"People do not give to organizations simply because organizations need money. They give because they believe in the cause, trust the people behind it, and want to be part of the change."
Ask most organizations in Kenya how to get donors to fund a project and the answer starts with a proposal. Ask where the money will come from and you get a list of foundations. Both answers skip the part that decides the outcome.
A better question is: "Whose values, interests and aspirations align with the change we are trying to create, and how do we build a meaningful relationship with them?"
That is the difference between fundraising and friendsraising.
Fundraising is usually understood as asking people for money. Friendsraising goes deeper: identifying people and institutions that believe in your mission, cultivating relationships with them, building trust, demonstrating value, engaging them in your work, and, when the relationship is mature, inviting them to invest.
Fundraising asks for a gift. Friendsraising builds a relationship that makes giving natural.
How do you get donors to fund your project?
You get donors to fund your project by building the relationship before you need the money. In practice that means identifying funders whose strategy already aligns with your work, engaging them long before a proposal exists, listening to their priorities rather than pitching yours, earning trust through consistency and transparency, and only then presenting a proposition that reflects what you learned. The proposal is the last step, not the first.
Organizations that reverse the order, proposal first and relationship never, are competing on document quality alone. That is the hardest way to win.
Money follows relationships
One of the biggest misconceptions in resource mobilization is that fundraising is primarily about money.
It is not. Fundraising is about people. Money is one of the resources that flows from a strong relationship.
A good relationship can generate financial resources, technical expertise, equipment, volunteers, networks, introductions, strategic partnerships, advocacy, knowledge, in-kind support, institutional credibility and new funding opportunities.
That is why resource mobilization is broader than fundraising. The common denominator is relationships.
Friendsraising starts before the ask
One of the biggest mistakes fundraisers make is meeting someone for the first time and immediately presenting a funding proposal.
The conversation becomes: "We have a project. We need KSh 20 million. Can you fund us?"
Friendsraising asks a different set of questions. Who are you? What matters to you? What are your priorities? What challenges are you trying to solve? What difference would you like to make? Where might our missions intersect?
Only after understanding the other party's interests can an organization meaningfully explore partnership.
Cultivation is the process of moving a potential supporter from awareness to interest, from interest to engagement, from engagement to trust, and finally from trust to partnership.
What is the donor cultivation cycle?
The donor cultivation cycle is the eight-stage progression a supporter moves through, from first hearing about your organization to renewing and expanding their investment in it. It is a journey, not a transaction.
| Stage | What happens | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Awareness | The potential partner learns your organization exists | They have heard the name, seen your work mentioned, met someone from your team |
| 2. Interest | They understand your work and why it is relevant to them | They ask a question, read something you sent, accept a coffee |
| 3. Engagement | They visit, attend, participate or request information | A site visit, an event, a request for your annual report |
| 4. Trust | They believe your organization is credible and capable | They introduce you to others; they speak well of you unprompted |
| 5. Partnership | Together you identify an area for collaboration | A concept is discussed before it is written |
| 6. Investment | The partner provides financial or other resources | The grant, the contract, the secondment, the equipment |
| 7. Stewardship | You demonstrate what happened with the investment | Reports on time, honest updates, an invitation to see the results |
| 8. Renewal and expansion | The relationship grows into repeat funding, larger support or strategic partnership | A second grant, a bigger one, a joint programme |
Most organizations attempt to jump from Stage 1 to Stage 6. That is why most cold proposals fail.
Those eight stages describe the journey as the partner experiences it. From the organization's side, I teach the five-phase donor cultivation cycle (Newman Consulting, 2017):
- Identification. Compile a list of former, current and prospective resource partners, starting from your existing and past partner lists. This never stops; prospects must be continuously updated.
- Qualification. Map each partner's thematic and geographic interests, verify that they are an acceptable source, and research them through their websites, their publications and the organizations they have funded before.
