After working with charities of all shapes and sizes, we’ve seen it all. From well-developed, integrated and realistic fundraising strategies right through to those that assume their fundraising lead is a fully qualified wizard. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether your fundraising strategy is a masterplan or one that relies on manifesting some magic, this one’s for you. How optimised is your fundraising strategy? Take our quiz to find out. Part quiz, part therapy, part “please tell me it’s not just us.” Score as you go and no judgement, we swear.

1. What is your organization’s approach to investing in fundraising?

A) “Pro bono” is our investment strategy. After all, if our corporate team are any good, they should be able to secure investment for fundraising right?

B) Our trustees are willing to invest… if we can guarantee a 300% return in year one.

C) We see fundraising as a long-term investment – with people, planning, and a bit of patience.

Correct answer: C
In the commercial world, no one expects a brand-new product to deliver millions without upfront investment in development, marketing, and sales, so why do we expect fundraising to perform miracles without resourcing it properly? Sustainable income growth requires up-front investment and a bit of time before you start to see your returns. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either wildly optimistic, attempting to sell you something, or genuinely in possession of a wand!

2. How strong is your case for support?

A) Sorry case for what?

B) We attempted one, but it became uncomfortable when we asked certain teams to explain the impact our organization was having.

C) Spot on. It’s informed by some audience insight, feedback from throughout the organization, and has a clear story that links our cause to the impact donors can have.

Correct answer: C
Your case for support is the bedrock of a strong fundraising strategy. If it’s poorly articulated, old, or the services team are rather proud of it you may have accidentally written a program report rather than something which inspires giving (love you services teams but please do leave this to the fundraisers!). Donors want to understand the problem, believe in the solution and feel like they’re part of making it happen. Any reference to your multi-disciplinary, trauma-informed, holistic intervention pathway should be considered a red flag!

3. How bought-in to fundraising is the charity leadership?

A) Our CEO has a background in policy and views fundraising as a bit dirty. Necessary, but relegated to the corner with as little eye contact as possible.

B) They are fully supportive. except for when it comes to spending some budget, trying organisational change, or waiting for over 3 weeks to see any returns.

C) Our leadership understand fundraising, advocate for it internally, and help create the conditions for success.

Correct answer: C
Fundraising doesn’t thrive in a silo. If a leadership team isn’t actively backing fundraising, it sends the message that fundraising isn’t a priority and that message trickles down fast. Great leadership doesn’t mean knowing every fundraising tactic or nuance, it means supporting your team, asking the right questions, and advocating for fundraising as essential to your mission. (And yes, if your natural habitat is policy, campaigning, or comms we assure you, fundraising doesn’t bite.)

4. Is your fundraising strategy integrated and aligned with your organisational strategy?

A) Completely aligned! We gave the fundraising team their target and told them to “make it happen.” No ifs no buts and certainly no investment.

B) There is a bit of alignment. We do discuss fundraising in our organizational strategy in the final paragraph … after the office recycling section.

C) Yes – fundraising is built into our organisational strategy, with shared goals, investment, and a joined-up plan to get there.

Correct answer: C
When fundraising is built into the organisational strategy from the start rather than being retrofitted, everything works better. Teams collaborate more. Priorities align. Income grows. If you’re relying on the “here’s your target, now go” approach, don’t be surprised when fundraising feels like pushing a wheelbarrow up a hill………..with no wheel.

5. Does your charity have a big and bold ambition your fundraisers can use to rally existing and prospective donors?

A) Does a deficit budget count?

B) Why would we need one – if our fundraisers are any good, they should be able to double our income with ‘business as usual’.

C) Yes – we have our BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), and our fundraising team is already using it to motivate and inspire transformational gifts from donors who believe in it.

Correct answer: C
Fundraising loves ambition. Donors want to be part of something bold, hopeful and with just the right amount of audacious-ness (not sure that’s a word but you get the point). A clear, compelling ambition gives your fundraising team something to aim for and something for supporters to believe/invest in. Not just “more of the same, please……but with less staff.”

6. Do you have the capability and capacity in your fundraising team to deliver on your strategy?

A) Team? Do you mean Emma our trusts, major donor, individual giving, corporate and legacy fundraiser?

B) Budgets are tight so we’ve recently decided not to replace fundraising staff when they leave. We’ve just combined their income target into somebody else’s. Simples!

C) We know structure follows strategy and we’ve invested in building our fundraising team and upskilling it.

Correct answer: C
While your strategy may be ambitious, if your team is stretched to breaking point, you’re not set up to succeed, you’re simply setting your fundraisers up for the inevitable burn out. Structure must follow strategy, not the other way round. One person juggling five income streams isn’t a strategy, it’s a slow-motion exit interview.

