The Part They Don’t Tell You About: Resilience for work that doesn’t slow down. Less grit. More support.

Nonprofit work doesn’t slow down. Even when things are going well, it can still feel heavy.

Teams push. Leaders compensate. Smart, committed people carry more than they should because the work matters and someone has to do it.

In the first 501C Drop of 2026, BetterUnite CEO and co-founder Leya Simmons sat down with Erin Peshoff of Vivia Studios to talk about the part of resilience we rarely name out loud. Not grit. Not pushing harder.

Support. Systems. Sustainable design.

Because resilience isn’t about enduring indefinitely. It’s about building work that doesn’t require constant endurance.

Why “Grit” Isn’t Enough Anymore

In nonprofits, resilience is often framed as pushing through. Doing whatever it takes. Carrying the load quietly.

Erin challenged that definition.

Grit-only resilience asks people to compensate for missing systems. It rewards overextension and treats exhaustion as commitment. Over time, that approach doesn’t build strength. It erodes it.

True resilience isn’t about absorbing endless stress. It’s about designing work so the pressure doesn’t fall on individuals by default.

If your organization only functions because certain people are constantly compensating, that’s not resilience. That’s fragility hiding in plain sight.

When Effort Is Covering for Missing Systems

One of the clearest signals Erin shared was this: smart people repeating the same work over and over.

Recreating reports.

Rebuilding decks.

Chasing down information that lives in someone’s head.

Fixing the same problems because nothing is documented.

When progress depends on who happens to be in the room or who hasn’t burned out yet, effort is compensating for structure.

Other warning signs include:

• • Information trapped in individuals instead of systems

  • Meetings without agendas, outcomes, or follow-through

  • Constant urgency where everything feels critical

  • Work grinding to a halt when one person is out

  • Teams finishing major efforts with no recovery window

These aren’t people problems. They’re design problems.

Burnout Isn’t a Personal Failure

Nonprofit burnout is often framed as an individual issue. People are told to manage their stress better, set boundaries, or become more resilient.

But Erin was clear: when burnout is widespread, it’s structural.

If success requires people to work nights, weekends, or compensate emotionally to keep things moving, the system is misaligned. And over time, that misalignment shows up as turnover, tension, and diminished trust.

Resilience doesn’t mean ignoring limits. It means designing work that respects them.

What Healthy Teams Actually Look Like

When systems support people instead of relying on them, the change is visible.

Teams leave work on time more often.

Workloads are clearer and more balanced.

Reporting is consistent and predictable.

Progress is measurable and understood.

People like working together again.

Healthy teams don’t glorify burnout. They don’t treat exhaustion as a badge of honor. They build rhythms that allow for recovery, especially after intense periods like year-end fundraising.

Nothing in nature blooms all year. Fundraising isn’t different.

Process Issues vs. People Issues

One of the most practical takeaways from the conversation was this distinction: most “people problems” are actually process problems.

If it takes days to get simple answers, if reporting feels chaotic, if work feels choppy and reactive, look at the system before blaming the individual.

That doesn’t mean people don’t need support or feedback. It means leaders should ask better questions first. Is the work clearly designed? Is knowledge shared? Are expectations grounded in reality?

Most people are trying to get an A. Systems should help them succeed, not test their endurance.

Small Changes, Big Relief

The conversation wasn’t about massive overhauls. It was about noticing friction and fixing it.

Why is this harder than it should be?

Why does this task depend on one person?

Why does this always feel urgent?

Often, small adjustments remove disproportionate weight. Automating routine work. Documenting processes. Creating templates. Allowing recovery cycles after major pushes.

Fixing the lock instead of learning to jiggle it every day.

Redefining Resilience for 2026

At the end of the conversation, Erin offered a grounding reminder. The sun will rise tomorrow. Most problems don’t disappear overnight, but they also aren’t as permanent as they feel in the moment.

Resilience isn’t about never struggling. It’s about building the muscle to move through challenges without losing yourself in the process.

For nonprofit leaders, that means shifting the question from “How do we push through this?” to “What needs to change so we don’t have to?”

The Bottom Line

Nonprofit work is important. That doesn’t mean it should be unsustainable.

Resilience isn’t grit alone. It’s support. It’s systems. It’s thoughtful design that allows people to do meaningful work without grinding themselves down.

When teams are supported, the mission is stronger.

And that’s the kind of resilience that lasts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE WEBINAR:

• Less Grit, More Support Worksheet

A five-minute check-in created by Erin Peshoff to spot where effort is compensating for missing systems. Works well solo or with a team.

→ Download the worksheet

• Clifton Strengths

A strengths-based assessment that helps teams align roles with how people naturally work best.

→ Explore Clifton Strengths

• Jonathan Fields

A framework for understanding what kind of work energizes people and where they do their best thinking.

→ Explore Good Life Project

→ Explore Sparktype

These tools aren’t about fixing people. They’re about fixing design.