You've got the passion, the programmes, and the proof of impact. So why aren't the funds flowing? The answer often lies not in what you're doing, but how you're approaching fundraising.

Continuing our readiness series, we have so far explored the importance of a powerful story, good governance, your people, and the benefits of compelling impact data. However, how you plan, manage, and coordinate your fundraising is an essential component of readiness. Without a clear, thought-out, and well-versed approach, even inspiring and impactful organisations will hit a glass ceiling in raising funds. 

Let's be honest about the challenges. Most sport for good organisations are juggling programme delivery with fundraising, often with limited resources and expertise. The founder is typically the chief fundraiser by default, grant applications are rushed to meet deadlines, and relationship management happens in the gaps between everything else. Sound familiar? Our 2025 Benchmark Report found that 66% of organisations operate without a formal fundraising strategy, and perhaps unsurprisingly, 46% failed to meet their fundraising targets in 2024.

As we've noted throughout this series, the quick-fix paradigm creates a profoundly unvirtuous circle. Organisations operating without a strategic approach find themselves constantly chasing the next sticking plaster, perpetually reactive rather than proactive. Breaking this cycle requires more than good intentions - it demands a structured, strategic approach to fundraising.

Unlike your governance checklist of requirements and good practices, a fundraising plan (a key element of your approach) goes beyond a to-do list; it’s a practical expression of your organisation’s readiness and strategy. By that, we mean a considered plan which lays out how you will raise money in the short, medium, and long term, which shows funders that you are passionate about your mission, and well placed to deliver the work, but also that you are prepared to deliver it with structure, collaboration, and foresight. 

Throughout this blog, we’ll explore three key areas: why your fundraising approach matters, what funders are looking for, and how a practical fundraising plan can strengthen your readiness. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of how to demonstrate structure, sustainability, and collaboration to funders. Your approach starts by considering three key questions:

Why your approach matters to funders

Your approach matters because, in short, fundraising is competitive! With more organisations competing for limited funds, your ability to demonstrate a strategic, organised, and collaborative approach could be what sets you apart and gets you ahead of the curve. 

Organisations excelling in this area of fundraising readiness include the likes of love.fútbol, a global nonprofit empowering communities to create and sustain their own sports spaces. Their fundraising is sophisticated and layered, combining diverse income streams, strategic partnerships, and robust pipeline management. With strong board and committee support, dedicated capacity, and community-driven efforts, they reduce reliance on any single source of funding, ensuring sustainable, long-term impact.

“Because community drives everything we do, our fundraising approach emphasises both connection and strategy. We create opportunities that engage supporters meaningfully, while structured systems allow us to focus on achieving long-term goals. The result is a diverse, committed network of champions helping us expand community-led play opportunities globally.”
Adele Bruggeman - Development and Innovation Manager, love.fútbol. 

What to take from this? A strong approach reassures funders that:

• You have a strong grasp on your future direction: with a clear fundraising strategy that aligns with your organisational goals.

• You utilise good risk management tools: by diversifying income streams and avoiding over-dependence on a small number of funders.

• You centre around collaboration: with trustees, staff, and networks all actively contributing to fundraising efforts.

• You’re methodical and organised: with systems in place to track opportunities, proposals, and relationships in one accessible location.

Your approach to fundraising isn’t only important to funders, it’s also vital to your organisation’s internal health and identity. Consider a scenario where a lone fundraiser manages the entire process, without a well-structured, shared approach, all knowledge and progress remain with that individual, leaving the organisation vulnerable if they move on. That’s why fundraising should always be a shared responsibility, even among staff whose roles aren’t primarily focused on fundraising.

This cultural shift doesn't happen overnight, but it starts with clear systems and shared ownership. Creating a centralised system for tracking opportunities, leads, proposals, and reporting deadlines ensures continuity: no missed deadlines, no duplicated applications, and consistent donor stewardship even through staff changes. Whether you use a CRM, a shared spreadsheet, or another method, the key is making fundraising information easy to access, accurate, and transparent.

This doesn't mean expensive software - many successful organisations start with basics:

CRM systems - Even free tools like Google Sheets can work initially, though platforms like Monday.com or Airtable offer more functionality as you grow. The key is having one central place where all fundraising information lives.

Pipeline tracking and opportunity management - Know what's coming in, what's pending, and what's been declined. Track success rates to improve your targeting over time.

Proposal banks and template libraries - Don't reinvent the wheel for every application. Build a library of strong responses you can adapt and update.

Reporting calendars and stewardship schedules - Never miss a deadline or forget to thank a donor. Systematic stewardship is often the difference between one-off and recurring support.

Gift acceptance policies and ethical fundraising guidelines - Be clear about what funding you will and won't accept. This protects your mission and reputation.

