Charity founders: stronger together

Am I the only one who feels like this?

The answer, reassuringly, is no.

In this recent webinar hosted by Benefact Group and Fundraising Everywhere, charity founder Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, founder and CEO of the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, joined entrepreneur Graham Donnelly, founder of First Formations, to explore the realities of founding and leading an organisation. Their conversation moved beyond strategy documents and annual reports and into the territory that many leaders rarely discuss openly: pressure, uncertainty, loneliness, responsibility and resilience.

What emerged was a powerful reminder that founders do not have to carry everything alone.

Why Charity Founders Face Unique Challenges

Starting a charity is often deeply personal.

Many founders begin because they have experienced a problem, seen an injustice or identified a gap that nobody else is addressing. That passion can be the driving force behind an organisation’s success, but it can also create challenges.

Founders often carry:

• Responsibility for the organisation’s vision
• Pressure to secure funding
• Accountability to trustees and regulators
• Expectations from beneficiaries, staff and volunteers
• Emotional attachment to the cause
• A constant sense of urgency

For those who establish charities following personal experiences or loss, the connection to the mission can be especially intense.

As Fiona explained, founders often feel compelled to solve problems immediately. The challenge is recognising that lasting social change is rarely achieved overnight.

Building a charity is a marathon, not a sprint.

The Importance of Remembering Why You Started

At the heart of every successful charity is a clear purpose.

Fiona reflected on the principle that a charity should exist because:

• There is a genuine need
• There is a gap in existing provision
• The organisation is uniquely placed to address it

While those founding motivations may seem obvious, they can be easy to lose sight of as organisations grow and become more complex.

Fundraising targets, governance responsibilities, staffing challenges and operational demands can sometimes distract leaders from the original mission.

The webinar encouraged founders to revisit those core questions regularly:

• What problem are we solving?
• Are we still meeting a genuine need?
• Are we still best placed to do this work?

Those conversations help organisations remain focused and avoid drifting away from their purpose.

Your Trustees Are Not the Enemy

One of the strongest messages from the session was the importance of investing in board relationships.

For many founders, trustees can sometimes feel like obstacles rather than allies. Boards ask difficult questions, challenge ideas and occasionally say no to initiatives that founders are passionate about.

But good governance depends on constructive challenge.

Trustees provide:

• Oversight
• Accountability
• Strategic support
• Risk management
• Independent thinking

The relationship between founder and chair is particularly important.

When there is trust, openness and mutual respect, founders and chairs can work together to navigate difficult decisions and strengthen the organisation.

The most effective boards are not there to block progress. They are there to ensure progress is sustainable.

Your Team Is Your Greatest Asset

As organisations grow, founders face another challenge: letting go.

Many charities start with a founder doing everything.

Fundraising. Operations. Marketing. Administration. Strategy.

At some point, that becomes impossible.

Building a strong team requires trust and a willingness to delegate.

The webinar explored the importance of:

• Recruiting people who share your values
• Investing in staff development
• Creating opportunities for growth
• Recognising achievements
• Monitoring workload and wellbeing

Founders often focus heavily on beneficiaries while unintentionally neglecting their teams.

But sustainable impact depends on sustainable people.

A motivated, supported team will always achieve more than a burnt-out one.

Why Founder Burnout Is So Common

Several themes emerged around founder wellbeing.

Many founders feel they must always be available.

Always be positive. Always have the answers. Always keep going.

The reality is very different.

Leading a charity can be emotionally demanding, financially stressful and surprisingly isolating.

Graham described how founders often become the “shock absorbers” for their organisations, carrying worries and pressures that nobody else sees.

The danger is that founders begin to believe they should manage everything alone.

Instead, the speakers encouraged leaders to:

• Ask for help
• Build support networks
• Seek coaching or mentoring
• Connect with peers
• Prioritise personal wellbeing

Founders are not machines.

The charity needs them to be effective over the long term, not exhausted after the short term.

Culture Comes Before Growth

One of Graham’s key insights was that culture is not a luxury.

It is fundamental to organisational success.

In both charities and businesses, strong cultures help organisations navigate difficult periods.

When people feel trusted, supported and connected to a shared purpose, they are more resilient during challenges.

Practical ways to strengthen culture include:

• Encouraging honest conversations
• Recognising small successes
• Communicating openly
• Supporting wellbeing
• Celebrating ownership and initiative
• Creating psychological safety

Founders often focus on strategy and performance.

But without a healthy culture, even the best strategy can fail.

Know Your Numbers

Many charity leaders are passionate about impact but less enthusiastic about finance.

However, one of the biggest causes of founder anxiety is uncertainty.

Graham shared a simple principle:

Know your numbers.

This means understanding:

• Cash flow
• Income projections
• Expenditure commitments
• Risk exposure
• Funding dependencies

You do not need complex financial models to feel more in control.

Often, simply having clarity about the current position can significantly reduce stress and improve decision-making.

Financial confidence is not about becoming an accountant. It is about removing unnecessary uncertainty.

Build Relationships Before You Need Them

A recurring theme throughout the webinar was the power of relationships.

Many founders spend years building networks with:

• Funders
• Corporate partners
• Trustees
• Volunteers
• Sector peers

These relationships become invaluable during difficult periods.

The speakers encouraged founders to focus on long-term relationship building rather than transactional interactions.

That applies equally to:

• Fundraising
• Partnerships
• Governance
• Peer support

Strong relationships create resilience.

And resilience is often what allows organisations to survive challenges and continue making an impact.

You Don’t Have To Do This Alone

Perhaps the most powerful message from the webinar was also the simplest.

Many founders assume everyone else has it figured out.

They assume everyone else feels more confident, more capable and more certain than they do.

The truth is usually the opposite.

Most founders experience:

• Self-doubt
• Uncertainty
• Pressure
• Loneliness
• Difficult decisions

Those feelings are not signs of failure.

They are signs that you are doing something important.

Final Thoughts

Leading a charity is demanding, rewarding, frustrating, inspiring and occasionally overwhelming.

But the webinar’s central message was clear:

Founders are stronger together.

The challenges may be unique, but they are rarely faced alone.

By investing in relationships, trusting others, building strong cultures and remembering why the charity exists in the first place, founders can create organisations that not only survive but thrive.

Most importantly, founders should remember this:

You do not have to carry everything yourself.

The strongest leaders are not the ones who never need help.

They are the ones who know when to ask for it.