Top Ten

This week, we wrapped Season 8 of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast. Because 2025 was quite the year for those of us working in the nonprofit, grants, and fundraising spaces, we decided to dedicate this season’s Top 10 episode to ways that Kimberly and I rolled with the punches. From helpful news sources to offloading unnecessary tasks, our solutions ran the gamut. Check out the full episode HERE.

In that vein, I wanted to share the things that kept me going this year.

The Success of My Fellow Grant Professionals

If you’re a member of the Fundraising HayDay Community on Facebook, you know that we celebrate all our wins each Friday. It’s been such a joy to hear about grant victories, downtime with friends and family, anniversary celebrations, travel plans, and more. I delight in the joy of others. Not a member? Join us HERE.

Level-Headed Colleagues

It’s easy to get so caught up in the drama of things, from Executive Orders to government shutdowns, but if we’re always caught in the cycle of reacting to things, we never get anything accomplished. I appreciate having a handful of fellow grant professionals who have the ability to talk me off the ledge, remind me what’s really important, and focus me in the direction of doing good. (And doing good is so much better than the spiral of anger.)

Good Music

Since I was a little kid doing homework, I’ve always worked with music in the background. It’s the noise I can drown out, while it drowns out all the other noise. And there is nothing like a good playlist to set the tone of my day. Nothing brings me more joy than discovering a new artist, or having a favorite drop their new album. Well – going to see them live is the epitome of my music obsession. It’s been such a treat for me to come up with a themed playlist each month for the Fundraising HayDay Patreon subscribers. (At $5/month you can beebop along to my latest playlist, and get the podcast episodes before everyone else, HERE.)

Setting Boundaries

When you work from home, it’s easy to blur the lines of the workday and downtime. I used to drag my laptop to the living room and tackle things while trying to be present with my family after dinner. That just meant I wasn’t doing anything well. This year, I decided I needed a clear distinction between working hours and off time. The laptop stays in my office, and when I’m done for the day, I turn off the lights and close the door. Does that mean I never work after dinner? No, because deadlines don’t keep. But when I focus on one thing, I find that I need less hours to work. And that’s a win for my whole family.

Taking Vacations/Time Away (and not checking in, like at all)

I’ve always taken time away from work, but as a consultant it can feel like you need to be available to your clients. This year, I decided that was my own unrealistic expectation. Instead, I gave clients a heads up when I planned to be out of town. I turned on my out of office, and I didn’t check my email. Guess what – clients were fine and I returned much more relaxed. Did it sometimes take me 2-3 days to make it through emails and other work? Sure did. But it was totally worth it!

And What About You?

How did you survive the year that was 2025? I’d love to hear all about it. Email us at hello@haydayservices.com.