Nonprofit Board Builder

Home

Build Your Fundraising Strategy

Identify your ideal funders, where to find them, how to attract them daily, the step-by-step process to raise money from them, people you need to execute, materials you need to execute, and your fundraising execution budget.

Before You Begin

This fundraising operating system is designed to be installed, not skimmed.

If you rush through it, skip steps, or try to jump straight to asking for money, it will not work. Not because the system is flawed, but because fundraising only works when thinking comes before action.

This process asks you to slow down just enough to build clarity, structure, and momentum that lasts.

Here’s what to know before you start:

You are not building a list. You are building relationships.
You are not chasing funders. You are positioning your organization where they already are.
You are not fundraising yet. You are creating the conditions that make fundraising natural later.

Each step builds on the one before it.
Step 1 gives you who.
Step 2 gives you where.
Step 3 gives you how to attract.
Only after that does asking make sense.

Do the thinking first. Write your answers. Be specific. Be honest.
Then use AI to sharpen, challenge, and expand your thinking. Not to replace it.

If you do this well, you won’t feel like you’re “trying to fundraise.”
You’ll feel like you’re showing up with intention.

Take your time.
Then begin with Step 1.

Step 1: Identifying Your Ideal Funding Audiences

This is where your fundraising strategy starts. Not with outreach. Not with grants. Not with asking.

With clarity.

Before you try to raise money, you need to know exactly who you are trying to raise it from, and why they would care. Guessing here creates wasted outreach, burnout, and silence. Precision creates momentum.

You will raise money from three main funding audiences, and each one thinks differently:

Individuals: People who believe in your mission and want to help.
Businesses: Companies that want community impact, visibility, staff engagement, or brand alignment.
Grantors: Foundations and institutions that fund specific causes, populations, and locations.

Each group needs a slightly different message and a slightly different path.
This step helps you define them clearly.

Take a moment to review the ideas you’ve gathered so far. This includes the input your board has shared and your own thoughts about fundraising for your organization.

Before entering anything into the AI prompt, use the brainstorming guide provided to think through these ideas first. Jot things down. Look for patterns. Notice what feels realistic and aligned with your current capacity.

Once you’ve done that, combine your refined thoughts with your board’s responses and include them in the prompt. The clearer and more intentional your input, the stronger and more useful the results will be.

How to Complete This Step (Do Not Skip the Order)

Phase 1: Answer the Questions Yourself First

This part is non-negotiable.

Take a moment to review the ideas you’ve gathered so far. This includes the input your board has shared and your own thoughts about fundraising for your organization.

Why this matters, maybe more than it seems: AI works best when it reacts to your thinking, not when it replaces it.

So first, sit with the questions below and answer them honestly.

Phase 2: Use AI to Expand, Sharpen, and Fill the Gaps

Once you’ve answered the questions manually, you will copy your answers into the AI prompts provided below.

AI is not deciding your funders for you.
AI is helping you:

Spot patterns
Identify overlooked audiences
Suggest specific profiles
Turn vague ideas into concrete targets

Think of it as a strategist in the room, not the decision-maker.

Questions to Answer Manually First

Identifying the Right Individuals

Ask yourself and your team these questions. Write names where possible.

Who would want to help the people waiting for our transformation?
Who would be proud to see these people succeed?
Who already gives to this type of cause?
Who benefits when our participants succeed (schools, employers, landlords, service providers)?
Who has supported similar causes before?
Who has lived this same problem and found a way through?
Who knows generous people who care about this topic?
Who in our city or community is known for kindness in this area?

Identifying the Right Businesses
Which businesses do our participants already buy from?
Which businesses benefit when our participants are stable, employed, or healthier?
Which companies publicly talk about community, impact, or responsibility?
Which companies want family-friendly visibility or employee volunteering opportunities?
Which businesses would value recognition, reports, or team engagement opportunities?

Identifying the Right Grantors
Which foundations fund our cause in our city or state?
Which foundations fund programs like ours?
Which foundations are expanding into our neighborhood or region?
Which foundations have leaders we could encounter through webinars, events, or local convenings?

Phase 2: AI Prompts to Strengthen Your Answers

Once you’ve answered the questions above on your own, use the prompts below.

Important note before you paste anything into AI: Replace the bracketed sections with your actual information. Be specific. Location matters. Population matters. Clarity matters.