- Cultivation. Learn the partner's passion, motivation and goals, and offer a variety of ways to engage: meetings, presentations, concept notes, advocacy and communication materials, and individual contact with decision makers. This phase alone typically takes six to twelve months.
- Solicitation. Make the request, at the point the relationship can carry it.
- Stewardship. Manage the funds properly, monitor and report, acknowledge the partner's contribution, and show in detail how the money was used. This sets the foundation for the next round.
Plan for that time. If you start cultivating when a call is advertised, you are already late.
Build relationships before you need them
Do not wait until you need money to start building relationships.
Attend their events. Invite them to yours. Share your work. Listen to their priorities. Introduce them to people who may be useful to them. Celebrate their achievements. Ask their advice. Invite them to visit your programmes. Keep them informed. And sometimes, simply have coffee.
It is also easier to start with smaller funds from a new donor. Once they have gained trust in how you work, many partners are ready to increase their contribution.
That is the power of relationships, and it is the reason donor mapping should identify not just who could fund you, but who already knows them.
Trust is the currency of resource mobilization
Before a donor gives you money, they answer several questions privately:
Can I trust this organization? Can I trust its leadership? Will the money be used responsibly? Will they deliver what they promise? Will they tell me the truth when things go wrong? Will they demonstrate results? Will they value our partnership?
These are questions of trust. You can only mobilize resources from people, whether individuals, foundations or corporates, who know and trust the organization and share an interest in its cause. And trust cannot be manufactured through a beautifully written proposal.
A proposal can open a door. A relationship keeps the door open.
Trust is built through consistency: keeping promises, submitting reports on time, acknowledging support, communicating honestly, demonstrating results, and treating every supporter with respect.
What are the four pillars of donor relations?
The four pillars most often cited in donor relations are acknowledgment, recognition, stewardship and reporting. In my own practice I work with a fuller picture of six key areas, because a relationship starts before the first gift and has to be kept alive after it.
First, it helps to separate two terms that are often used interchangeably. Donor relations is everything an organization does to acquire, retain and engage donors: proactive relationship-building from the very beginning. Donor stewardship begins only after a donation and is about making sure the gift is used as the donor intended. Put simply: donor relations is about the donor, and stewardship is about the gift.
The six key areas of a donor relationship:
| Area | What good practice looks like |
|---|---|
| 1. Initial meeting | First impressions last, whether it is an event, a donor round table, a visit, a first call, email, letter or video meeting. Have your pitch ready, and plan the follow-up before you leave. |
| 2. Acknowledgment | Send a prompt, personal thank you after the first gift, within 48 hours and ideally within 24. Thank every donor for every gift, whatever the size. |
| 3. Stewardship | Confirm the gift is going exactly where the donor intended. Be transparent and accountable: share reports, share challenges as well as successes, and implement as budgeted. |
| 4. Recognition | Beyond the thank-you letter, recognise the donor in your annual report, in event programmes, on social media and in how you brand their support. |
| 5. Feedback | Ask donors what they think, through a short survey after an event or a quick poll. It makes them feel valued, and it tells you things your database cannot. |
| 6. Cultivation | Keep nurturing the relationship after it is established: a check-in call every few months, an annual coffee, new ways to connect them to the work. |
Many organizations relax once the money arrives. Donors often give with a quiet fear that their resources may be misused or redirected, and the relationship after funding is what allays that fear. For a formal reference on donor expectations, the Association of Fundraising Professionals publishes a Donor Bill of Rights.
Stop seeing donors as ATMs
A donor is not an ATM. A foundation is not an ATM. A corporate partner is not an ATM. A government agency is not an ATM.
See supporters instead as partners, champions, advisers, connectors, ambassadors and co-investors in change.
The key question becomes: "How can we create value together?" That is the beginning of a real partnership.
Your network is already a resource
Every organization already owns a resource mobilization asset. It is called its network.
