The Fatal Error of Non-Profits: Stop Begging for ‘Any Money Right Now’
Non-profits are facing one of the hardest funding environments in decades. Even respected organisations are struggling. Global Press, admired worldwide for training women journalists, recently announced it will close by the end of 2025. This is not because they failed. It is because raising money has become brutally difficult, even for the strongest organisations.
In these moments of pressure, I see too many nonprofits making the same mistake. They panic. They start asking for “any money, whatever you have right now, before we close.” They chase every possible grant, no matter how small or misaligned. Some turn to online appeals and GoFundMe campaigns. These might bring in a little cash, but they also do enormous damage.
This scattergun approach confuses the story that an organisation is trying to tell. It weakens the mission, and it destroys trust. Donors are quick to sense when panic has taken over, and nothing drives them away faster.
Fundraising is not about quick wins (and we keep reminding trustees to go easy on their fundraisers). It is about building trust, finding shared values, and creating partnerships that last. When organisations beg for anything, they often break the very relationships that could have saved them.
At New Global Markets (NGM), we once spoke with a non-profit whose work we consider vital. But they had fallen into the trap of trying anything that might work. We could not support them at that point because they chose the scattergun approach and left the organisation and their fundraisers frustrated, and the organisation was forced to cut back life-saving work. The experience reminded us how easily good organisations can lose their footing when fear takes over.
The lesson is simple. Panic fundraising will only speed up decline. The organisations that will thrive are those that stay true to their mission, resist desperation, and put relationships at the heart of their fundraising. Stay the course and hold your nerve!!!