Internal Competition over Fundraising “Attribution” is Undermining Our Impact: Time for A Culture Shift
If you’ve ever worked inside a large nonprofit, you know the feeling.
A campaign does well, an event is a success, or a major gift comes in—and instead of celebrating together, the first conversation is: Who gets the credit?
Was it the events team? Major gifts? Annual giving? Marketing?
This isn’t just an awkward moment—it’s a pattern. One that wastes time, breeds tension, and chips away at morale.
And I’ve seen it up close. My career began in events, where staff are often treated as junior or “temporary.” We’re the ones in the thick of the organized chaos and making it happen—hosting participants, engaging volunteers, creating moments that connect people to the mission. But when the night is over, recognition and strategy are quickly pulled back into silos.
This isn’t just about credit. It’s about culture.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: More Than Just Dollars
Peer-to-peer fundraising is often seen as the flashy cousin of annual campaigns—good for a social media boost or a one-off revenue hit. But it’s so much more than that.
It’s an entry point. A storytelling platform. A chance to engage people in deeply personal ways.
The community members who fundraise for your event already believe in your work. They’re telling their friends and family why your cause matters. That’s powerful.
I worked with one family who lost a loved one to cancer and decided to host a memorial fundraiser. What began as a small gathering has since become a six-figure annual event. That kind of growth wasn’t by chance. It happened because the family felt supported—because they could rely on someone walking alongside them, helping them navigate how to give back and create a legacy. When we nurture people in their “why,” we don’t just raise money—we build enduring community leadership.
But when we don’t steward participants well, or fail to connect them to the wider organization, we waste that potential.
Silos Are Costing Us
Here’s what I’ve seen:
- Events, campaigns, and major gifts teams competing for attribution
- Internal debates over which budget line should “own” the revenue
- Burnout from staff who don’t feel respected or supported
- Lost opportunities to deepen relationships because we’re too busy protecting our turf
I’ll never forget sitting in a meeting just days after one of our signature events. A $20,000 donation had been pledged during the “raise your paddle” moment, and the conversation should have been about how powerful the evening was, or how we could thank the community member whose story moved the room. Instead, the team argued for an hour about whose pipeline the donor “belonged” to. No one acknowledged the storytellers, the staff who built the program, or the hours of planning that made that moment possible. It was deflating—and a stark reminder of how quickly impact can get reduced to ownership battles.
And yes, I get it—KPIs matter. Budgets and goals are real. But so are the consequences of internal division.
Why This Culture Shift is Hard—but Necessary
The silo effect isn’t usually intentional—it’s baked into the way we structure and measure fundraising.
- Departmental KPIs that reward isolation
- Resource scarcity (“If you get credit, I don’t”)
- Hierarchies that value certain types of work over others
- Pressure from boards and execs to show quick, individual wins
But here’s the truth: our community doesn’t experience us in silos. They see one mission, one cause. And if we want to grow, retain, and respect the people who make up our community—participants, volunteers, donors, staff—we have to start inward.
Six Ways to Shift the Culture (and Make It Stick)
1. Create Shared Goals Across Teams
At one event I worked on, filling the room felt like success to our team, while development measured only dollars raised. Both were true, but they didn’t add up to shared success. When each department defines success differently, collaboration breaks down. Aligning goals allows everyone to see events not just as outputs, but as opportunities to welcome new supporters and strengthen long-term relationships.
🛠 Try This:
- Introduce shared goals tied to engagement or collective impact
- Align appreciation practices across departments (e.g. shared thank-you timelines)
- Track cross-team collaboration as part of performance
2. Build Cross-Departmental Community Journeys
I’ve seen peer-to-peer fundraisers cheered on by the events team but overlooked by the rest of the development team, because their efforts weren’t tracked. The result? Missed recognition and a fractured experience for someone who raised thousands through their network. Mapping journeys together prevents this kind of disconnect and ensures every supporter feels valued beyond a single touchpoint.
🛠 Try This:
- Host a “community journey mapping” session with all teams present
- Identify key handoff moments—who reaches out next, when, and why
- Make transitions feel relational, not transactional
3. Redefine What ‘Credit’ Looks Like
After one event, a $20,000 gift sparked arguments over whose pipeline it “belonged” to instead of gratitude for the story that inspired it. Those battles erase the contributions of storytellers, organizers, and staff who created the moment. Shifting from attribution to collaboration ensures wins are shared and morale stays intact.
