Steadying the Ship: 10 Lessons Nonprofit Leaders Are Teaching Us About Resilience, Hope, and Forward Motion

We often say that our greatest privilege as consultants is the opportunity to not only learn from our clients, but with them. In a time when the world feels noisy and heavy, nonprofit professionals are showing us what steady leadership looks like. Whether they’re keeping food on tables, artists creating, research moving forward, kids learning, forests protected, or health clinics open and accessible, they are doing important work and navigating uncertainty with innovation, heart, and resilience.

Earlier this month, we hosted a small breakfast gathering with nonprofit leaders from across sectors. It was, in a word, refreshing. There was honesty, laughter, and ingenuity. But more than anything, it was hopeful. A moment of clarity amid the doomscrolling, the packed calendars, and the latest round of “unprecedented” challenges.

From that conversation—and from the hundreds of others we’ve had over the years—we pulled together ten lessons that have stuck with us. Some are practical. Some are philosophical. All are rooted in the generosity, grit, and vision that we’ve witnessed in our clients and colleagues. They reflect the wisdom of leaders navigating complexity with courage and clarity.

We hope they shine a little light for you, too.

1. Decisions terminate panic. If you don’t make a decision, then the universe makes it for you.
2. Invest your time in people who want to invest in you. Let everyone else go.
3. Don’t assume where people are. We shouldn’t pre-decide for our donors or any of our stakeholders. We don’t know what actions they want to take unless we ask them.
4. Check in (in real life) with real people. Put down your phone. It makes a huge difference, and you will likely learn something that will help you move forward.
5. Double down on partnerships. Ask yourself, how can we do more with less and find creativity in collaboration?
6. Step into the gap; often in chaos there is great opportunity.
7. Ambiguity, uncertainty, and disruption are here to stay for awhile. Don’t avoid them; use these as lenses to think through different angles of possibility.
8. Don’t let semantics get in the way of your work. Live your mission, vision and values – the most important thing is to walk the walk.
9. Fundraising campaigns often build their own momentum. We’ve seen successful efforts during major downturns—the dot-com bust, the Great Recession, even the first year of COVID. While some campaigns may need extra time, the vast majority reach or exceed their goals.
10. Most importantly: your mission won’t wait. Challenging economies often hit the people and causes we serve the hardest. That makes it even more critical to clearly communicate the human impact of your work—and how philanthropy can help magnify that impact.

With more than five decades of combined experience, Julia and Melissa have helped organizations raise transformational funds, navigate leadership transitions, plan for uncertain futures, and stay rooted in mission while adapting to change.

Together, they’ve walked alongside hundreds of nonprofit leaders across the country, and if you ask them, they’ll tell you: the real wisdom lives in the field.

Campbell & Company is a national consulting firm that supports nonprofit organizations in creating greater impact through executive search, fundraising, communications, and strategic information services. Since 1976, Campbell & Company has helped over 2,500 clients grow their fundraising results through an integrated approach. In addition, our award-winning executive search team brings a record of success in placing exceptional leaders across the nonprofit sector.

Julia McGuire

Julia McGuire has more than 30 years of experience in the development field. She provides a wide range of counsel to educational, cultural, health-related, and youth-focused nonprofit organizations. To each...

Melissa Berliner

As Senior Vice President, Melissa Berliner enjoys developing tailored, innovative strategies to address her clients’ core challenges and opportunities. Collaborating with individuals who have a variety of personalities and skill...