--- title: "Coach Cat's Content Corner: Learning What You Can and Can't Control" description: RaiseMN Coach Cat Clements shares insights into dealing with uncertainty in fundraising admid federal funding cuts, shifting funding priorities, and more. L image: https://pages.givemn.org/hubfs/Coach%20Cat%E2%80%99s%20Content%20Corner%20%281%29.png --- ![](https://pages.givemn.org/hubfs/Coach%20Cat%E2%80%99s%20Content%20Corner%20%281%29.png) # Coach Cat's Content Corner: Learning What You Can and Can't Control Published by [ Cat Clements ](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/author/cat-clements) on May 9, 2025 11:15:23 AM The start of spring – budding tulips, greener grass, and the return of birdsongs – signals transition and change. But, unlike sunnier spring days, not all changes are easy to navigate. And, as of late, many nonprofits have been feeling the stress of change and uncertainty from funding cuts, shifting funder priorities, national unpredictability, and more. In addition to staying up-to-date and responsive to the current threats facing a vast array of people and communities, in times of uncertainty, it's also valuable to consider how these stressors are impacting your organization and to understand what tools you have to continue supporting your community. To that end, I want to share some stress-fighting steps borrowed from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Hopefully, these techniques will help you manage stress, focus on what you can control, and even feel more at ease in your fundraising efforts. Step 1: Breathe Uncertainty is overwhelming, and it can be easy to forget to breathe – so take a few moments right now to do some deep breathing. You can even try “box breathing”: for 4 seconds each, inhale, hold, exhale, hold.  Step 2: Get your worries down on paper Take a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle. Outside of the circle, write down the things you’re stressed about. Focus on the things *outside* of your immediate control (or questions that can’t currently be answered). This might include a change in foundation funding priorities, economic uncertainty, the board’s reaction to a funding loss, or questions like “what does this mean for staffing?”![The-Circle-of-Control](https://pages.givemn.org/hs-fs/hubfs/The-Circle-of-Control.png?width=312&height=245&name=The-Circle-of-Control.png) Step 3: Focus on what you *can *control Next, on the inside of the circle, write the things you can control. For instance, the way you communicate funding news to donors and staff, where you shift your focus, or other planned fundraising activities. What tools do you have to continue fostering connection and forming community in the face of uncertainty?  Step 4: Make a plan & let go of the rest Looking now at both sections of your paper, what do you notice? Is there anything on the outside of your circle that you can cross off your to-do list? Looking at the things you wrote inside the circle, what are some next steps you can take to bring you and your organization closer to your goals? Even though there are stressors outside of your control, know that the one constant through all of this is that your community still exists. Don’t be afraid to share funding updates with your supporters and create opportunities for people to support your work and give in ways that align with their values. For more insights and information on ways to connect with your donor base and community during this tumultuous time, join the GiveMN team for our upcoming June Learn-Along: Upgrading Donors to the Next Level. You can also bundle the last three Learn-Alongs of 2025 and save 15% on accessible trainings designed to help you cultivate donors, craft compelling appeals, and create year-end strategies that wow.  --- [Image source](https://colinscotland.com/the-circle-of-control-how-to-stop-worrying/) [Back to Blog](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## Related Articles ## [Coach Cat's Content Corner: Why Donors Give (And What You Can Do About It)](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-why-donors-give-and-what-you-can-do-about-it) There’s a common saying in fundraising, “the #1 reason people don’t give is because they weren’t... [Read More ](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-why-donors-give-and-what-you-can-do-about-it) ## [Coach Cat's Content Corner: Decluttering Your Donor List](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-decluttering-your-donor-list) I love my apartment. The way the light hits the floors in the afternoon, the birds that sing... [Read More ](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-decluttering-your-donor-list) ## [Coach Cat's Content Corner: Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-reliable-fundraising-in-unreliable-times) A few weeks ago, I read fundraising legend Kim Klein’s book, Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable... [Read More ](https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/coach-cats-content-corner-reliable-fundraising-in-unreliable-times) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Cat Clements", "url" : "https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/author/cat-clements" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-06T16:09:45.703Z", "datePublished" : "2025-05-09T16:15:23.000Z", "headline" : "Coach Cat's Content Corner: Learning What You Can and Can't Control", "image" : [ "https://pages.givemn.org/hubfs/Coach%20Cat%E2%80%99s%20Content%20Corner%20%281%29.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://pages.givemn.org/givemn-news-for-orgs/uncertainty-and-control", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://pages.givemn.org/hubfs/givemnwtag.png" }, "name" : "GiveMN" } } ```