I’ve been having conversations lately with several nonprofit leaders I trust. CEOs, Executive Directors, Development Directors who care deeply about their missions and take their responsibility seriously.
And even though their organizations look different, I keep hearing familiar observations and challenges.
Fundraising is moving. Fundraising is changing. And the question underneath it all is: How does our team change with it?
On paper, things look fine. Events still come together. Appeals still go out. Teams are showing up and working hard. From the outside, things look steady. But underneath that steadiness is a shared feeling that growth has slowed and momentum feels harder to generate.
When we talk it through, what usually emerges is this: The strategies that built success in the past are still functioning. They’re just not producing the same results.
That’s not failure. That’s a plateau. And a plateau is a leadership moment.
Plateau Is Where Leadership Matters Most
When organizations hit a plateau, it’s tempting to ask, What’s wrong with our fundraising?
A growth mindset asks a more useful question: What is this moment asking of us as leaders?
Leadership is everything in fundraising. Results don’t stall because teams stop working hard. They stall when strategy, story, and leadership stop evolving at the same pace as the world around them.
This shows up clearly in donor relationships.
A volunteer at an organization I was working with recently said something that stayed with me. “I still believe in this work,” she said. “I’m just not sure why it matters right now.”
That sentence captures what many donors are experiencing.
They still care. But attention is harder to earn and easier to lose. Without a compelling, current reason to stay connected, even strong relationships can grow quiet.
When leaders see this happening, the most common response is to add activity. Another appeal. Another event. Another tactic layered onto an already full calendar.
That instinct is understandable. But it reflects a fixed mindset. It assumes the solution is doing more of what already exists.
A growth mindset challenges the status quo. It pauses long enough to ask whether the strategy and story still fit the moment we’re in.
Storytelling Is a Leadership Discipline
Organizations that move beyond plateau treat storytelling as a leadership responsibility, not a marketing task.
Their case for support isn’t static. It’s a living expression of purpose. Leaders keep learning by listening to donors. They steward relationships by staying relevant and clear. And they keep sharing impact in ways that connect today’s realities to tomorrow’s possibilities.
This is where growth mindset becomes operational.
When leaders are willing to revisit assumptions, refine language, and align strategy with what donors are truly responding to, confidence grows across the organization. Teams engage more fully. Donors lean in with greater trust and generosity.
Three Ways Leaders Apply a Growth Mindset to Fundraising
Leaders who refuse to settle at a plateau tend to do three things consistently:
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They lead with learning before action.
Instead of immediately adding new tactics, they ask what donor behavior, feedback, and results are teaching them. Curiosity comes before activity.
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They challenge what’s familiar.
They question long-held assumptions about messaging, engagement, and strategy. Not because the old way was wrong, but because growth requires evolution.
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They steward the story as carefully as the strategy.
They recognize that clarity creates confidence. When the story is clear, teams lead more effectively and donors understand their role as partners in the mission.
Don’t Settle for Plateau
At DBD Group, we partner with leaders who are willing to keep learning, challenge the status quo, and steward their stories with intention.
If your fundraising isn’t broken but it isn’t keeping pace with your goals, the answer is rarely another tactic. More often, it’s a leadership decision to evolve the story, sharpen the strategy, and refuse to settle for results that no longer reflect what’s possible.
A plateau isn’t the problem. Settling is. And strong growth mindset leadership moves organizations forward.
