{"id":37129,"date":"2025-11-18T15:31:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.donorperfect.com\/nonprofit-technology-blog\/?p=37129"},"modified":"2025-11-19T11:29:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:29:39","slug":"mallory-erickson-removing-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.donorperfect.com\/nonprofit-technology-blog\/fundraising-software\/mallory-erickson-removing-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Clarity, Not More Hustle, Is the Secret to Year-End Fundraising Results"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Contributed by Mallory Erickson<\/a>, nonprofit speaker, author, podcast host, and creator of Practivated<\/a>, the practice space for fundraisers<\/em><\/p>\n

Have you ever sat down at your desk during year-end fundraising season and thought: \u201cI should know what to do\u2026 so why does everything feel so unclear?<\/em>\u201d If so, you\u2019re not alone\u2014and more importantly, there\u2019s nothing wrong with you.<\/p>\n

That mental clutter? That freeze before making an ask? That shame spiral after a donor doesn\u2019t respond? It\u2019s not a sign that you\u2019re a bad fundraiser. It\u2019s a sign that you\u2019re human. And that you\u2019re navigating one of the most emotionally complex roles in the nonprofit sector.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s discuss why fundraisers tend to freeze up during the year-end season and how to remove your internal barriers to success.<\/p>\n

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Why fundraisers freeze<\/h2>\n

When I ask fundraisers to imagine being pulled on stage with 10 seconds\u2019 notice to pitch their mission, most say they would panic. Not because they don\u2019t know<\/em> their organization, but because their nervous system gets hijacked by fear.<\/p>\n

That fear response is actually your brain doing its job. The amygdala (your brain\u2019s threat detector) can\u2019t tell the difference between being chased by a bear in the woods or making an ask to your biggest donor.<\/p>\n

When activated, it shuts down your ability to connect, be creative, and show up in alignment\u2014all critical to effective fundraising. And chronic stress keeps you stuck in this pattern, leading to burnout, disconnection, and a scattered to-do list you can never quite tackle.<\/p>\n

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You already know what to do. Let\u2019s clear the path so you can do it!<\/p>\n

DonorPerfect experts created Finish Line Fundraising: The Year-End Playbook<\/strong> to help nonprofit executives and development directors delegate tasks, cross off to-do lists, and lead their team across the finish line with confidence.<\/p>\n

Download your free guide today >><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Removing the real barriers<\/h2>\n

Most fundraisers think the problem is strategy. But what I\u2019ve seen after coaching more than 80,000 fundraisers and analyzing donor meetings inside my AI simulation platform<\/a>, Practivated, is this: many of the biggest barriers to fundraising success are internal.<\/p>\n

These internal blocks show up in a few primary thought patterns that I call the GAILs\u2014gremlins, assumptions, limiting beliefs, and interpretations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The GAILs form an invisible barrier that holds us back from the bold, aligned action we already know how to take:<\/p>\n