Stress Management and Self Care During Year-End Giving

Alongside colder weather, the end of December can bring stress for many folks. Questions like "Did I order my holiday gifts on time?" and "Will any of my travel plans be delayed by the weather?" flurry around our minds like fresh snow. And, if you're a fundraiser, you may also be asking yourself how your organization can finish strong when it comes to year-end fundraising. 

End-of-year giving is the season in which most of us receive the most donations each year. And, as with most busy seasons, many of us will experience varying levels of work stress over the next month. 

Some psychologists differentiate this stress in two different ways.

First, there’s eustress—when work feels challenging but manageable, and it can lead to satisfaction and growth. When eustress is at a healthy level, we may feel tired at the end of the day, but a good night’s sleep can usually help us wake up energized and ready for a new day. Psychologists have found that popping in and out of a healthy amount of stress actually helps us perform at a more optimal level.

Then, there’s distress—which can often feel like you don’t have the time, skills, or patience to manage the tasks ahead. Over a period of time, it has the ability to lead to burnout, which can show itself through exhaustion, resentment, anxiety, and feelings of shame.

Stress certainly isn’t unique to fundraisers, but sometimes we can feel it very acutely, especially during year-end giving. The average tenure for a Director of Development is only 16 months, and turnover has increased in the last few years with burnout mentioned as a key factor.

With all of this in mind, GiveMN has compiled a few self-care tips for fundraisers as we set off for our shared busy season. We hope these will help you recognize and take advantage of eustress, limit and manage distress, and take care of yourself and your peers in the coming months!

1. Let go of fundraising FOMO (fear of missing out)
   It’s easy to see what other fundraisers are doing and think, “I should be doing that, too”—but do your best not to compare yourself or your work to others! You know your audience and your work best, so you know what tactics and messages are most meaningful for your supporters. Trust your judgment and stick to activities that match your team’s capacity.
   
   
2. Create shared responsibility and visibility
   Fundraising isn’t a solo activity! It’s important to bring others from your team or board of directors into your fundraising plans. Everyone can have a role in fundraising, so make sure your colleagues know the who, what, when, where, and why of your organization’s campaigns.
   
   
3. Ask for help
   Once you’ve brought others into your fundraising planning, it’s easier to ask for help when you need it! Maybe program staff can help write thank-you notes to donors, or perhaps board members can spread the word about your campaigns on social media. Focus on what you do best and delegate tasks to others as needed!
   
   
4. Make space for PTO and plan times to rest
   If you have PTO available, make a plan of when you’re going to use it. December requires fundraisers to be all-in on gift entry, data management, stewardship, etc. Being intentional about your rest can help ensure you take a breath after the chaotic year-end dash.
   
   
5. Automate what you can
   There are plenty of tools out there that can help you work smarter, not harder. If it’s in your budget, try looking at tools like Canva for graphics or Hootsuite to help you pre-schedule social media posts during the year-end season. Leverage your email platform to schedule email asks and updates to your donors throughout December. 
   
   
6. Don’t reinvent the wheel every time
   Did you participate in Give to the Max? Consider that a warm-up to your year-end campaign. How can you frame your GTMD story differently to use it for year-end campaigns? Are there images you can repurpose? Are there themes that you know resonated with your audience that you can edit and use again?
   
   
7. Stretch, take a walk, and drink water!
   Remember to take breaks when you can! Keep yourself hydrated, schedule time away from your screen, and find activities that fill your bucket. As fundraisers, we can only help power the missions we care about when we’re also taking care of ourselves!
   
   
8. Recognize your accomplishments and the wins of your colleagues
   Fundraising is hard work. Celebrating your wins—both big and small—is important to recognize that the work you’re doing is good and powers our communities. Did you send out an email to engage your audience? Celebrate! Did you get a nice comment from a donor about your organization’s work? Celebrate! Did you hit your goal? Celebrate even more!
   
   

The GiveMN team is here to support you all year long, not just on Give to the Max Day! If you have questions or need support with your fundraising planning, reach out to our team at help@givemn.org. Happy fundraising -- you got this!