Let’s be honest. Fundraising isn’t dead. Nonprofits still need money for programs, staff, buildings, supplies, technology and getting people where they need to go.

But fundraising is one piece of a bigger question: how do you build a community of people who care about your mission and want to be part of it?

Money isn’t the whole relationship

The classic cycle goes like this: find prospects, make the case, ask, thank, follow up, ask again. There’s nothing wrong with it.

Research on relationship fundraising has made it better.

But the word “donor” puts money at the center. Real supporters give in more ways than that. They volunteer. They make introductions. They speak up. They pay attention for years. And what they can give changes as their lives change.

The better question is: how do we find more people who want this mission to succeed?

People want to see themselves in the work

Lots of good organizations are competing for attention. Awareness alone isn’t enough. Someone can respect what you do and never get involved.

A 2025 review by Chapman and colleagues found that people who identify strongly with a cause tend to give more support.

That’s the difference between “I know what that organization does” and “I found people who care about this the way I do.”
A small gift doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Some people will want to learn more, share, show up, volunteer or speak up. Not everyone will, and that’s OK. The goal is to give people a place in the work and a reason to stay.

Revenue can rise while support shrinks

The Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s Q4 2025 data found that total giving rose about 5% in 2025. But the number of donors fell 3.6%.

Imagine two organizations. Each raises $1 million. One has a growing, engaged community. The other keeps losing people and scrambling to replace them. The totals match. The futures don’t.

We call the first kind of support durable support.

What makes support last?

It’s more than monthly giving. Durable support means enough people stay connected that you can plan, adapt and keep going.
Research gives us some clues. Adrian Sargeant found that people stay when they have a good experience, hear back and understand the impact. Sargeant and Woodliffe found commitment grows when people trust the organization, feel personally connected and share its values.

There’s no formula. But you can pay attention to the relationship around the support:
• Did we do what we said we’d do?
• Can people see what the work accomplished?
• Do they trust us and feel heard?
• Can they see how their part mattered?
• Do they still see their own values in our mission?

Start with the person, not the ask

This isn’t an argument against asking for money. Tell people what you need. Invite them in.

But remember: people often arrive already caring. About hunger. About music for kids. About clean water or a safe place to live. You didn’t create that care. You get to offer a way to act on it.
So keep tracking the usual numbers: new donors, average gift, campaign totals. Then add a few human ones:
• Who cares most about this problem, and where are they?
• Do they know we exist?
• Can they quickly understand what we believe and whether it’s working?
• Can they find a meaningful way to take part, with their time, expertise, relationships or financial resources?
• Do we give them reasons to stay?

So, is fundraising dead?
No. Fundraising is essential.

In actuality it is that a financial gift is one way a person shows they care about a mission. It’s rarely the whole story.
What changes when you stop chasing only the next gift and start building a community that wants your work to succeed?