Survival Is Not a Strategy
A Must-Have for Your BEST Year (Yet)
Every once in a while, a sentence lands in a conversation and everyone in the room just… pauses.
That happened recently while I was working with Tammy Hertzel, CEO of the YMCA of Mason City, Iowa, who is part of my MORE Major Gifts Accelerator coaching program.
We were talking about the realities Y’s and other nonprofit leaders have faced over the past several years. Pandemic disruption. Staffing challenges. Budget pressure. Programs stretched thin.
Tammy summed it up simply:
“We’ve been in survival mode.”
And that’s when the sentence came out:
Survival is not a strategy.
Across the nonprofit sector, leaders have shown extraordinary resilience keeping their missions moving forward. In many cases, simply holding things together beyond the pandemic has taken enormous courage and commitment.
But conversations when you are in survival mode alone will never inspire transformational generosity.
Donors don’t give their most meaningful gifts because an organization is tired.
They give because they believe in where it’s going.
They invest in clarity, leadership, and possibility.
You CREATE YOUR LIFE and your new energy around where you are going!
Tammy and I are preparing for our upcoming session at the North American YMCA Development Organization (NAYDO) Conference, where we will share the transformational success she has experienced at her Y.
The shift hasn’t been about doing more “fundraising activity.”
It’s been about moving from reacting… to building.
From uncertainty… to clarity.
From survival thinking… to strategic leadership.
From hiding…. to bold sharing.
And when that shift happens, something powerful follows.
-Boards align.
-Staff stay and confidence grows.
-Donors begin to see the future they can help create.
-Partners join in.
-Small efforts build a bridge to more and more…and more.
Because generosity responds to vision coupled with energy!
So when Tammy and I distilled our work together into a set of takeaways for NAYDO and all organizations that want their BEST year yet, the first one is simple.
Survival is not a strategy.
Survival may be where the journey begins.
But leadership — and generosity — begin when we decide to build something stronger.
Because your BEST year for your mission and your LIFE is right in front of you.
JUMP IN!
Invest in Joy!™
