Hang on in there, grants fundraisers

“Unfortunately, the application [you spent 35 hours on] was not successful on this occasion.”

“Thank you for applying [like you were asked to], but we’re fully committed already.”

“We’ve changed our strategy [after being your prior top prospect], and you no longer fit.”

“We’ve changed our strategy, and you do fit! … but it’s a no anyway.”

Any of those sound painfully familiar lately?

It’s always been competitive in charity fundraising. Grants have never been given out like toffees. However, recent times have been another story. It is TOUGH out there. So much so, that I’ve spoken to several fundraisers over the past few months who are wondering whether it’s time to throw the towel in entirely and find a different career. Some of these folks have been doing this for years, some for decades, and all of them without exception are passionate about the cause they’re working tirelessly for. What to do, then, as a fundraiser in this epically challenging climate?

Part of the good news is that it’s not you. You are not alone. Grantmakers themselves are feeling the pinch, which has a negative knock-on effect for grant-seeking charities; the needs are highest at a time when the funding world is the most stretched. There is solace in the knowledge that you can be doing all the right things, and still not be getting the money in like you used to.

The other good news, though, is that all hope is not lost. There are still opportunities to raise money, and there are strategies and techniques that we fundraisers can implement to increase the odds of getting a grant, even in this crazy-difficult funding environment.

Here are some speedy pointers on where to focus your energies, now more than ever:

Quality over quantity

Avoid the allure of ‘the churn’, i.e. whacking out as many applications as possible in the hopes that casting a wide net might catch a few fish. Instead, invest time in engaging with key individuals at grantmakers with a view to developing a genuine and mutually fruitful partnership. It will feel counter-productive at first, but we’re playing the long game. Think bigger, longer-term partnerships that will yield funding year on year, rather than quick wins that are unlikely to be repeated.

Relationship is the name of the game

Writing is only part of a grants fundraiser’s job. Arguably, it’s not even the most important part, because building a solid relationship prior to putting an application in is going to put you ahead of the others in the pile. And it’s a big pile. Again, this is a strategy that takes time and effort, but it is so worth the results.

Explore your networks

Everyone thinks they don’t have any networks. You have networks. Trust me! Uncovering them, though, takes a fair bit of tenacity. Start with your board, or your volunteer base, even just one or two people connected to your organisation willing to think about who they may know with a link to the philanthropic world. It might even be a few degrees of separation. Introductions and endorsements are the way to get into those tricky grantmakers that don’t accept unsolicited applications, and increasingly also those that do.

Stewardship all the way

We all know we’re supposed to prioritise looking after our existing donors, but chasing new business can sometimes knock great stewardship off the top of our (very long) to-do list. Love-bombing our current funders isn’t an optional extra, however; it’s a core pillar of any fundraising strategy for the simple reason that your previous donors are statistically so much more likely to give than new prospects.

Strategise your portfolio

Hands up if you’re juggling more funder and prospective funder names than you can realistically dedicate enough time to? Yup, I see you! Some of us have portfolios that are just way, way too big to manage intentionally. And lots of us are juggling fundraising, as a whole, alongside wearing many other hats. Whatever the size and shape of it, planning your portfolio properly will maximise however much time you have for it. Segment it into useful categories, such as where funders are on their current journey with you (e.g. completely new, relationship-development stage, stewardship stage, etc) and put mini-strategies in place for each category. This will help enormously with prioritising your next actions.

And, perhaps most of all, keep going. We truly are all in it together, fundraisers and funders alike, and if nothing else please remember this: you really are doing a brilliant job.

Want to find out more? Join us on Thursday 18th September for the Grants Unlocked 2025 conference, register here.