Strength For The Descent
After summiting Mount Rainier in the summer of 2019, Julie and I prepared for the descent along with our climbing partners, Jon and Sylvia. From experience, I knew the real challenge was not behind us but still ahead - the descent. And it didn’t take long for danger to show its sly face.
I was using an older pair of crampons borrowed from one of Julie’s friends at REI. They had worked fine on the ascent, but as we began heading down, I quickly noticed a problem: the crampons were packing with snow - a nuisance climbers call “balling”. It was like trying to walk downhill with snowballs stuck to the bottom of my boots. At best, it meant constant interruptions, knocking my boots with the ice axe to shake the snow loose. At worst, it could send me skidding uncontrollably down the glacier.
About 30 minutes into our descent, I took a step without first knocking the snow from my crampons. They failed to bite, and in an instant I was sliding down the glacier on my back.Two terrifying seconds later, my rope snapped taut and stopped my fall. I craned my neck upward and saw Julie and Sylvia had dropped flat in the snow, axes and crampons dug in, holding me fast from going clear off the glacier.
My first thought was simple: thank God we practiced self-arrest drills at basecamp the day before.
The Descent Is Where It Counts
Summits are exhilarating. But ask any climber, and they’ll tell you: most accidents happen on the descent. Fatigue sets in, the adrenaline fades, and focus drifts. Yet the mountain demands just as much attention going down as it does going up.
Fundraising works the same way. December 31 feels like the summit, but January - the descent - matters just as much. Gratitude, reporting, and opening future conversations often determine whether this year’s summit becomes the foundation for the next climb.
Too many fundraisers burn every ounce of oxygen climbing to December 31 - and then stumble into January exhausted, sending form letters instead of meaningful thank-yous and losing momentum with the very givers they worked so hard to engage. That’s like ignoring faulty crampons or sloppy knots: the problem might not show right away, but the slip is coming.
How to Descend Strong
1. Practice Self-Arrest Before You Need It
When I slipped, Julie and Sylvia’s training kicked in - they knew exactly how to anchor. Fundraising has its own form of self-arrest: gratitude. Writing notes, making calls, scheduling thank-you coffees. Build this habit before exhaustion sets in, and it will keep the small slips from turning into major falls.
2. Check Your Gear
Old crampons with balling issues almost cost me dearly. In fundraising, your “gear” is your system. Is your CRM updated? Are pledge schedules accurate? Do you have reliable processes for tracking conversations? Strong systems grip when the terrain turns slick.
3. Rely on the Rope Team
On Rainier, no one climbs alone. The rope makes your companions’ strength your own. In fundraising, your rope team is your colleagues, your board, your connectors. Invite them to share the load - not only for the big asks, but also for the gratitude and follow-up that set up next year’s climb.
4. Leave Energy for the Descent
Climbers always save reserves for the way down. Fundraisers should too. Protect time in January for reflection, prayer, and story-gathering. This isn’t wasted energy - it’s the fuel for your next ascent.
Descending Into 2026 with Strength
Q4 2025 will test your endurance. Q1 2026 will test your wisdom. If you descend well - with gratitude, solid systems, steady teamwork, and protected energy - you won’t just get safely off this mountain; you’ll be ready for the next summit push.
Giving doesn’t end on December 31. The summit is only the halfway point - how you descend will decide how high you climb next year.
Where will you leave margin now to ensure you descend strong - and set yourself up for a successful climb in 2026?
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If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now! Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached". Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue. No need for that...just make the call. 🕺
Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:
* Major Gift Fundraising MRI Scan - A story-based self-assessment that helps you name your instincts, clarify your posture, and grow with intention. Takes less than 20 minutes and gives you a custom coaching summary based on your responses.
* JappaFry Writer - A freely available AI tool that draws from over 175 pages of original teaching, storytelling, frameworks, and strategy from my 30 year career in major gift fundraising.
* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.
* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.
* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).
* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party. And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.
Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting. Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that. This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me. That stops now.
Here's the PAID stuff:
* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly. It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising. It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections. Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems. I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.
* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental". The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.
Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum. She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.
I look forward to hearing about your good work!
Blessings,
