Resilient Fundraising During Tough Times

First Day Podcast

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, host Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., welcomes back the legendary Kay Sprinkle Grace to tackle a critical topic: staying resilient in fundraising during turbulent times. Kay emphasizes that the nonprofit sector becomes even more essential when the world feels shaky. She reminds fundraisers that their steadiness provides the strength communities crave, and that their role is to radiate hope, not hoard anxiety. Rather than surrendering to fear, she calls on leaders to embody "radical amazement," seeing each day and each impact as a phenomenal gift. Kay highlights a key shift: nonprofits shouldn’t just "diversify" during hard times, they need to solidify. By collaborating with like-minded organizations and reinforcing their core missions, nonprofits can weather the storm stronger together. She shares the powerful story of New Orleans’ AIDS organizations banding together after Hurricane Katrina, a vivid example of unity and resilience. Fundraisers, she says, must anchor their work not in scarcity, pleading for help because things are bad, but in abundance, celebrating and showcasing the transformative impact they already have. In tough times, abundance is the secret sauce that keeps the spirit, and donations, flowing. Zooming in on individual fundraisers, Kay throws down some real-world advice: don’t be a lone wolf marooned at your desk. Seek community, lean on coaching, and don’t be shy about asking for help. Self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s survival. She warns that harboring anger corrodes resilience and stresses that fundraisers must live the very values they champion. And if your organization becomes a hot mess of broken values and endless negativity? Be brave enough to fix it, or walk away with your spirit intact. Wrapping up, Kay and Bill shine a light on the enduring power of nonprofits through decades of crises, from the civil rights movement to economic downturns to global disasters. In the end, resilience is about renewal: the beautiful dance between stability and change, anchored by purpose and sprinkled with radical joy. Nonprofits are here not just to exist, but to solve problems, and by standing together, focusing on mission, and celebrating the good, fundraisers can be the steady, luminous force their communities need most.