Best Practices For Fundraising In 2025

Before it was about getting donors to write checks. Now it’s about involving them in your ecosystem. Here’s 5 steps to get started today: You’re not just fundraising anymore. You’re onboarding stakeholders. If you want repeatable, compounding revenue from donors, partners, and decision-makers, you need to stop treating them like check-writers… …and start treating them like collaborators in a living system. Here’s how. 1. Diagnose your “center of gravity” Most orgs center fundraising around the mission. But the real gravitational pull for donors is their identity. → Ask yourself: What is the identity we help our funders step into? Examples: Systems Disruptor. Local Hero. Climate Investor. Opportunity Builder. Build messaging, experiences, and invites around that identity, not just impact stats. 2. Turn every program into a flywheel for new capital Stop separating “program delivery” from “fundraising.” Your programs are your best sales engine → Examples: • Invite donors to shadow frontline staff for one hour • Allow funders to sponsor a real-time decision and see the outcome • Let supporters “unlock” bonus services for beneficiaries through engagement, not just cash People fund what they help shape. 3. Use feedback as a funding mechanism Most orgs treat surveys as box-checking. But used right, feedback is fundraising foreplay. → Ask donors and partners to co-define what “success” looks like before you report back. Then build dashboards, stories, and events around their metrics. You didn’t just show impact. You made them part of the operating model. 4. Make your “thank you” do heavy lifting Thanking donors isn’t the end of a transaction. It’s the first trust test for future collaboration. → Instead of a generic “thank you,” send: • A 1-minute voice memo with a specific insight you gained from their gift • A sneak peek at a challenge you’re tackling and ask for their perspective • A micro-invite: “Can I get your eyes on something next week?” You’re not closing a loop. You’re opening a door. 5. Build a “Donor OS” (Operating System) Every funder should have a journey, not just a transaction history. → Track things like: • What insight made them first say “I’m in”? • Who do they influence (and who influences them)? • What kind of risk are they comfortable taking? • What internal narrative did your mission fulfill for them? Then tailor comms, invitations, and roles accordingly. Not everyone needs another newsletter but someone does want a seat at the strategy table. With purpose and impact, Mario

This year, eight of my CEOs successfully closed Series A rounds, ranging from $9M to $45M. Here are 10 key takeaways from their experiences that can help you navigate your own fundraising journey: 1) Rounds took longer than anticipated. On average, they took twice as long as initially planned, largely because VCs are moving much slower than before. 2) There's no pressure for a VC to commit, allowing them to draw out the process. Many VCs strung founders along. My most effective CEOs leveraged backchanneling from existing investors and relationships to cut through the noise and focus on genuine interest. 3) VCs wait for signals. Don't expect a quick "yes." VCs often hold out until they see strong signals of other investors committing. Each CEO effectively had to build a coalition of interested parties. 4) Craft your FOMO. Every CEO found a unique way to create a sense of urgency and healthy competition among potential investors. This is a delicate balance; you don't want to push too hard and risk a "no." 5) Relationships matter. Every single Series A was led by a VC with whom the founders had a prior relationship from their seed round. Nurture those connections! 6) Prior investor validation is key. All rounds included follow-on investments from prior investors, serving as a powerful signal of confidence. 7) Two years of runway is essential. Be prepared to demonstrate a clear path to at least two years of runway. This shows stability and thoughtful planning. VCs are wary of short turnaround times and want to avoid emergency financing situations. 8) The bar for PMF is high. The bar for product-market fit and traction is higher than ever. Show strong, undeniable evidence of your market validation. 9) Be ready to adjust expectations. Some CEOs had to adjust down their original Series A expectation. They were able to put together operating plans that cut down on costs to stretch runway and do more with the original capital, thereby reducing their overall ask. 10) Your network is your net worth. The power of existing relationships and warm introductions cannot be overstated in this competitive landscape. The VCs who went deep didn't come from cold emails or random LinkedIn lists; they came from warm intros from investors or relationships the CEOs had personally cultivated. Good luck to everyone raising. It is possible! You just need to be thoughtful and have a strong support network behind you. Any other fundraising advice or challenges to share? #startups #venturecapital #founderstories #seriesA #siliconvalley