7. How integrated is your fundraising with your brand and comms?

A) Incredibly integrated…..so much so that we decided to channel 75% from the fundraising budget into a brand refresh. It’s been three years since and income is nose-diving, but we still believe. That big commercial agency couldn’t possibly be wrong, could they?

B) We try. Occasionally fundraising creep into the newsletter.

C) We have a joined-up approach. We speak with one voice as an organisation, but adapt our messaging to inspire different groups, from beneficiaries to donors, because we know one-size-fits-all messaging rarely suits anyone.

Correct answer: C
Fundraising and comms need to work together but that doesn’t mean saying the same thing to everyone. Integration isn’t about sameness, it’s about coherence. You do need one organizational voice, but how it appears will depend on the audience you are speaking with. Donors, beneficiaries and partners require different things from your communications. Striving for a single thing to say to everyone will end up inspiring no one.

8. What’s your approach to looking after your supporters?

A) We send a thank-you, eventually. Typically, when we ask them again.

B) They get a nice thank-you email but since we don’t yet have a joined-up supporter journey, we’re not quite sure what they get next.

C) We know retention is a fundraiser’s secret weapon. We have a coordinated stewardship plan, so our supporters get regular updates on the impact their gifts are having.

Correct answer: C
Thanking people is good. Stewarding them is even better. A heartfelt “thank you” should be the start of a relationship, not the end.  Retention is your quiet powerhouse: keeping people close, showing them the difference they are making and turning a one-off gift into something long-term.

 

9. Do your systems and processes enable your fundraising team to do their jobs?

A) We’ve done just fine without any thank you. Okay, our fundraising staff turnover is a little high, but we don’t think the two are linked in any way.

B) Yes, the fundraising team keep banging on about a process to develop a business plan alongside the budget each year, but our finance team have too much on to change how they do things right now.

C) We took an organizational approach to developing our fundraising strategy, because we realize that systems and processes, from budgeting to project design through to CRM use, is a key enabler of fundraising success.

Correct answer: C
Even the best fundraisers will struggle to drive sustainable income growth if the systems around them are clunky or simply not fit for purpose. Budgeting, business planning, project design, impact reporting, CRM usage etc are critical building blocks for successful fundraising. If your fundraisers are flagging issues with these, it’s not because they’re trying to be awkward, it’s because they’re trying to deliver results and need the right tools to do it.

10. How often do you review, modify, or change your fundraising strategy?

A) We wrote it before the pandemic, and we doubt much has changed since.

B) We glance at it before board meetings and then do whatever seems most urgent that month.

C) We use it. Regularly. It guides our decisions, and we review it at key intervals to adapt to new knowledge or evolving context.

Correct answer: C
Given the pace of change in the sector, it’s more important than ever to keep your fundraising strategy close at hand and subject to periodic revision. Revision doesn’t equate to tearing it up every six months, it means keeping it clear, concise and firmly connected to your organizational direction, while staying flexible enough to reflect the real world you’re fundraising in. It should ideally be your compass, rather than a dusty old pdf.

11. When did you last benchmark your fundraising performance?

A) We don’t really need to. It’s just wasted energy.

B) We did a few years ago. It was interesting enough. Can’t remember what it said though.

C) We review our performance routinely against relevant benchmarks and use that insight to improve, prioritize, and plan.

Correct answer: C
A good strategy relies on more than hope and instinct. Benchmarking isn’t about copying others, it’s about understanding your own performance in context.
Whether you’re trying to grow income, justify investment, or make a case to the Board, having solid insight into what’s working (and what isn’t) is a must.

So, how did you do?

Okay, so this quiz is meant to be a bit of fun but underneath our likely poor attempts at some humour, there’s a serious point.

A fundraising strategy isn’t just a document. It’s how your organisation grows, connects, and sustains its impact. Done well, it should:

• Focus on the right audiences
• Support and inspire your team
• Attract the investment needed to succeed
• Build deeper, longer-term donor relationships
• Be embedded across the organisation, not just the fundraising team
• Be informed by insight, benchmarking, and honest reflection
• Help you adapt as the world shifts (because it will)

 

If your strategy isn’t doing these things, or you’re not sure if it is, it may be time for an outside perspective. At Honest Clarity, we assist charities in transforming good intentions into effective fundraising strategies that get used. Whether it’s an audit, a hands-on workshop, or helping you build a roadmap for growth, we’d love to help.

Further Reading:

Rethink Fundraising with These Four Questions