What We Heard from Our Nonprofit Peers and Why It Led Us to Act

“Some days it feels like I’m juggling too many things with too few hands. I want to grow our programs, but I don’t have the staff, the volunteers, or the time. What I really need is someone else who gets it, someone I can turn to who has been there too.”

This sentiment came up again and again when we asked nonprofit professionals to share their experiences. From program staff to fundraisers, HR leaders to communications professionals, the message was clear: the work is meaningful, but it can also feel isolating, under-resourced, and overwhelming.

At Good For Others, we believe that when peers come together to share openly, they don’t just swap strategies, they build strength. That’s why we took the time to listen carefully to professionals across different roles. What we heard helped us understand why connection and social capital are so vital for the future of our sector.

Programs Professionals

Program leaders told us they are balancing funding shortages, volunteer recruitment struggles, and limited staff capacity. Burnout is a real threat. They want more support in measuring impact and sustaining programs, but they also see how much they can learn from peers who share templates, approaches, and hard-earned lessons.

Human Resource Professionals

HR leaders are managing the weight of staff well-being, equitable workplace practices, and retention. All of this often while wearing multiple hats. They spoke about the challenge of being both a compliance officer and a culture-builder at once. What they want most are tangible tools and trusted peers to lean on, because HR work should not feel like a lonely battle.

Development & Fundraising Professionals

Fundraisers shared their concerns about donor pipelines, limited time, and shifting funding priorities. They’re seeking new ideas for donor stewardship, better systems for tracking and managing relationships, and support in strengthening their storytelling capacity. Underneath every challenge is the reminder that fundraising is, at its core, about relationships.

Marketing & Communications Professionals

Communications staff described the tension of doing everything with too little, including content creation, social media engagement, campaign strategy, and measurement. They’re stretched thin but eager for tools to repurpose content, ways to measure impact, and inspiration to keep creativity alive. Many pointed to the power of partnerships and networks to extend their reach without adding to their already full plates.

Why We Created Together For Good

Across every role, the threads come together into one truth: we can’t do this work alone. The challenges are significant, but so is the collective wisdom in our community. What’s been missing is the space to come together, not just to learn, but to connect, to exchange, and to strengthen one another.

This is why we created Together For Good and our ongoing support of peer spaces for all staff to continuing doing amazing work. To honor the voices of nonprofit professionals. To build circles of trust and support. To lift up the power of social capital, because the networks of relationships and trust we invest in are as critical to nonprofit success as funding or strategy.

Join us at Together For Good on September 10 here or reach out to info@goodforothers.org to learn more about upcoming peer circle events.