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising. Over the past 6 months working alongside our Innovation Partners we have seen firsthand that donors and nonprofits are not just ready for autonomous AI in fundraising— they need it. The numbers are too compelling to ignore: fundraising teams are stretched too thin, staff-to-donor ratios are unsustainable, and donors are signaling that they want more engagement, not less. As we work to shape the future of fundraising, here’s what we’ve learned about successfully building champions for Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) with internal and external communities: 1. Industry Acceptance: The Readiness is Real - One of the biggest insights from our Innovation Partners is that the nonprofit industry isn’t just open to AI-driven engagement—it embraces it. The results speak for themselves: 4k+ engagements that are overwhelmingly positive, $573k generated just from the first cohort of 13 partners, and opt-out rates at only .1%. Dan Freeman, Chief Development Officer at Gaston College, the first community college to introduce a VEO, posted last week to give context and data that shows there is a demand from alumni for more connection. [Click inside to see the post] This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about meeting donors where they are and providing them with meaningful engagement at scale. 2. Transparency Builds Trust - For any organization introducing a VEO, full transparency is the key to success. Boards should be engaged early and encouraged to experience firsthand how VEOs work. Our Innovation Partners find that when boards and internal teams have direct exposure to a VEO’s portfolio, skepticism turns into enthusiasm. The same applies to the broader community—our partners have seen great success when they proactively introduced their VEO and communicated why their organization chose to lead in AI-driven donor engagement. A recent example comes from the University of Oklahoma Foundation’s introduction of "Rose," their VEO, as a valued member of their fundraising team. Their LinkedIn post is a model for how to integrate a VEO into an organization’s public identity [click inside to see the post] 3. Educate on the Staff: Donor Ratio Problem - A common challenge in introducing a VEO is helping internal and external audiences understand why digital labor is necessary. 95% of donors are not in a human gift officer’s portfolio. No budget will ever be large enough, and no talent pipeline wide enough, to provide direct human engagement to every donor. Framing the conversation around these numbers is powerful. Do the math: How many donors do you have in your database? How many fundraisers do you have? How many donors are actively managed vs. left unengaged? The reality is undeniable—this is a problem in desperate need of a solution, and digital labor is here to provide the answer. Embracing this change will not only solve today’s fundraising challenges but position you as forward-thinking leaders in philanthropy.

Your nonprofit's 2025 budget is already wrong. Three critical adjustments to make now. Last month, a $3 trillion federal spending freeze sent shock waves through the nonprofit sector. While the government-wide freeze has lifted, some agencies still face funding delays and deep cuts. We don’t know what comes next… BUT… Most organizations are waiting to see what happens next. This is a deadly mistake. Your 2025 budget needs these three critical adjustments: 1️⃣ Major Donor Relationship Building Your budget must prioritize developing relationships with high-capacity donors in your community. This means investing in research, creating meaningful touchpoints, and giving your team time to build authentic connections. Most organizations spend TOO MUCH of their time chasing small gifts when major donors are right in their backyard. 2️⃣ Content Creation and Impact Storytelling Private donors need to see and feel your impact. Budget for creating compelling stories, impact reports, and donor communications. When federal funding disappears, you'll need a library of content that shows potential donors exactly how their investment transforms lives. 3️⃣ Strategic Donor Acquisition The cost to acquire new donors increases every year. Your budget needs to reflect this reality. Plan for higher digital marketing costs, increased direct mail expenses, and the staff time needed to develop relationships. Getting this wrong means paying more for fewer results. Most organizations will wait until funding actually disappears to make these changes. By then, they'll be 6-12 months behind organizations that acted early. You can't save your way through this challenge. Smart organizations are investing now in the systems and people they'll need to thrive in this new reality. Pull out your 2025 budget. Calculate your true dependency on federal dollars - not just direct funding, but flow-through grants and contracts too. Then schedule a leadership meeting specifically focused on these three adjustments. The storm isn't coming. It's here.