The AI’s role is to:

Check which questions were weakly answered
Identify which questions were not truly answered at all
Surface missing audiences per question
Translate vague thinking into specific, fundable targets

AI PROMPT 1: INDIVIDUAL FUNDERS

Paste everything below into AI. Do not edit the questions.

You are a senior nonprofit fundraising strategist. Your role is to help me identify gaps, blind spots, and missed opportunities in how we have identified our ideal individual funders.

First, here is the context of our organization:

Who we serve: [describe the people you serve]
How we serve them: [describe the transformation or program]
Why we serve them: [why this work exists]
Location: [city, state, region]
Below are the exact diagnostic questions we used to identify individual funders, followed by our answers.

Your task is NOT to accept our answers at face value.

For EACH question:

Assess whether our answer is specific or vague
Identify what types of people are missing
Identify audiences we did not name but should have
Suggest concrete examples of people that fit but were overlooked
After reviewing all questions, you will:

Identify major gaps across our thinking
Group individual funders into clear categories
Create 3–5 high-quality individual funder profiles we should prioritise

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Who would want to help the people waiting for our transformation?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who would be proud to see these people succeed?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who already gives to this type of cause?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who benefits when our participants succeed (schools, employers, landlords, service providers)?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who has supported similar causes before?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who has lived this same problem and found a way through?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who knows generous people who care about this topic?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who in our city or community is known for kindness in this area?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

AI PROMPT 2: BUSINESS FUNDERS

Paste everything below into AI.

You are a nonprofit–business partnership strategist.
Your job is to identify gaps and missed opportunities in how we identified business funders.

Organization context:

Who we serve: [describe the people you serve]
How we serve them: [describe the program or outcome]
Why we serve them: [why this work exists]
Location: [city, state, region]
Below are the diagnostic questions we used, followed by our answers.

For EACH question:

Identify missing business types or sectors
Flag answers that are too generic
Identify businesses with a clear incentive to support us that we missed
Then:

Group businesses by motivation (economic benefit, workforce stability, brand, CSR, community trust)
Identify which business types should be prioritised first

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Which businesses do our participants already buy from?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which businesses benefit when our participants are stable, employed, or healthier?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which companies publicly talk about community, impact, or responsibility?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which companies want family-friendly visibility or employee volunteering opportunities?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which businesses would value recognition, reports, or team engagement opportunities?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

AI PROMPT 3: GRANTORS

Paste everything below into AI.

You are a nonprofit grant strategy advisor.
Your role is to identify gaps and weak assumptions in how we identified grantmakers.

Organization context:

Who we serve: [describe the people you serve]
How we serve them: [describe the program]
Why we serve them: [why this work exists]
Location: [city, state, region]
Below are the diagnostic questions we used, followed by our answers.

For EACH question:

Identify types of foundations we did not name
Flag geographic or population misalignment
Identify funders we are eligible for but not competitive for
Then:

Categorise grantors by type (community, family, corporate, private, public)
Identify which grantors are best aligned for early wins

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Which foundations fund our cause in our city or state?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which foundations fund programs like ours?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which foundations are expanding into our neighborhood or region?
Answer: [paste answer]
Which foundations have leaders we could encounter through webinars, events, or local convenings?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

What You Should Have at the End of This Step

By the time this step is complete, you should have:

Clear profiles of who your ideal funders are
Distinct categories for individuals, businesses, and grantors
A short list of priority audiences for each group
Confidence that your fundraising outreach is targeted, not random

This becomes the foundation for the next steps:

Where to find these funders
How to attract them consistently
The step-by-step process to raise money from each group

Step 2: Identifying Where to Find Your Ideal Funders

Now that you’ve identified who your ideal funders are, the next question is simple but often mishandled:

Where do these people already gather? Where can I find them in their numbers?

Fundraising does not start with outreach.
It starts with positioning yourself in places your funders already trust, frequent, and pay attention to.

You are not trying to “find” funders in random places.
You are identifying existing ecosystems where relationships already exist.

This step helps you map those ecosystems.

How to Complete This Step (Follow the Order)

Phase 1: Think It Through Yourself First

Before using AI, answer the questions below on your own.

This forces you to stop thinking like a fundraiser and start thinking like a human being with habits.

Ask yourself:

Where do these people already go?
What do they already read, attend, join, or pay attention to?
Who already has their trust?

