Resilient by Design: What Grit Looks Like in Fundraising
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A fund development professional’s resilience is tested in countless ways every day. It shows up when a donor who committed becomes unreachable, when a campaign stalls at 75 percent of its goal, or when a foundation suddenly announces a pause in giving.
Grit in fundraising isn’t built in the easy wins. It’s revealed in challenging moments like these.
Grit is often described as sheer determination. But in practice, it’s not about pushing against a closed door with all of your might. Rather, it’s more like working through an escape room: trying different approaches, staying curious and trusting that there is a way forward and a golden key exists; you just haven’t found it yet.
In fundraising, grit comes from building systems, habits and mindsets that help you consistently show up, both strategically and sustainably, especially when outcomes are uncertain. It’s a particular kind of strength, a stick-to-it-iveness, that’s practiced and developed over time.
At its best, it is a hopeful and purpose-filled practice. And the most successful fundraisers don’t leave this practice to chance — they build it intentionally and consistently. Ultimately, this leads to becoming resilient by design.
Resilient individuals are built by:
Staying anchored to priorities despite distractions and setbacks.
Normalizing setbacks without overcorrecting or shutting down.
Remaining persistent when momentum falters and not assuming “no” is a closed door.
These factors serve as valuable information that can help adjust timing, priorities and alignment moving forward. When grit is embedded into systems and culture, it becomes more accessible and more sustainable.
However, when we treat grit as an individual characteristic, we may inadvertently create a "hero culture” within our organization. In this environment, success depends entirely on one (or a select few) high-performing individuals to produce results despite challenges. Over time, this can become a recipe for high turnover and inconsistent results.
A combination of individual and infrastructure-based grit can change that equation. It redistributes the weight of the mission from the individual's shoulders to the department's design. A grit-based infrastructure might include:
Creating a defined fundraising plan that maps out the organization’s path for a set period of time. Ideally, ideas and approaches are not constructed by one individual. It should be a collective, agreed-upon plan that serves as an active working guide with measurable goals and metrics.
Noticing challenges with curiosity and responding by regularly and collectively codifying how to improve.
Activating well-functioning systems that provide a strategic workflow, informed by the team and not reliant on any one individual.
By focusing on building infrastructure-based grit, we enable individuals to focus on what they do best: building authentic relationships.
Curious whether resilience in your organization lives in individuals or in your systems? Start by asking yourself and your team these four questions.
The Resilience Audit: Is Your Organization Resilient by Design?
1. The Metric Check
When a gift doesn’t close, does our data system capture the value of the work done?
Hero Culture: The database only shows a $0 on a closed-lost opportunity.
Grit Infrastructure: Our metrics track meaningful interactions and pipeline movement, thereby acknowledging that relationship-building is a cumulative asset.
2. Debrief Meetings
Do we have a debrief process for setbacks that focuses on strategy development rather than blame?
Hero Culture: We avoid talking about the loss because it feels discouraging.
Grit Infrastructure: We hold a learning lab to determine where and why the alignment failed, turning the disappointment into constructive institutional knowledge.
3. Employing Systems for Effectiveness
Is our persistence dependent on a fundraiser's memory and willpower, or is it supported by automated systems?
Hero Culture: Follow-ups happen when a fundraiser finds the time or feels motivated.
Grit Infrastructure: Automated tasks and stewardship workflows ensure that no donor falls through the cracks, regardless of the team's individual plans for that week.
4. Professional Boundaries
Does our culture distinguish between persistence and burnout?
Hero Culture: Working through exhaustion is seen as a badge of honor.
Grit Infrastructure: We prioritize strategic rest and efficiency, recognizing that an exhausted fundraiser cannot practice the emotional regulation required for high-level grit.
Transitioning to resilient design doesn't happen overnight. It starts with identifying where your personal and/or organizational infrastructure is currently leaning.
If you want to chat more about true grit and resiliency in your organization, email me at Kenda.Lovecchio@mgale.co, or connect with us via our Contact page.
Kenda has more than 25 years of experience working in fund development and management. She brings a range of experience from varied organizational sizes and sectors, including higher education, museums, youth and social justice, arts and culture, conservation and public media.