Fund Development: Three Tactical Tips for a Strong Second Quarter Finish

Fund development in the nonprofit sector involves far more than writing grants. Grant writers and development professionals often hold immense responsibility for the funding success of their organizations. With some of the chaos subsiding at the Federal level and reality setting in on the budget changes and the competitive nature for funding at the local level, here are three tactical tips to help you march forward with success:

1. Communicate & Advocate

A recent feedback survey with Congressional leaders conducted by members of the Grant Professional Association found many of their elected officials were unaware of the continuing instability for critical programs and funding. A key tactic to address this challenge is to reach out and speak with your local offices. Find someone to champion your mission or become your own champion.  Here are some no-cost advocacy tools you can use:

• 5 Calls:  An online platform that allows individuals to advocate for the policies they want by making their thoughts known to their local elected officials.
• Ask a Board member to write an op-ed for your local media or seek a local news program (think morning news show) to highlight your work and its impact on the community.
• Invite an elected official to your next Board meeting.

2. Maintain Relationships

The old adage of “it’s who you know” is still important in the fund development field. Relationships need to be more than transactional, but based upon mutual respect and trust. A fund development officer needs to be able to advocate for your program and trust you are able to help them meet the mission of their organization. Check-in with funding partners often and frequently, share new ideas with them to get their input, and send them updates outside of reporting.  Here are some additional action ideas you can use:

• Send out a funder-specific e-mail message to your funders about how your agency impact is tracking for 2026.  Personalize the information as much as possible.
• Create an opportunity for funders to not just show up for an event, but to be recognized or act as the Emcee.
• Create a "Who Do You Know?" for your Board and send them the list of Board members of new funders or corporations they may know each Board meeting.  To reduce their overwhelm, keep the number of new funders and corporations to less than 10.

3. Demonstrate Impact

Impact is not the use of pure numbers but showing that the numbers created change: in a person, in a community, or in a field. Your ability to show how your work made a change that aligns to the mission of the funder is critical. And then prove it with data, testimonials, and story telling.

Some ideas on how to use your data:

• Relate your data and outcomes to your vision and mission - reminding those who support you about the "why" for your work.
• Speaking about your "why", make sure your story shares your "why" and how the world needs your agency and mission.  Point out what makes you different and how your work changes lives for the better.
• Make the data easy to read, easy to understand, and readable in less than 3-minutes.

Good luck as you move forward to close on-budget for the 2nd quarter of 2026!

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