Overcoming Fundraiser Fatigue with Micah James
This episode is sponsored by Bloomerang, a solution that helps nonprofits like ShowerUp, which provides mobile showers and personal care for those experiencing homelessness. Thanks to Bloomerang, ShowerUp increased their volunteer signups by 60% and first-time donors by making it easy to give right on their site. ShowerUp's Executive Director, Paul Schmit, said, "Bloomerang is an ideal marriage of volunteer and donor management. The deeper we get into it, the more we love it." If you want to see how ShowerUp easily manages its volunteers and donors with Bloomerang, go to bloomerang.com/bearing-witness.
In This Episode
Fundraising is a calling fueled by a passion for important causes. However, the weight of connecting resources to meet overwhelming needs can lead to burnout for even the most dedicated fundraisers. In this candid discussion, veteran fundraiser Micah James opens up about the unique stresses faced by those tasked with championing non-profit missions through securing donations.
From carrying the burden of potential impact on lives to navigating intense seasonal workloads, Micah provides insights into the drivers behind fundraiser fatigue. She shares hard-won wisdom on maintaining balance, setting boundaries, finding rejuvenating hobbies, and leveraging accountability partners. Her advice is grounded in personal experiences of pushing too hard, and the wake-up calls her body issued.
About Micah James
Micah is the Manager of the Professional Services Team at Bloomerang. She’s experienced as a church administrator and in non-profit fundraising. Micah has earned credentials as a Certified Church Administrator and a Certified Fund Raising Executive. She serves in her community supporting causes she’s passionate about, such as efforts to grow sustainable housing, support families experiencing homelessness, and education.
Connect with Micah James
Connect with Maria
Speaking & Training | LinkedIn | Email
Transcripts
Maria:
Hello! May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we'll be talking all things storyteller wellness. Today we have Micah James from Bloomerang—a seasoned development professional who knows all too well how fundraising can lead to burnout. She's here to share tips and techniques for managing stress as a career fundraiser.
Micah, I'm so happy to have you with me today on the show. I’ve held hands with many fundraisers, but I’ve never really considered myself one. I’m always in awe of that role and position. Today we’re talking about fundraiser self-care, which is so crucial. Before we get started, I just want to say hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me.
Micah:
Thank you for having me. I always love to talk about this. I’m a fundraiser nerd at heart. I feel like I’ve been doing this all my life in many ways. I’m really excited to be here.
Maria:
Fantastic. So tell me about that—what brought you to the fundraising space?
Micah:
Like I said, I feel like I’ve been doing this my whole life. My dad was a pastor, and I watched him on the ministry side. Then I got into ministry myself, moved into nonprofit work, and kind of did it all. Whether it’s nonprofit education, sustainable housing, or helping nonprofits find tech and resources like I do now, I’ve been helping people be generous and good stewards all my life.
Maria:
My father is a minister as well, so kindred spirits. PKs!
Micah:
MKs too!
Maria:
That’s a whole other episode.
Micah:
For real!
Maria:
So you’ve been in service and fundraising for a long time. Like I said, I’ve done fundraising but it’s never been my primary role—I’ve always been in a supporting role through marketing and comms. What are the unique challenges that fundraisers experience when it comes to stress and burnout?
Micah:
Fundraisers carry the weight of connecting resources with people who need them most. There’s an incredible need in the world—we see it on the news, hear it on the radio, see it on the streets. And fundraisers are attuned to that need, while also knowing how hard it is to secure the resources to meet it.
We carry the emotional weight of the need and the labor it takes to fulfill that need. And we’re passionate people—we often ignore our own needs to serve others. That combination leads to a lot of burnout. Every article will tell you the average tenure of a fundraiser is 18 to 24 months. Good fundraising is hard work, and it takes a lot of effort. Sometimes that effort burns us out.
Maria:
That’s so interesting—the burden of feeling like you make or break the mission because you're the one bringing the funding.
Micah:
Hopefully you have a committee or a team, but any good fundraiser carries that weight a little heavier. They’re the champion, the advocate. If I don’t do this, people don’t get fed. People don’t get housed. In the nonprofit world, it’s personal. You look into people’s faces and think, I want to pay their rent or feed their babies. It’s a real difference from the for-profit world.
Maria:
Right. So in the heart and mind of a fundraiser, what happens when we get burned out? When we don’t practice self-care?
Micah:
I wish I could say I’ve never been there, but I have. When you don’t practice self-care, your body will remind you. There was a time I got the flu, then got it again, then got pneumonia. My body forced me to stop.
Take the sick day at the start—not when it becomes a crisis. Mental health days are real. The world will go on without you.
