Practices for Endurance

I worked on my first nonprofit fundraising event 27 years ago. When I started my career, the events were beautiful … but I was a mess. Every production sent me into a storm of physical exhaustion and jangly nerves. After three years of living in this cycle, I had to be honest with myself: if I was serious about this work, I must learn how to do it with grace, and without harming myself in the process.

So I built daily habits to ground myself, and I built boundaries and rhythms into my work to support my rest and wellness. If we are going to endure as workers, the methods of doing the work must strengthen and heal us – not slowly drain us dry.

Now, as I near my 50th birthday, I lead a team of brilliant event producers at Synchronicity Events. We have built a work culture where time is flexible so that events get the attention they need, and so do our personal lives. We work remotely so that zero hours each week are wasted in traffic. We have breaks built in to the annual schedule for winter celebration times, and also a restful “down-shift” for the summer.

But it’s not just my team who needs wellness. Synchronicity’s clients, who work in the nonprofit sector doing absolutely essential work for our communities and our shared future, are also in need of care. This June, as we have for 6 years now, Synchronicity proudly partnered with and helped plan the AFP Advancement Northwest Annual Conference because supporting nonprofit professionals is essential to our mission. The people behind philanthropy deserve care, restoration, and space to reconnect with themselves and one another. 

This year at the conference, Synchronicity hosted a community art installation using natural materials to create a grounding sensory experience. Attendees gathered around a shared table and contributed to an art installation that evolved and grew throughout the day. The tactile, natural materials offered grounding through texture, scent, creativity and ritual, a practice designed to help regulate and reset the nervous system and create a moment of calm in the midst of the busy conference.

Here’s the final look of our art table installation. Photo by: Chase Steiner

With the average job tenure of a nonprofit development professional at less than two years, it’s clear that something is deeply wrong with our system. We can build healthy personal habits, but we cannot “self-care” our way to a better future. It’s past time to develop new structures and norms to make a career in nonprofit development worthy of decades of a worker’s time and energy. I’m incredibly proud that through supporting the sessions at the AFP Advancement Northwest Conference, Synchronicity plays a part in elevating these important conversations.

We’re making rest and rejuvenation a theme for 2026 in another small way. Instead of our usual sassy swag, this year our post-event gift to clients is a care package full of snacks to support a little joy in the downtime after a busy event production! A fun way to support small businesses and send a curated, intentional boost to our hard-working collaborators.

This year we are sending a curated self-care gift box to Synchronicity clients after their events.

As we continue raising the bar for nonprofit fundraising, I hope we also provide care for all the workers in this field. For philanthropy to endure, the people behind it must be able to endure, too.