🛠 Try This:
- Co-own wins when more than one department is involved
- Shift the language from “who gets the gift?” to “how did our community make this possible?”
- Celebrate process wins—not just financial outcomes
4. Learn Together, Not Apart
I once watched my colleague be offered professional development simply because her title included “senior,” while I was left out of the same training despite doing similar work. That exclusion was discouraging and reinforced hierarchy. When learning opportunities are shared, staff see each other’s challenges more clearly and collaboration grows.
🛠 Try This:
- Offer joint training on stewardship, equity in fundraising, or campaign planning
- Invite peers into each other’s team huddles once per quarter
- Rotate presentation responsibilities at all-staff meetings
5. Respect Events as Strategic Work
Events aren’t just logistics—they’re spaces of belonging and catalysts for connection. I love hearing people’s why at community events. Their stories and relationships are often first captured by frontline staff, but if those insights aren’t valued, they’re lost. Treating events as strategic ensures we capture and act on those connections.
🛠 Try This:
- Have leadership and gift officers attend events to connect with community members
- Debrief post-event with a cross-functional team
- Track and share stories, connections, and partnerships sparked by events
6. Model Culture Change from the Top
Culture change only sticks when leadership sets the tone. I’ve seen resentment grow where only “big gifts” were celebrated. I’ve also seen trust deepen when leaders invited all staff to share deliverables on a shared calendar, making interdependence visible. Leadership that models transparency and gratitude creates conditions where collaboration thrives.
🛠 Try This:
- Encourage your ED/CEO to recognize cross-team wins publicly
- Model gratitude for all types of contributions
- Tell internal stories about how teams supported each other
What’s Possible When We Work Together
Imagine a nonprofit where:
- Peer-to-peer fundraisers are intentionally welcomed into the broader community, not left on the sidelines
- Success is shared across departments—not hoarded
- Staff are trained and celebrated together, not in silos
- Events are recognized as strategic spaces for connection, not just logistics
When that happens, a few things shift:
- Community members feel more connected—not confused by competing messages
- Staff stay longer, because they feel respected and heard
- New ideas emerge, because teams aren’t siloed off from each other
- Collective impact grows—because we’re finally rowing in the same direction
- That kind of change requires more than logistics—it requires a culture check. Let’s stop the internal competition. Let’s start building a culture of connection—inside and out.
Final Thought
Internal competition might be the “norm” in our sector—but it doesn’t have to be.The work is too important to waste energy fighting over attribution.
When we build cultures that celebrate collective wins, we:
- Honour the community members who give their time, stories, and networks
- Retain talented staff who feel seen and respected
- Strengthen trust with donors, volunteers, and participants who experience one seamless mission—not a fractured organization
This is about more than smoothing over internal politics. It’s about aligning our internal culture with the values we preach externally: collaboration, equity, and shared purpose.
So I’ll leave you with this:
How have you seen silos show up in your work? What would a more collaborative culture look like in your organization—and what role could you play in creating it?
Have you joined the Nonprofit Hive? If not, you are missing out! Join today 🐝
Nicole Jamrozinski
Founder & CEO, Ember 2 Action | Director of Community & Partnerships, The Nonprofit Hive
Nicole is a passionate community builder, fundraiser, and event strategist with nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. With a background in event strategy, engagement, sponsorship, and project management, she specializes in creating experiences that bring people together with purpose. Whether orchestrating large-scale fundraising events, developing peer-to-peer campaigns, or strengthening nonprofit partnerships, she thrives in spaces where connection and action intersect.
As the Founder & CEO of Ember 2 Action, she helps organizations craft impactful engagement strategies, and as the Director of Community & Partnerships at The Nonprofit Hive, she works to foster collaboration among nonprofit professionals.
Nicole’s lived experience as a mother of toddler twins has deepened her understanding of how narratives and data shape decision-making—both in personal life and in the nonprofit world. She is committed to amplifying diverse voices, challenging assumptions, and ensuring that the communities most affected by decisions are at the center of conversations that impact them.