Think about your board members, alumni, former employees, current employees, customers, suppliers, government officials, community leaders, professional associations, universities, corporations, foundations, faith communities, development partners, media, former beneficiaries and individual supporters.
The question is not only "Who can give us money?" The better question is: "Who knows someone who cares about what we are trying to achieve?"
One of the most widely accepted ideas about human connection is six degrees of separation: that every person is linked to every other through a short chain of family, friends and acquaintances. In resource mobilization, that chain is your most practical asset. The phrase to remember is a friend of a friend.
The value of a relationship is not only what it gives you directly. It is also who it can connect you to.
Everyone in the organization is a resource mobiliser
Resource mobilization should not belong only to the fundraising officer.
The CEO builds relationships. The board builds relationships. Programme staff build relationships. Finance staff build trust through accountability. Communications staff tell compelling stories. Technical staff demonstrate competence. Beneficiaries demonstrate impact.
Everyone contributes to the organization's reputation. Not everyone will ask for money, but everyone should help build relationships. This is why we run resource mobilization training for whole teams, not only for fundraising departments, including a dedicated donor research, mapping and matching course.
Stewardship is friendsraising after the gift
The relationship does not end when the money arrives. That is when another important phase begins.
Good stewardship asks: Did we thank the donor? Did we fulfil our commitments? Did we provide timely reports? Did we demonstrate results? Did we communicate challenges honestly? Did we show the human impact? Did we invite the donor to see the work? Did we ask for feedback? Did we recognise the donor appropriately? Did we keep the relationship alive between funding cycles?
When a relationship reaches the point of a firm commitment, formalise it through a signed agreement or Memorandum of Understanding that sets out the procedures on procurement, financial management, audit, reporting and termination. Clear terms protect the relationship as much as the money.
Stewardship converts a donor into a long-term partner.
Gratitude is not a transaction
One of the most powerful resource mobilization tools is also the simplest: say thank you.
But real gratitude is more than an automated acknowledgement. Tell the supporter, "Thank you for believing in this work." Then show them what their support made possible.
People want to know their investment mattered. Impact is one of the most powerful forms of stewardship.
The best fundraisers are great listeners
Successful resource mobilization professionals are not the people who speak the most. They are usually the people who listen the best.
When meeting a potential partner, resist the temptation to spend the entire meeting talking about your organization.
Ask questions. Listen. Take notes. Understand their priorities, their concerns, their language, their ambitions.
Then ask: "Where do you see an opportunity for us to work together?"
The answer often reveals an opportunity your original proposal never considered.
Relationships must be authentic
Friendsraising does not mean pretending to be someone's friend because you want their money.
Authentic relationship-building means respecting the person, organization or institution regardless of whether they eventually provide financial support.
Some relationships produce value immediately. Others produce value later. Others connect you to people who produce value. Some strengthen your reputation and legitimacy.
Do not measure every relationship by the size of its immediate financial return.
Manage a relationship portfolio
Professional resource mobilization manages relationships as carefully as an investor manages a portfolio.
For each priority stakeholder, know:
- Who are they?
- What matters to them?
- What do they know about us?
- What is their connection to our mission?
- Who knows them?
- What have we done to cultivate them?
- What value can we offer?
- What is the next step?
- Who owns the relationship?
- When will we engage again?
This turns networking into a system. Friendsraising should be intentional, not accidental.
The five principles of friendsraising
- People before money. Build relationships before making requests.
- Purpose before proposal. Start with shared purpose before presenting a funding request.
- Trust before transaction. Earn confidence before asking for investment.
- Impact before recognition. Show what the partnership achieves before focusing on your own recognition.
- Stewardship before the next ask. Never ask again before demonstrating that you valued the last contribution.
From fundraising to relationship fundraising
The traditional mindset runs: Identify → Apply → Ask → Receive → Report → Ask again.