Write your answers honestly. Even if they feel obvious. Especially if they feel obvious.

Questions to Answer Manually

Use the funder profiles you identified in Step 1. Do this separately for individuals, businesses, and grantors.

Where to Find Individual Funders

For each individual funder group, ask:

1. Where do people like this spend time online?
Social platforms
Forums
Email lists
Newsletters
Groups or communities

2. Where do they gather offline?
Faith spaces
Professional associations
Community events
Conferences
Alumni groups

3. What content do they already consume?
Podcasts
Blogs
YouTube channels
Local media
Opinion leaders they follow

4. Who already has their attention and trust?
Pastors
Coaches
Community leaders
Influencers
Organizers

5. What situations make them most open to giving?
Milestones
Crises
Awareness months
Personal anniversaries
Community campaigns

Where to Find Business Funders

For each business category identified in Step 1:

1. Where do decision-makers in these businesses show up?
LinkedIn
Industry events
Chambers of commerce
Trade associations
Business networking groups

2. Where do these businesses already invest time or money?
Sponsorships
Local events
CSR initiatives
Employee programs
Awards or recognition platforms

3. What platforms do they use to tell their story?
Company blogs
Press releases
Social media
Annual reports
CSR or ESG pages

4. Who influences their decisions?
Marketing leads
HR
CSR managers
CEOs
Board members

5. What moments make partnership attractive?
Hiring pushes
Rebranding
Expansion into new markets
Community pressure
Employee engagement cycles

Where to Find Grantors

For each grantor type identified in Step 1:

1. Where are these foundations publicly visible?
Foundation websites
Grant databases
Community foundation listings
Government portals

2. Where do they share information or learn?
Webinars
Convenings
Conferences
Reports
Sector briefings

3. Who represents them publicly?
Program officers
Trustees
Executive directors
Evaluation partners

4. Where do they look for potential grantees?
Referrals
Networks
Past grantee lists
Local intermediaries

5. What signals attract their attention?Clear outcomes
Local credibility
Partnerships
Pilot programs
Data and reporting

Phase 2: AI-Assisted Location Mapping

Once you’ve answered the questions above on your own, use the AI prompt below.

You will paste:

Your priority funder profiles from Step 1
Your own ideas of where you think they can be found

AI will then:

Identify missing channels
Surface overlooked gathering places
Suggest realistic, funder-aligned access points
Prevents you from over-relying on one platform

You will now use one prompt per funder type.

Each prompt:

Includes the questions
Includes your answers
Forces AI to analyse gaps per question

AI PROMPT 1: INDIVIDUAL FUNDERS

Paste everything below into AI. Do not remove the questions.

You are a nonprofit fundraising strategist.
Your role is to help me identify where my ideal individual funders already gather, and to identify gaps in my thinking.

First, here are the individual funder profiles we identified in Step 1:
[PASTE INDIVIDUAL FUNDER PROFILES HERE]

Below are the exact questions we used to brainstorm where to find them, followed by our answers.

Your instructions:

Review each answer and assess whether it is specific or vague.
Identify missing platforms, spaces, or ecosystems per question.
Highlight places that are high-trust versus high-visibility.
Identify which locations are best for relationship-building, not just awareness.
Recommend a short list of priority locations to focus on weekly.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Where do people like this spend time online?
Answer: [paste answer]
Where do they gather in person?
Answer: [paste answer]
What content do they regularly consume?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who already has their trust and attention?
Answer: [paste answer]
What moments or situations make them most open to giving?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

AI PROMPT 2: BUSINESS FUNDERS

Paste everything below into AI.

You are a nonprofit–business partnership strategist.
Your role is to identify where ideal business funders can be accessed, and where our thinking is incomplete.

First, here are the business funder profiles we identified in Step 1:
[PASTE BUSINESS FUNDER PROFILES HERE]

Below are the questions we used to brainstorm access points, followed by our answers.

Your instructions:

Identify missing business spaces, platforms, or decision-making environments.
Flag overreliance on cold outreach channels.
Identify where warm introductions are most likely.
Distinguish between marketing-driven spaces and decision-driven spaces.
Recommend priority access points by business size and sector.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Where do decision-makers in these businesses show up publicly?
Answer: [paste answer]
What business or industry spaces do they participate in?
Answer: [paste answer]
Where do these companies already sponsor, advertise, or show support?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who inside the business influences partnership decisions?
Answer: [paste answer]
What business moments make partnership appealing?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

AI PROMPT 3: GRANTORS

Paste everything below into AI.

