As we wrap up 2025, it feels like the perfect moment to pause and reflect.
This year stretched every leader I know from staff transitions, funding dips, and the nonstop pace of change
So before we sprint into 2026 planning mode, let’s take a breath and look back at what actually worked.
I asked four incredible nonprofit leaders one simple question:
“What’s your #1 best strategy to build trust and morale during times of disruption?”
Their answers? Honest. Practical. Grounded.
They also cost nothing to implement but the payout is enormous.
You’ve heard the saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Well… one of my clients proved it.
By focusing on building a high-trust culture, they didn’t just meet their $20M fundraising goal…they hit it two months early.
That’s the power of trust in motion.
Strategies on Building Trust in Times of Disruption
First up is Rachel, an Executive Director who’s navigating team growth, change, and a capital campaign.
She shared two powerful strategies:
Model the behavior and expectations you want your staff to follow. She told me,“If you want your staff to take time off, you have to take time off. If you expect them to unplug, you have to unplug too. You can’t tell people one thing and do another — it just won’t work.”
She’s right. Culture is caught, not taught. If you say you value work-life balance but you’re emailing at midnight, your team learns the opposite. If you must work at midnight, schedule your message to go out during business hours.
Follow up because listening alone isn’t enough. Rachel said, “Anyone can listen but not everyone follows up. You don’t have to implement every suggestion but close the loop. Say to your team member, ‘I thought about your idea, and here’s what we can do.’”
The magic is always in the follow-up. After every conversation, ask yourself: Did I close the loop? Do they know their opinion mattered?
Next is Krista, an inspiring leader in the arts world, who guided her team through big changes with empathy and steadiness.
Her #1 trust-building strategy? Prioritize individual time with staff. She schedules her one-on-ones and fights the urge to reschedule because people need to feel seen especially during uncertainty.
She also makes a point to explain why decisions are being made. Because people react to change differently.
Some thrive and others panic. Clear communication is the bridge that keeps everyone moving together.
Krista also reminds leaders to give themselves grace. You can’t be 100% all the time — and that’s okay.
And her secret to surviving hard days? Humor and chocolate. Always chocolate.
Then there’s Chris, a college advancement leader and former client, who believes trust and morale rise or fall based on one thing: psychological safety.
His advice is especially relevant during transition periods. He shared five leadership moves:
- Establish open communication. Keep your team informed about what’s happening and how it may impact them.
- Address concerns directly. Don’t ignore the hard stuff.
- Create an environment of psychological safety. Bring people into the process even when you don’t have all the answers.
- Encourage your team to be flexible in the transition and to trust in their instincts.
- Bring a positive mindset every day, because your leadership energy sets the tone.
Chris is humility in action. He reminds us to tell our teams, “I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure it out together.”
And that’s how trust grows…not from perfection, but from safety.
Now I am going to piggyback on Chris’ advice to create an environment of psychological safety, since this is foundational to the work I do with clients in my 5-month Signature program called Culture CARES Accelerator.
CARES is the proven framework I teach and help leaders implement to build a culture by design, not default.
Defining psychological safety in nonprofit organizations – what it is and what it isn’t.
“The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.”
Source: Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor
Why It Matters (Backed by Data)
- 76% of employees with high psychological safety report higher engagement & performance. (Gallup 2023)
- Teams with high psych safety are 50% more productive and more innovative. (Google Project Aristotle)
- Organizations with strong psych safety see 27% lower turnover. (SHRM 2022)
- And in one of my Culture CARES® client engagements, the advancement division of a college increased psychological safety by 94%, which dramatically improved communication and morale — and they hit their $20M fundraising goal two months early.
Chris knows that psychological safety isn’t soft, it’s strategic.
What Psychological Safety Isn’t
Before we go further, let’s clear up a common misconception:
Psychological safety is not about being nice, avoiding tension, or lowering standards.
In fact:
- It’s not consensus.
Your team doesn’t have to agree with every decision. Psychological safety means they can question, debate, and offer perspective without fear, and then align behind the final decision. - It’s not being “soft” or overly accommodating.
It doesn’t mean sugarcoating hard messages or pretending everything is fine. Healthy disagreement is welcome. Accountability still matters. - It’s not lowering standards.
High-performing teams are psychologically safe because people are willing to admit mistakes, ask for help early, push for better solutions, and take smart risks.
Safety is what protects high standards — it doesn’t replace them.
Think of it this way: Psychological safety is not about comfort, it’s about candor without fear.
It’s what allows people to tell the truth, challenge assumptions, and bring their best thinking forward.
And finally, last by definitely not least, we have Sara, a client and patient advocacy leader I admire so much. Less than a year into a new CEO role, she successfully built a thriving culture rooted in collaboration and belonging.
Her go-to strategy is simple and powerful: Transparency + Togetherness.
She told me, “I believe in addressing things directly and valuing all perspectives. Everyone on our team is a thought partner. And we prioritize being together, because that’s how relationships are built.”
We all know that trust doesn’t grow over email. It grows in shared spaces – including virtual spaces: real conversations, brainstorming, laughter, and even the hard moments when we work through differences with care.
When people feel seen and heard, they’ll follow you through any storm. And walks the walk. I know this, because her entire staff highly respects her and rallies around her.
To recap, here are the trust moves that 4 of the most successful leaders I personally know swear by:
- Rachel: Model the behaviors you want to see, and follow up.
- Krista: Prioritize 1:1 time with staff and give yourself grace.
- Chris: Foster safety, transparency, and optimism.
- Sara: Build trust through togetherness and valuing every voice.
Different leaders. Same big heart. Trust isn’t built through grand gestures. It’s built through consistent, human micro-moments.
Here’s your Spark Plug Shift for this week:
Pick one trust-building habit and make it visible.
Maybe it’s blocking your vacation on the public calendar.
Maybe it’s sending a thoughtful follow-up after a tough conversation.
Maybe it’s simply walking into your next meeting with calm confidence and saying,
“I don’t have all the answers, so let’s figure this out together.”
Leadership isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about creating the conditions for your team to thrive, even in disruptive times.
That’s how you spark trust.
That’s how you build morale.
And that’s how you lead with courage.
Oh yeah…and one last thing…remember to bring chocolate!
Thanks for listening to Nonprofit CEO SPARK. If you like this episode, you’ll love the free guide I created for you called 4 Strategies for Nonprofit CEOs & Executive Directors Reduce Burnout, Unify Your Team & Build a Culture That Lasts.
Grab your copy today at CultureCARES.com/guide.
Until next week, keep leading with heart, humor, and a whole lot of grace.