to set achievable and clearly defined goals with practical timelines. Overambitious targets without pathways to acheive them can set you up for chronic stress.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Don’t wait until the final big goal is reached. Recognize incremental successes, like building new donor relationships or securing a substantial gift.

• Learn from Shortfalls: Not every effort will exceed expectations. Treat shortfalls as learning opportunities rather than failures.

Fundraising professionals are the lifeblood of many nonprofits. Without revenue, other nonprofit work is often redundant. However, the emotional demands of the role can be more significant than we might often admit to ourselves. Staying mentally healthy doesn’t just benefit you. It helps the people and communities that rely on your work.

Looking to scale up your fundraising revenue for your nonprofit? That’s what we do! Schedule a chat with one of our staff and we would be happy to learn more about what you are looking to do for your nonprofit.