When fundraising gets harder, many nonprofits feel pressure to do more of everything: approach more funders, chase more opportunities, tailor efforts to more priorities, and generally move faster on all fronts. The experience can be overwhelming and only adds to the stress of today’s uncertain and complex fundraising environment.

The organisations that fundraise most effectively in challenging times, however, may not be the ones that cast the widest net. In The Bridgespan Group’s 25 years of working with nonprofits, and through engagements with the Bridgespan Nonprofit Development Program,¹ we’ve found the successful ones make deliberate choices about where they are headed, who is responsible for fundraising, and how they tell their stories. In this article, we share three tips we have seen help nonprofits in South Asia build more resilient and effective fundraising approaches.

Tip 1: Anchor your fundraising in organisational strategy

Nonprofits that are well-positioned to fundraise effectively are usually clear on one thing first: where they are headed as an organisation. A defined three- to five-year strategy makes ambitions clear and shows how much funding is needed, what kinds of funding will matter most, and which funders are most likely to be a good fit.

That kind of clarity strengthens fundraising conversations. It helps organisations explain not just what they do but also why those priorities matter, what it will take to deliver on them, and how a funder’s support can advance the work. In that sense, organisational strategy is key to an effective fundraising strategy. Indeed, it is the very foundation of it.

One nonprofit we worked with had long approached fundraising through a project lens. While that helped secure support for specific programmes or departments, it became a constraint when the organisation needed to advance on more fronts. Without a clear organisation-wide story, it was harder to raise core or flexible funding, invest in the capabilities needed for growth, and scale beyond specific projects. In funder conversations, the organisation could speak persuasively about individual initiatives but struggled to explain how those efforts added up to a larger vision for impact or why flexible funding was needed to strengthen the organisation as a whole.

Once the organisation reversed that dynamic by focusing on its organisational strategy, it was able to clarify its priorities and more accurately convey its funding needs. This ultimately made its fundraising more effective.

A common trap: Following whatever funding opportunity arises may seem like an easy win and a good strategy in times of uncertainty. But over time, it can lead to mission dilution. The same can be said of organisations that pursue any project without ensuring it aligns with their strategies. An array of fragmented programmes that lack a common strategic thread is harder to explain or justify in conversations with funders.

Tip 2: Fundraising is a collective effort – with leadership playing an enabler role

Whether or not an organisation has a dedicated fundraising team, treating fundraising as a shared responsibility can drive success. Leadership is central to fundraising, of course. Leaders open doors, anchor relationships, and signal credibility in the moments that matter most.

However, many effective organisations don’t rely on leadership to shoulder the full fundraising load. Instead, they strike a balance: leaders stay closely involved where their voices and positioning matter most, while creating space for others to contribute and grow. That’s where programme teams play an important role, bringing programmatic depth, contextual knowledge, and country-specific nuance to conversations with funders.

Funders are reassured when they see organisational strength beyond the top level of leadership. It signals bench strength, shows that knowledge and relationships are not concentrated in one person, and builds confidence in the organisation’s ability to deliver over time.

We saw this in an organisation where programme team members came together to support fundraising. They developed proposals collaboratively, participated in donor conversations, and learnt by working alongside the organisation’s leaders. The leaders provided guidance throughout, stepping in when needed during key meetings or when difficult donor questions arose, but without taking over the process. Over time, this helped the team build confidence and capabilities while also making fundraising less dependent on any one person.

We have also seen the opposite. In another organisation, the CEO took on most of the fundraising work while the team provided background support where they could. Because responsibilities were not clearly defined, team members were unsure how to contribute in ways that truly lightened the load. As a result, leadership bandwidth became increasingly stretched, and the team missed opportunities to build the skills and confidence needed to play a more active role. In discussions, it became clear that some parts of the fundraising process could have been shared, allowing the CEO to focus on higher-value responsibilities.

A common trap: Often, those responsible for fundraising or managing partnerships are given targets to meet, despite not understanding all of the on-the-ground realities. This makes it harder for them to answer funders’ questions and provide the kind of nuance that can make the difference between a yes and a no. And when fundraising heads are not part of the leadership team, they are disconnected from the strategic decisions and implementation realities that should inform fundraising. To avoid this, organisations should create regular touchpoints between those shaping organisational strategy and those leading fundraising, and (where possible) include fundraising leadership more directly in senior decision making.

Tip 3: Make your story simple, and articulate what sets you apart

Many nonprofits undervalue what makes them distinctive. They may not fully articulate the strength of their approach, the evidence of their impact, or the depth of experience they bring to their focus area. In a crowded and contracting funding landscape, this can make it harder for funders to quickly understand why the organisation matters and why it is best positioned to deliver on results.

Strong organisational narratives don’t just happen. They require reflection, discipline, and a clear story about what sets the organisation apart. Equally important, they aren’t one-size-fits-all. The core story should remain consistent, but how it is framed may shift depending on the funder and specific organisational priorities. In some cases, that also means recognising the context of the organisation’s work and how it aligns with funders’ priorities. For example, an agriculture-focused organisation may find that its work has clear relevance to climate resilience or to gender equity – connections that, when grounded in the organisation’s actual work and impact, can help open new conversations with funders.

An organisation we worked with had reached an inflection point. After years in the sector, its leaders recognised that the next phase of growth would require a sharper narrative – one that could communicate both its track record and its potential at the national level. Strengthening its story was essential to demonstrating its value as a systems-level player and, in turn, making the case for the larger-scale funding needed to support its ambitions.

A common trap: When developing an effective narrative, some organisations assume that, to be sophisticated, their narratives must be complex. In trying to convey the full significance of their work, they overcomplicate their messages and achieve the opposite of what they intended: funders are left unclear about what the organisation does, what problems it is trying to solve, and how their support would make a difference. By contrast, the strongest narratives are the clearest and the simplest. This enables funders to quickly understand the problem the organisation is addressing, why it matters especially now, how the organisation’s approach responds to that problem, what evidence of impact exists, and what makes the organisation distinct. Simplicity, in this sense, is not about flattening the work but about making the value easier to see.

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For the Asia-based nonprofits we have worked with, fundraising in uncertain times has often depended less on doing more and more on making deliberate choices. For nonprofit leaders, that means anchoring fundraising in strategy, sharing responsibility, and telling a clear story. These ideas may sound simple, but they are not always easy to put into practice. They require discipline, focus, and a willingness to cut through complexity. Done well, however, they can form the foundation of an approach that helps your nonprofit build the kind of support that strengthens it over time.