At Fundin, we know that fundraisers are the heartbeat of the charitable sector. They power social change with every grant won, every story told and every relationship nurtured. But a powerful new report reminds us that while fundraisers are giving everything, they’re often not getting what they need in return.
“Caring Too Much” by Michelle Reynolds, published by Rogare: The Fundraising Think Tank, is a sobering, deeply human look at the emotional toll of a fundraising career. It puts words to something many of us have felt: fundraising is not just hard work, it’s heart work. And that can come at a cost.
The emotional cost of empathy
Reynolds’ research lays bare a painful truth: many fundraisers are quietly suffering. They’re grappling with burnout, compassion fatigue, and the long-term effects of secondary trauma. Not because they’re not strong enough. But because the sector too often assumes their strength is infinite.
Fundraisers operate in emotionally charged environments. Their work requires deep empathy, not just strategic thinking. They are immersed in the difficult realities behind every campaign: grief, poverty, trauma, loss. And yet, unlike frontline workers, they’re rarely offered the psychological support or structured debriefing those roles demand.
One interviewee, Colin Skehan, shared his own story of mental health crisis while leading high-pressure emergency appeals. “I’m only a fundraiser,” he told his therapist. “I’m not a frontline worker who really deserves help.” That heartbreaking phrase became the title of his story, and a rallying cry for change.
Four pressures driving burnout
Reynolds identifies four key themes from her study of experienced fundraisers:
- Inherent empathy
Fundraisers are naturally empathetic. That empathy helps them connect donors to causes, but it also leaves them vulnerable to emotional exhaustion. - Others before self
Whether it’s their donors, beneficiaries, or colleagues, fundraisers often put everyone else’s needs above their own. Even their organisations’ needs come first. It’s a culture of self-sacrifice that leads straight to burnout. - No room for “no”
The job feels relentless. Participants spoke of feeling immense pressure to keep saying yes, even when they’re already stretched to breaking point. One said simply: “There’s no room for no. People depend on us.” - Idealised yet invisible
Fundraisers feel both held to impossible standards and simultaneously overlooked. They’re seen as superheroes, until they ask for help.
Sound familiar?
Why this matters for all of us
The consequences of burnout aren’t theoretical, they’re playing out in real time. Talented fundraisers are leaving the profession. Others are staying at great personal cost. This should alarm all of us who care about impact, equity, and sustainability in the social sector.
Because without fundraisers, there is no funding.
And without support, there may soon be fewer fundraisers.
What needs to change
The report is clear: we need to embed mental health and emotional wellbeing into the very structure of fundraising teams. That means:
- Normalising mental health conversations. Let’s name secondary trauma. Let’s validate emotional fatigue.
- Providing proactive support. Fundraisers need access to therapy, peer support, and debriefing, not just once they hit a wall.
- Rethinking success. We must stop measuring fundraisers purely by financial outcomes. Their wellbeing matters, too.
- Changing the culture. Boundaries need to be respected. Saying no should be safe. Rest should be standard.
How Fundin is showing up
At Fundin, we work every day with fundraisers who are doing extraordinary things under extraordinary pressure. We’re building tools and support systems to reduce the emotional and cognitive load of grantseeking. But technology isn’t enough. This is about people.
So we’re committed to championing fundraisers not just for what they do, but for who they are. Whole people. With limits. With lives. Deserving of support.
If we want a thriving, resilient, impactful social sector, we must care for those who care for it.
Let this report be a wake-up call. And let’s answer it together.