The friendsraising mindset runs: Identify → Connect → Listen → Cultivate → Engage → Build trust → Partner → Invest → Steward → Renew → Expand → Advocate.
The first is transactional. The second is relational. And relationships create resilience. The complete resource mobilization guide puts this inside the wider strategy.
The ultimate question
Every organization should ask itself: "If our funding stopped tomorrow, how many people would still stand with us?"
How many would call? How many would advocate for us? How many would introduce us to someone? How many would invite us to the table? How many would say, "We believe in what you are doing. How can we help?"
That is the true measure of a resource mobilization programme. Not the size of the donor database or the number of proposals submitted, and not even the amount of money raised, but the quality, depth and diversity of the relationships surrounding the organization.
Conclusion: build friends, not just funds
Resource mobilization is ultimately a human endeavour.
Behind every grant is a person. Behind every corporate partnership is a relationship. Behind every major gift is trust. Behind every successful fundraising campaign is a network. And behind every sustainable organization is a community of people who believe in its mission.
So organizations should stop asking only "How do we raise more money?" and start asking "How do we build more meaningful relationships?"
When relationships are strong, opportunities multiply. When trust is high, conversations become easier. When people understand the mission, they become advocates. When supporters feel valued, they become partners.
The future of resource mobilization is not simply fundraising. It is friendsraising. I set out the cultivation cycle, donor relations and stewardship in more depth in Nuts and Bolts of Mobilizing Resources.
Build the relationship before you need the resource. Cultivate trust before you make the ask. Steward the relationship after the gift. Relationships are the real capital of resource mobilization.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get donors to fund your project?
You get donors to fund your project by building the relationship before you need the money: identifying funders whose strategy already aligns with your work, engaging them long before a proposal exists, listening to their priorities rather than pitching yours, earning trust through consistency and transparency, and only then presenting a proposition that reflects what you learned. The proposal is the last step, not the first.
What are the four pillars of donor relations?
The four pillars most often cited are acknowledgment, recognition, stewardship and reporting. A fuller practical model uses six key areas: the initial meeting, acknowledgment within 24 to 48 hours of a gift, stewardship that shows the gift was used as intended, recognition in reports and public channels, feedback from donors, and ongoing cultivation after the relationship is established.
What is the donor cultivation cycle?
The donor cultivation cycle is the process an organization follows to turn a prospect into a committed partner. The widely used five-phase version, from Newman Consulting (2017), runs identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Most failed fundraising attempts skip straight to solicitation, asking for money from someone the organization has not yet qualified or cultivated.
What is friendsraising?
Friendsraising is relationship-led resource mobilization: identifying people and institutions that believe in your mission, cultivating trust with them over time, engaging them in your work, and inviting them to invest only when the relationship is mature. Where fundraising asks for a gift, friendsraising builds a relationship that makes giving natural.
How long does donor cultivation take?
The cultivation phase alone typically takes six to twelve months, before any solicitation is made. That is why cultivation must start before you need the money. Organizations that begin relationship-building at the moment a funding call is advertised have already run out of time.
What is the difference between donor relations and donor stewardship?
Donor relations is everything an organization does to acquire, retain and engage donors, starting before any gift is made. Donor stewardship begins only after a donation and focuses on making sure the gift is used as the donor intended, through acknowledgment, confirming the donor's expectations and reporting on impact. Donor relations is about the donor; stewardship is about the gift.
Who in the organization should build donor relationships?
Everyone. The CEO and board open doors, programme staff demonstrate competence, finance staff build trust through accountability, communications staff tell the story, and beneficiaries evidence the impact. Restricting resource mobilization to a single fundraising officer wastes the organization's largest relationship asset.
Dr. James Ngungu Njagu, PhD is a resource mobilization and fundraising advisor with more than 25 years of experience, and the author of Nuts and Bolts of Mobilizing Resources. Resmob Solutions runs fundraising and resource mobilization training in Kenya for universities, corporates, NGOs and government agencies.
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