Why 95% of Nonprofit Leaders Are Concerned About Burnout (And How to Fix It in Your Organization)
With year-end giving season approaching and economic uncertainty continuing to challenge donor behavior, the cost of ineffective fundraising strategies has never been higher.
As a nonprofit leader, you know the weight of responsibility that comes with your role. Every day, you juggle fundraising events, grant applications, community outreach, and endless administrative tasks—all while carrying the knowledge that your community depends on your success.
But here's the truth that keeps many executives awake at night: working harder doesn't always mean working smarter. Too often, organizations mistake "busy" for "effective." The result? Burnout that threatens your mission, missed opportunities that could have transformed your impact, and fundraising strategies that feel more reactive than intentional.
Quick Self-Check: How many hours did your development team work last week? How much did you raise per hour worked? If you don't know these numbers, you might be confusing activity with results.
Recent research confirms what you're likely experiencing firsthand: 95% of nonprofit leaders report burnout as a serious concern, and nearly 50% report being concerned about their own burnout (Center for Effective Philanthropy, 2024). When you and your best people are burning out, programs suffer, beneficiaries go underserved, and the ripple effects touch every life your organization was meant to impact.
Combine that with a decline in the number of donors (down 1.3% year-over-year according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project's Q1 2025 data), a shrinking small-donor base, and slipping retention rates, and it's clear, many nonprofits are running faster on a treadmill that isn't moving them forward. The cost isn't just financial; it's the programs you can't expand, the communities you can't reach, and the potential you can't unlock.
Organizations that don't adapt to modern fundraising realities will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage compared to those embracing strategic, relationship-focused approaches. The question isn't whether your organization needs to change—it's knowing exactly where to start and which changes will have the biggest impact.
Why Are So Many Nonprofit Leaders Struggling With Fundraising Burnout?
3 Signs Your Organization Is "Working Harder"
You're Chasing Dollars, Not Building Relationships Events and grant applications are important, but they're transactional. The numbers tell a sobering story: the average annual donor retention rate slipped to 18.1% in Q1 2025, and first-time donor retention continues to be a major challenge (Fundraising Effectiveness Project, 2025). Even more concerning, the smallest donor group ($1–$100) dropped 11.1% year over year in Q1 2025, even though they still make up over half of all donors (Fundraising Effectiveness Project, 2025).
This Week's Action: Identify your top 20 donors from last year and personally reach out to five of them this week—not to ask for money, but to share a specific impact story and ask for their advice on expanding that program.
You're Confusing Activity with Impact Back-to-back meetings, countless appeals, and endless check-ins create the illusion of productivity. But Giving USA 2025 reveals a troubling reality: while total charitable giving grew in 2024, the number of donors declined. That means many nonprofits are pouring in more activity while seeing diminishing returns—and burning out staff in the process.
This Week's Action: Audit your last 30 days of fundraising activities. Calculate hours spent versus dollars raised for each activity type. Eliminate the bottom 20% of time-consuming, low-return activities and redirect that time to your top performers.
You're Relying on Outdated Methods Galas, direct mail, and broad email blasts still have value—but today's donors live in a digital world. While online giving grew by 2.2% in 2024, it still only accounts for a fraction of total giving (Blackbaud Institute, 2025). Organizations that don't adapt risk losing entire segments of potential supporters.
This Week's Action: Create one 60-second video on your smartphone showing your program in action. Post it on social media with a simple call-to-action, and use the same video in next week's email newsletter.
What Does Smart Nonprofit Fundraising Look Like?
Smarter Strategy Shifts That Work The most effective nonprofits aren't just pushing harder—they're focusing smarter. Here's how:
From Transactional → Relational Recurring donors are significantly more valuable than one-time donors, with studies showing they contribute up to 77% more annually (NextAfter, 2024). That means investing in personalized communication, impact reporting, and donor journeys will yield more than endless acquisition campaigns.
From Scattershot → Strategic High-performing nonprofits know that clarity matters. Instead of sending sporadic appeals, design intentional campaigns with clear outcomes that align with your mission. This is where an integrated communication strategy is critical.
From Traditional → Modern Digital engagement isn't optional anymore. With Gen Z and Millennials preferring online giving, nonprofits must use modern tools—short-form video, text-to-give, segmented email, and AI-powered insights—to expand reach without multiplying staff hours.
Key Takeaways for Leaders:
The organizations thriving in today's fundraising landscape aren't working harder—they're working smarter through relationship-focused strategies, data-driven decisions, and modern digital tools that amplify impact without burning out staff.
If you don't make these strategic shifts now, you risk watching more effective organizations capture the donors, volunteers, and community support that should be yours. Your mission deserves more than exhausted staff and scattered strategies. Every day you spend working harder instead of smarter is another day your community's most pressing needs go unmet at their full potential.
““The organizations thriving today aren’t working harder, they’re working smarter through relationship-focused strategies that amplify impact without burning out staff.””
The families counting on your food bank, the students depending on your scholarships, the patients relying on your research—they all deserve an organization that's operating at peak effectiveness, not peak exhaustion. By working smarter—not harder—you can reduce burnout, reclaim time, and increase fundraising results. More importantly, you can unlock your organization's true potential to create lasting change.
Discussion Questions for Your Team
Ready to implement these strategies? Use these questions to guide your next leadership team meeting:
Relationship Audit: Which donors have we contacted in the past 90 days without asking for money?
Activity Assessment: What fundraising activities consumed the most time but yielded the lowest ROI last quarter?
Digital Readiness: How easily can someone donate to us on their phone right now?
Staff Wellness: What specific signs of burnout are we seeing in our development team?
The nonprofits we work with typically see 30-40% improvements in donor engagement within the first six months of implementing relationship-focused strategies," says Rogers-Givens. "It's not about working more hours—it's about working more strategically."
That's exactly why we created the Free Nonprofit Fundraising Communications Assessment. This evidence-based, 10-minute assessment shows you exactly where your organization is excelling, where you're losing momentum, and provides a customized action plan for greater impact.
What you'll get:
✅ Immediate insights into your fundraising effectiveness
✅ Customized recommendations based on your specific challenges
✅ Clear next steps you can implement this month
✅ Benchmarking against high-performing nonprofits
✅ Follow-up email series with implementation templates
✅ Invitation to our monthly nonprofit leaders' virtual roundtable
Take the Free Assessment Here and discover your path from burnout to breakthrough.
Accessibility Note: This post is written at an 8th-grade reading level for brad accessibility. All statistics are cited with specific sources for verification.