I keep a checklist by my desk. My daughter sometimes comes over and checks it off. Small things matter—eat lunch, stretch, hydrate. I tell my team at Bloomerang all the time: you're a better team member when you're a better human. That means taking care of yourself—putting boundaries on your calendar, connecting with family, doing things that energize you.
Maria:
I love these tips. Every role experiences stress differently. I recently spoke with a reverend about holding space for congregants, and I’ll be speaking to someone about self-care in activism. As a marketer, I experience stress very differently than fundraisers. What are the things specific to fundraisers that tend to lead to toxic stress? What should they be doing to protect their mental health?
Micah:
We forget we can’t put the pedal to the metal all the time. Fundraising is seasonal—year-end giving, galas, spring flings. We can’t go 110 miles an hour year-round.
My advice: lean into the seasonality. If you’re going to work 18-hour days for a campaign, don’t do it all year. One organization I worked for shut the office down the week after the gala—it was an investment in staff recovery.
Find that balance. If you work a long week during crisis response, then the next week take a longer lunch or go home early and see your kids. Have flexibility. Leaders need to recognize this and allow grace and rest during off-seasons.
Maria:
Yes! When I worked at a health center, we had our big gala on a Thursday and always took the Friday off. But at my next job, that wasn’t the case. Folks worked 13-hour days, then showed up the next day like nothing happened.
Leaders, if you're listening: please give your teams grace during intense seasons and space during slow seasons. That’s a trauma-informed fundraising future. Our bodies will always tell us—headaches, illness, fatigue.
Micah:
Exactly. And not every fundraiser does events anymore. Since COVID, fundraising looks different—capital campaigns, donor drives, recurring gift programs. So the full-throttle moments may not be as obvious, but they still exist.
Pay attention to when you’re pushing too hard too often. If you're finding yourself in that space more and more, strike a balance.
Maria:
In those seasons when you're drowning, what has helped you get through?
Micah:
In my younger years? I was terrible at it. If I had advice to my younger self, it would be: find an accountability partner and find a hobby.
I used to joke that my hobby was my kids—not a good answer! Kids are amazing, but they are not restorative in that way. I had to find something rejuvenating for me. I love to cook and bake. It gives me something to do with my hands and engages my brain differently.
Also, an accountability partner—someone who can say, “Micah, maybe seven Dr. Peppers and 47 hours of work isn’t the move.” Someone who texts, “What’s up in your life?” and helps you recalibrate.
Maria:
Yes! Something accessible. When I’m anxious or depressed and someone says “go outside for a walk,” I want to scream. That’s not my thing.
But baking? That’s my thing. If I’m overwhelmed, I’ll bake a batch of cookies at 11 p.m. Just like my mom—she has six kids, multiple degrees, runs a business. When she’s overwhelmed, you’ll find the kitchen full of baked goods.
Micah:
Same. My seminary friends used to joke that when I was processing something, I’d bring food to class. My daughter’s outlet is painting. Everyone has something. But it has to truly let you disconnect. If you're still mentally doing work while doing your “hobby,” it doesn’t count.
Maria:
Exactly. If it’s accessible in any way—try. Try to do that. I love that.
You’re now with Bloomerang, who is sponsoring this episode. What role do tools like Bloomerang play in making fundraisers' lives easier, especially during high-stress seasons?
Micah:
I’ll never forget when I introduced a CRM at my last nonprofit. Our admin came to me and said, “What are we going to do with all our time?” And I said, “We’re going to do amazing things.”
We were mail-merging one letter at a time, editing labels manually. It was so clunky. The right tools remove that manual work.
Time is just as valuable as money. Nonprofits have limited people doing too much. Tools like Bloomerang help us work smarter and more efficiently, so we can serve more people, communicate better, and go home to our families sooner.
Better tools help fundraisers carry the weight—just a little lighter.
Maria:
That’s so good. Micah, I so appreciate you coming on and being vulnerable about your fundraising journey. Thank you to Bloomerang for supporting this episode.
One final question: what part of fundraising are you most proud of?
Micah:
I love that there are millions of nonprofits, all uniquely planted in their communities for a purpose. If you’re in Norman, Oklahoma, you’re solving problems in Norman with the people and resources around you. I think it’s the most wonderful industry—solving community problems using the community itself.
Maria:
I love that. Thank you for what you do as a fundraiser and for supporting other fundraisers through Bloomerang. And thank you so much for being on When Bearing Witness.
Micah:
Sure. Thanks for having me.
The When Bearing Witness Podcast is produced by Rustic Roots. They are video storytellers passionate about sharing the impact of nonprofits. From story ideation to beautiful and powerful videos on screen, they've got you covered. Learn more at Rusticroots.co.