When Everything Feels Urgent: A Nonprofit Strategy Guide for Leading Through Fire

Once, I almost burned down my house.

Not metaphorically. Not in some leadership-failure, tough-season, “it felt like a fire” kind of way. A literal, roaring, chimney-rattling, call-the-fire-department fire.

It was winter. I was solo parenting, trying to keep three of our four kids warm and distracted with a basement movie night. I added a log to the wood stove — a big one. Big enough that it nearly kissed the top of the firebox. And before too long, I heard it: the whooshing, unmistakable sound of fire rushing up the chimney like a freight train.

Spoiler alert: We got out, thanks to my No. 2 son’s alert brain and risk-averse wiring. A fire extinguisher bought us time. The firefighters arrived. We learned we hadn’t had a flue fire, but we came dangerously close.

What I didn’t know that night — but have since seen play out over and over again — is how much that moment mirrors what nonprofit leaders are navigating in 2025.

Your House Isn’t on Fire. But It Feels Like It.

Right now, I’m talking with executive directors, development leads, and program chiefs across the country who feel overwhelmed. Economic uncertainty. Policy volatility. Staff turnover. Grants drying up. Tech disruption. Board pressure. It's a full-blown inferno of complexity.

In moments like these, cheerful pep talks fall flat. What nonprofit leaders need instead is a strategy for holding the line — for building resilient nonprofit business development models that allow them to withstand the chaos without losing sight of their purpose.

You don’t need empty optimism. You need a fire plan.

1. Not Every Fire Is Yours to Fight

Here’s the first insight: Not everything that looks urgent actually is.

Yes, headlines are screaming. Deadlines are looming. But many of the fires that trigger our leadership anxiety are designed to provoke, not inform. Our nervous systems, especially in this era of nonstop notifications, are conditioned to respond to drama. But leadership — true nonprofit thought leadership — demands that we get curious before we react.

Ask yourself:

• What am I really feeling right now?

• What is this fear trying to tell me?

• What’s within my control?

I’ve learned to pause and ask: What do I need right now? Sometimes the answer is a walk. Or a nap. Or stepping away from the news cycle. Emotional clarity fuels better decision-making — and that’s the difference between reacting and leading.

2. Real Fires Require Real Community

When that chimney fire broke out, I hesitated. I waffled. I didn’t want to overreact.

It wasn’t until my son Titus — bless him — urged me to make the call that I dialed 911. And later, when the firefighters handed my daughter a teddy bear and told us we were safe, I felt the deep relief that only comes from being helped.

This is your second leadership insight: When it really is a fire, you need people.

Too often, nonprofit leaders try to go it alone. We suffer in silence. We don’t want to burden our teams. But resilient leadership isn’t about going it solo — it’s about finding others who are walking through the same blaze and choosing to face it together.

Build a circle of leaders you trust — people inside and outside your sector who are navigating similar challenges. Share what’s really going on. Trade insights. Be human together.

One young farmer I interviewed told me he relies on a dual-support network: peers from across the country who are in the same season of business, and older mentors from his hometown who’ve always had his back. That’s a model worth copying.

3. Your Deadlines Might Be Fueling the Fire

There’s one more piece to this puzzle. And it comes from a concept I recently revisited in the book 10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy.

Sullivan suggests that the problem with ambitious people isn’t the size of their goals — it’s the deadlines we attach to them. We assign arbitrary timelines to complex, long-range dreams. And then we beat ourselves up when those timelines pass without perfection.

Sound familiar?

In my work with executive clients, I often see this play out in development calendars, strategic plans, and impact reports. The intention is good. The pressure is real. But the result can be a cycle of disappointment that erodes momentum.

Here’s the shift: Keep the goal. Loosen the timeline. Give yourself space to breathe, adapt, and lead in real time.

You Can Lead in the Fire

You’re not failing because things are hard. You’re leading in spite of the difficulty. That’s nonprofit thought leadership — the ability to inspire others even while the ground beneath you shifts.

So the next time everything feels like it’s going up in smoke, remember this:

• Not every fire is yours to fight.

• Real fires need community, not isolation.

• Goals matter — but rigid timelines don’t.

You are building something beautiful in the ashes. And that work matters.

Next Steps: Bring Your Nonprofit Strategy to Life

Curious about how to bring resilient nonprofit business development into your organization? Here are a few ways I can help:

• Visit silvermaplestrategies.com to explore new articles, tools, and insights for mission-driven leaders navigating change.

• Book a free strategy call to explore how I support nonprofit teams with communications, fundraising, and AI integration.

• Order my book 7 Secrets of Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators for actionable ideas you can use immediately.

Whatever fire you’re facing, you don’t have to face it alone.