You lie down at night, exhausted. But the moment your head hits the pillow, your mind starts running.
Will we meet our year-end goal? Who still needs a follow-up? What happens if we fall short?
You need sleep. There is so much work to do tomorrow. But you’re calculating the gap between what’s been raised and what’s still needed to keep the work moving.
You don’t want to worry your boss or burden your team. So you carry it quietly and tell yourself what you’ve probably said a hundred times before: I’ll find a way.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. I’ve spent plenty of sleepless nights carrying the weight of a fundraising goal. Looking back, I can see that some of that weight came from how we approached fundraising within the organization.
We had put it in a silo.
No one had intentionally decided that one person should carry the organization’s financial future. But fundraising had become “the development team’s job.” Everyone cared about the mission. Fewer people understood their role in funding it.
That’s what a culture of philanthropy can change.
When an organization embraces fundraising as part of its shared work, the fundraiser gains more than help with a to-do list. They gain colleagues who understand the goals, contribute their expertise, and take ownership of the path forward.
Here are three places to start.
1. Bring the right people to the table.
Create an Advancement Tactical Team with your CEO or executive director, someone from finance, a program staff representative, and your advancement staff.
Meet monthly. Share the fundraising plan, review progress, talk honestly about challenges, and assign clear responsibilities.
Program staff can help identify stories that show the impact of a donor’s gift. Finance can clarify funding needs and help track revenue against the budget. Your executive director can open doors and strengthen donor relationships.
Everyone should leave knowing what needs to happen next and how they can contribute. Over time, these conversations help fundraising become part of how the organization works, with support that continues throughout the year.
2. Make time for an annual advancement plan.
I once told a mentor I didn’t have time to build a detailed plan.
His response? “You don’t have time not to.”
He was right.
When you’re constantly responding to the next deadline, stepping away to plan can feel impossible. But a thoughtful, 12-month advancement plan gives you a place to put all those ideas, deadlines, and worries that otherwise follow you home.
Include fundraising priorities, specific tactics, timelines, assigned responsibilities, and financial benchmarks. Account for when revenue is expected to arrive, so you can see whether you’re on track throughout the year.
Then use that plan in your monthly team meetings. Celebrate progress, identify gaps, and adjust while you still have time to act.
A plan won’t eliminate uncertainty. It will give you and your colleagues a shared way to respond to it.
3. Make room to take care of yourself.
You can care deeply about your organization without carrying every concern alone.
That means asking for help before you’re overwhelmed, being honest about your capacity, and allowing yourself to rest even when work remains.
Fundraising depends on relationships, thoughtful decisions, and consistent follow-through. Your well-being matters to that work, too.
The program staff member who shares a meaningful story, the finance colleague who explains a funding gap, and the executive director who makes time for a donor visit all help make generosity possible.
There is beauty in connecting people to work they care about and inviting them to help it grow. When the whole organization participates, more people experience that beauty, and no one has to carry the responsibility alone.
