Let’s be honest, most fundraisers in nonprofits spend at least 60% of their week in meetings that have nothing to do with their portfolio. Event planning, committee work, campus tours, internal brainstorming sessions fill up your calendar. And while some of that has value, a lot of it pulls us away from the work that actually brings in the gifts.
The best predictor of a strong fundraising year? The number of major gift proposals you’re able to put in front of donors. But that won’t happen if we don’t have time to build relationships, write proposals, and actually make the ask.
So how do you protect your time without burning bridges?
Say No to Low-Yield Work
Not every invitation to join a meeting or help with a project needs a “yes.” If it’s not leading to donor engagement or a gift conversation, it may not be worth your time. But we all know relationships in your organization matter, so how you say no is just as important as that you say no.
Try these strategies:
Lead with appreciation: Acknowledge your colleague’s work and the importance of what they’re trying to do.
Keep it mission-focused: Explain that you’re focused on gift conversations because that’s where you can make the biggest impact.
Offer an alternative: Suggest someone else, a quicker way to contribute, or a follow-up that doesn’t take much time.
Use “not now” instead of “no”: Leave the door open for future collaboration when your calendar allows.
Let leadership take the blame: When needed, loop in your manager to reinforce priorities or explain why you’re pulling back.
Script Examples You Can Use
Script #1: The Respectful Decline
“Thanks for looping me in—I know this event is important to your team. Right now, I’m focused on moving donor proposals forward this quarter, so I’m limiting meetings that aren’t tied to gift work. Could we connect by email or have a colleague from our support team sit in instead?”
Script #2: The Delegation Approach
“Appreciate the invite! Our leadership team is asking us to stay tightly focused on major donor outreach right now, so I won’t be able to join. But I’m happy to share thoughts over email or connect you with someone who can help.”
Other Ways to Guard Your Time
1. Fundraising-First Calendar
Start by blocking time for what matters most: donor visits, proposal writing, and follow-ups. Then fit everything else around that.
Action Step: Review your calendar monthly. What meetings can you skip, cancel, or delegate?
2. Urgent vs. Important
Use this method to sort tasks and minimize distractions. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Urgent + Important → Do now
- Important + Not Urgent → Schedule it Urgent
- Not Important → Delegate or decline
- Neither → Skip entirely
Action Step: Take your to-do list and categorize each item using the framework above—then follow through based on how it’s labeled.
3. The 80/20 Rule
Spend 80% of your time on the 20% of donors who drive results. If 20 out of 100 prospects in your portfolio are the real movers, build your week around them.
Action Step: Reassess your portfolio quarterly. Focus high-touch efforts on your top donors. Move others to digital stewardship or hand off to partners where it makes sense.
Final Thought
Your time is one of the most valuable fundraising assets your organization has. Guard it, protect it, and use it wisely, because you need to make more asks which will lead to successful year.
Forward Fundraisers 