While AI tools can support elements of your approach - from prospect research to proposal drafting - they cannot replace strategic thinking and relationship building. Use technology to enhance efficiency, but remember that fundraising remains fundamentally about human connections.

A Fundraising plan as part of your approach

A fundraising plan is a short to long-term strategy that, when continually tweaked and adapted, can deliver real impact, shaping both organisational growth and the ways you serve and connect with your community. A clear fundraising plan will support you to raise essential funds and work towards long-term financial sustainability (a now very common funder question as they look ahead of short-term fixes into longer-term action). It should set out your objectives, target audience, methods and resources required for fundraising, and your timeline, to outline the significance of your work and how you plan to sustain it.

Fundraising plans can broadly vary between organisations, as a result of income size and scope, geographical location, experience and longevity of delivery, to name a few factors. Regardless of this, from our experience, whether a grassroots delivery organisation or a national charity, there are consistent benefits that a fundraising plan can provide.

A robust fundraising plan delivers multiple benefits. It provides clarity and direction, helping you identify exactly what you're funding and why. It demonstrates professional risk management through income diversification, showing funders you're not overly dependent on single sources. For funders, donors, and partners, it shows that readiness is less about emotion and more about how you plan, balance, and sustain your fundraising efforts. A good plan helps involve all core stakeholders of your organisation, from trustees, staff and volunteers, to the networks you work in and the communities you support. By having centralised systems and timelines, you can avoid missed deadlines and duplication while ensuring stewardship remains consistent regardless of staff changes. Finally, it builds resilience - the funding landscape is rarely predictable, and funders often shift their priorities or respond to circumstances beyond your control. By planning strategically, you position yourself to adapt quickly, navigate changes with confidence, and uncover new opportunities for success.

Just like writing a funding application, funders aren't only invested in what you do, but also in fully understanding how you will do it. By creating a strong fundraising plan, you are demonstrating your clear, thorough approach to fundraising and showing you are prepared to deliver your mission with strategy, structure and foresight. 

Having understood the value of a plan, the next step is knowing how to create one. Here’s a simplified, step-by-step way to get started: 

Step 1: Assess where you are: Start by reviewing your fundraising readiness and auditing your current position. Use our Fundraising Readiness Tool to identify strengths and gaps across all six pillars. Then analyse your existing income sources, success rates, and capacity. What's working? What isn't? Where are the opportunities? This assessment should include your skills gaps, systems needs, and realistic time allocation for fundraising. Understanding your starting point is essential before setting any targets or strategies.

Step 2: Understand where you are going: Based on your assessment, set realistic targets grounded in past performance plus a reasonable stretch. Map your ideal fundraising mix - diversifying across grants, corporates, individuals, and earned income, ensuring no single source represents more than 50% of your income. Consider what capacity you need to deliver this mix effectively. What skills gaps exist? What systems need developing? How much time can realistically be allocated to fundraising? This strategic design phase is about creating the blueprint for sustainable fundraising that aligns with your organisational goals and capacity.

Step 3: Set actions and accountability: Transform your strategy into a practical action plan with clear ownership and timelines. Create a detailed timeline that maps application deadlines, cultivation periods, and reporting cycles, building in buffer time for relationship building and unexpected opportunities. Assign specific responsibilities - who leads on trust fundraising? Who manages corporate relationships? Who oversees donor stewardship? Clear accountability prevents things falling through cracks and ensures everyone knows their role. Build in quarterly review points to track progress, learn from setbacks, and pivot when needed. This final step turns strategy into action, with everyone understanding exactly what they need to do and when.

Conclusion

Throughout this Fundraising Readiness series, we're exploring the six pillars that underpin sustainable fundraising. Your approach brings these elements together - it's where governance meets storytelling, where impact data informs strategy, and where your people unite behind a common goal.

A fundraising plan is, no doubt, a crucial element of your wider fundraising approach, and it will make your prospecting, writing, and stewardship much smoother. But it is only one part of what should be your overarching strategic approach. When fully utilised, a well-thought-out plan reflects readiness not just in your systems, but also in your culture and collaboration, complementing your mission and programmes to create real meaning and impact.

By setting clear goals, diversifying income, embedding shared responsibility, and maintaining organised tracking, your organisation moves beyond reactive fundraising. You position yourself proactively, showing funders that you are a credible, resilient partner who can deliver impact for the long term.

Remember: successful fundraising is built upon structured intent. Without a clear approach, you're not fundraising - you're just hoping. And hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

If you're unsure where to begin, our free Fundraising Readiness Tool can help you identify your strengths and opportunities across all six pillars, including approach.

Written by Jess Smith