Surviving end-of-year fundraising

If end-of-year fundraising stresses you out, you are not alone.

Many organizations raise a substantial percentage of their annual income from individuals over the next six weeks. Perhaps your C-suite colleagues have high expectations and are reminding you of that with increasing frequency. They are blissfully unaware of the fact that you can do everything right and still fall short of projections and expectations.

That’s especially true in a year with as much weirdness as 2025.

In addition to being fundraisers, Alia and I are both somatic coaches. Somatics brings together mind and body to focus on the whole person. A mind-body approach is especially useful when dealing with chronic stress. Or perhaps end-of-year fundraising stress.

If you are footloose and fancy-free during this end-of-year season, we are so glad for you. No need to read on. If, on the other hand, the crush of high expectations in a short span of time is fraying your nerves, you’re in the right place.

Here are three resilience hacks that might make the next six weeks just a little less stressful:

1. Box breathing. There are probably a few things that Navy SEALs and Brené Brown share, but a devotion to box breathing as a stress reliever is one of them. This simple technique—inhaling for four counts, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding again for four—activates your body’s relaxation response in real time. It’s portable, free, and you can do it during a board meeting without anyone noticing. Want a visual aid to help guide you? Go here.

2. Soothing and supportive touch. This is from the Mindful Self-Compassion toolkit. Self-touch—for instance, putting a hand over your heart, giving yourself a hug, or gently stroking your arm—activates the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system and stimulates the secretion of oxytocin, the so-called “cuddle chemical.” Hold the touch for 20 seconds. Watch this two-minute BBC video.

3. Small joys. Finding tiny islands of calm, joy, or ease can accumulate into big psychic benefits. My friend Rebecca Scott refers to it as “microdosing joy.” Deb Dana, one of the nation’s leading experts on nervous system regulation, calls them glimmers. Here is Deb Dana’s take:

“Glimmers are micro-moments of regulation that foster feelings of well-being. A glimmer could be as simple as seeing a friendly face, hearing a soothing sound, or noticing something in the environment that brings a smile. They are personal to each of us and one person’s glimmer may be another person’s trigger. Glimmers are a cue in the day, either internal or external, that sparks a sense of well-being. These tiny moments gently yet significantly shape your system toward well-being. They help you become regulated and ready for connection.”

Here’s the awesome thing about glimmers: the more you open yourself to seeing and experiencing them, the more you see, and the chiller you get.

You’ve done everything you can to bring in the 2025 fundraising harvest. These resilience exercises can help you navigate the coming weeks with just a little more lightness and ease.