The Brave and Balanced Fundraiser
The Brave and Balanced Fundraiser is the podcast I wish had existed during my 15 years in fundraising. It’s a love offering to the people behind the mission—the professional fundraisers who give their hearts and energy every day to make the world better.
This show isn’t about strategy, metrics, or money. It’s about you—the human being doing the work. Each episode offers real tools and soulful conversations to help you regulate your nervous system, reconnect with your purpose, and renew your energy so you can lead with clarity, compassion, and courage.
If you’ve ever felt stretched thin, overworked, or caught in the constant pressure to perform, this podcast is your invitation to return home to yourself. Join me to learn how to cultivate balance, resilience, and authentic impact—from the inside out.
Full Episode Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/fkFZpmNYF3v
Episodes
31 episodes
Your Nervous System IS the Fundraising Strategy, with Dr. Pollyanna Chavez
The “state” shift that turns scarcity into abundance… fastIn this episode, Erin sits down with Dr. Pollyanna Chavez, hypnotherapist and NLP trainer, to explore why your state might be your most powerful fundraising tool. ...
The Thoughts You Keep Thinking About Money
And Why They Keep Becoming Your RealityWhat if the thoughts you repeat most often about money are quietly shaping your entire life?In this episode of The Brave & Balanced Fundraiser, Erin McQuade-Wright explore...
The Myth of the Selfless Servant
Why Overresponsibility Eventually Turns Into ResentmentWhat if the very thing that makes you “good” at fundraising is also quietly exhausting you?In this episode of The Brave & Balanced Fundraiser, Erin McQuade-Wright e...
Why Nice Fundraisers Become Bitter
How resentment quietly builds when you abandon yourself for the missionHave you ever noticed how some people in fundraising start out hopeful, warm, and deeply connected to the mission… and a few years later they’re cynical, exhau...
You’re Not Stuck—You’ve Hit Your Money Ceiling
The invisible limit that’s controlling how much money you raise.Have you ever had a stretch in your fundraising where things feel easy—momentum is building, conversations are flowing—and then suddenly, it’s like you hit a wall?
When Fundraising Becomes Your Identity, with Mallory Erickson
Why Stress, Comparison, and “Not Enough” Are Driving More Than You ThinkIn this conversation, Erin McQuade-Wright sits down with fundraising coach and What the Fundraising host Mallory Erickson to explore the inner dyna...
You’re Walking Past Money Every Day (Here’s Why)
The hidden filter that’s keeping you from seeing opportunity right in front of youIf you’re not raising the money you want, what if the issue isn’t effort—but awareness?In this episode, Erin McQuade-Wright explores a powerf...
Why You Feel Stuck (and the Simple Shift That Gets You Moving Today)
The hidden reason you’re avoiding action—and how to move anywayIf you’ve ever tried to push yourself out of feeling stuck—only to end up overthinking, procrastinating, or avoiding the very thing you know you need to do—this episod...
Why Asking for Money Feels So Personal
The Psychology Behind Fundraising Discomfort — And What to Do About ItWhy does asking for money feel so… personal?In this episode, Erin explores the moment many fundraisers recognize: when a professional ask suddenly feels ...
Why Fundraisers Feel Responsible for the Money
The Hidden Pressure Behind Nonprofit Revenue GoalsIf you work in fundraising, you may know the quiet pressure that lives in the background of the job: the feeling that if the money doesn’t come in, something bad might happen. Prog...
Mission Over Burnout with Mary Beth Alvarez
What Fundraisers, Donors, and Doctors Can Teach Us About Sustainability, Mental Health, and the Long GameIn this episode of The Brave and Balanced Fundraiser, Erin is joined by Mary Beth Alvarez, a dual-boarded int...
Hold Your Own Energy: A Somatic Reset for Fundraising Events
A Nervous System Approach to Donor Events, Fundraising Anxiety, and Executive PresenceHave you ever left a fundraising gala feeling outwardly successful but internally depleted?Fundraising events are high-stimulation enviro...
The Enneagram in Fundraising: Your Superpower and Your Growth Edge
How Your Enneagram Type Shapes Donor Relationships, Major Gifts, and Sustainable Fundraising SuccessHave you ever wondered why certain parts of fundraising feel effortless — while others drain you?In this episode of The...
Fundraising Resilience: What Are You Making It Mean?
How donor “no’s,” board scrutiny, and grant rejections shape your nervous system—and how to build real resilience from the inside out.Fundraising is a profession built on exposure to rejection. Donors decline. Boards stress-test y...
Reactive Boss, Constant Pivoting: How Fundraisers Handle Workplace Whiplash Without Burning Out
How to stop managing everyone else’s anxiety and protect your clarity, confidence, and fundraising results.If your workplace feels like emotional whiplash—full speed ahead on a campaign one day, questioning the entire strategy the...
Fundraising From Abundance with Beth Ann Locke
Practical major gift strategies to reduce fundraising anxiety, build trust, and stop operating from pressure—with insights from a 30-year fundraising veteran.Major gifts aren’t just strategy—they’re state. In this episode of T...
Is Your Fundraising Working, or Just Wearing You Out?
How to Measure Fundraising Success Beyond Dollars RaisedWhat does it really mean for fundraising to be “working”?Most fundraisers are trained to answer that question by looking at external metrics: dollars raised, donor ret...
A Guided Meditation to Release Fundraising Anxiety
A calming, somatic reset to help you regulate, soften, and return to yourself.This gentle guided meditation is your nervous-system reset—a place to soften the pressure, reconnect with yourself, and release the anxious momentum tha...
Before You Quit Your Fundraising Job: Power, Control, and Choice
A guided inquiry for nonprofit fundraisers navigating burnout, job stress, and career decisions.The average fundraiser stays in their role for just 16 to 24 months — a statistic that points to burnout, pressure, and chronic...
Scarcity vs. Abundance in Fundraising: How Your Nervous System Impacts Donor Giving
Why the “Come-From” Energy of Fundraising Shapes Donor Relationships, Confidence, and ResultsFundraising isn’t just about strategy — it’s about the state you’re in when you ask.In this episode, Erin explores how
Money, the Nervous System, and the Fundraiser’s Body with Claire Messett
How Money Psychology Shapes Fundraising Conversations, and What You Can Do About ItEpisode Summary Money is part of a fundraiser’s daily work—but few fundraisers are ever taught how money impacts the nervous system.In t...
Rooted and Ready: A Short Somatic Reset for Fundraisers
Reset your body, breath, and energy so you can fundraise from ease—not urgency.Today I’m sharing a short somatic grounding practice I use with my coaching clients — a crystal singing bowl and a simple mantra designed to help your ...
When Anxiety Drives the Bus: How Fundraisers Lose Their Power — and How to Get It Back
Understanding your body’s stress response so you can fundraise from clarity instead of panic.Anxiety shows up loudly in fundraising… tight chest, clenched gut, racing thoughts, shrinking creativity. In this episode, Erin shares a ...
Transcend Fundraising Guilt Like a Rockstar
Trading guilt for curiosity so you can fundraise with more ease, energy, and self-trust.That nagging voice that says you should be doing more? Most fundraisers know it well. In this episode, Erin unpacks fundraising guilt...
Pouring Out & Filling Back Up: A Fundraiser’s Guide to Renewal with Melody Wells
How a major gifts fundraiser prevents burnout by planning emotional refills on purpose.Fundraising asks a lot of your brain, your heart, and your nervous system. In this conversation, Erin sits down with major gifts fundraiser ...