You are a nonprofit grant strategy advisor.
Your role is to identify where aligned grantmakers can be found, and to surface gaps in our assumptions.

First, here are the grantor profiles we identified in Step 1:
[PASTE GRANTOR PROFILES HERE]

Below are the questions we used to identify access points, followed by our answers.

Your instructions:

Identify missing discovery channels for grantmakers.
Flag where we may be focusing on visibility instead of accessibility.
Identify realistic points of entry for first-time funders.
Distinguish between research locations and relationship locations.
Recommend a focused set of grant discovery and engagement channels.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Where are these foundations publicly visible?
Answer: [paste answer]
Where do they share knowledge or learn?
Answer: [paste answer]
Who represents them publicly?
Answer: [paste answer]
How do they typically discover new grantees?
Answer: [paste answer]
What signals or behaviors attract their attention?
Answer: [paste answer]

Now complete the analysis as instructed above.

Outcome of Step 2

At the end of this step, founders should have:

A short, focused list of places to show up
Clear differentiation between noise and leverage
Confidence that outreach will be targeted, not scattered

This prepares them for Step 3:
How to attract these funders daily with the right message and actions.

Step 3: How to Attract Your Ideal Funders Consistently

This step is about one thing: turning attention into a prospect list.

Attraction asks only one thing at first: “Would this person want to engage with this even if money was never mentioned?”

If the answer is no, it’s not attraction.
It’s premature fundraising.

It's also not about “going viral.” Not random posting.

Attraction means your ideal funders see something that feels made for them, and they take a small action:

give you their name + email
attend something
reply to a message
join a list
book a call
ask for more info

That’s it. That’s the win.

And it has to be repeatable.

Note: Attraction = creating something your ideal funder would engage with because it speaks to their identity, insight, or lived reality, not because you need money.

Funding becomes possible later because the attraction was done well.

Part A: Think Deeply First (Before AI)

The Attraction Rule
People don’t fund what they don’t understand.
They also don’t fund what doesn’t include them.

Your job is to create a bridge between:

your mission
and their world (values, identity, interests, incentives, reputation, community role)

So when they see your content or offer, they think: “Oh. This is for people like me.”

Case Studies and Examples

Use these as models. Don’t copy the topic. Copy the logic.

Example 1: Real Estate Agents funding a Homelessness Organization

Audience type: Individuals (professionals) or Businesses (brokerages)
Where to find them: LinkedIn, local property networking events, estate agent association meetings, Facebook groups for local property professionals
What to do to attract them (simple and executable):

Option A: Lead Magnet

Title: “The Housing Stability Playbook for Real Estate Professionals: 7 Ways to Support Homelessness Solutions While Building Your Local Reputation”
Hook: “You don’t need to ‘donate and disappear.’ You can become the trusted professional in your city who helps move people from crisis to stability.”
Action: Download in exchange for name + email.

Option B: Survey Funnel

Title: “What’s Really Driving Homelessness in Our City? Real Estate Professionals Speak”
Action: short survey, collect name + email
Result: you now have a segmented prospect list of real estate professionals who care.

Option C: Roundtable Invite

Invite them to a 45-minute Zoom: “Housing + Homelessness: What Real Estate Professionals Can Do That Actually Works”
Action: RSVP (name + email), follow up with partnership options.

Example 2: HR Managers funding a Youth Employment Program

Audience type: Businesses
Where to find them: LinkedIn, CIPD groups (UK), HR conferences, local employer forums, Chamber of Commerce events

Attraction strategy:

Lead Magnet

“The Employer’s Guide to Hiring At-Risk Youth Without the Headaches: A Simple Support Model That Improves Retention”
They download. You capture emails. You follow up with a pilot partnership invitation.

Survey

“What’s the #1 issue preventing you from hiring and retaining entry-level staff?”
You collect insight + contacts, and your program can be framed as the solution.

Example 3: Local pharmacies funding a health outreach program

Audience type: Businesses (small local)
Where to find them: local high street directories, Google Maps, local business groups

Attraction strategy:

Community Health Partner Badge

“Become a Community Health Partner” (they get a badge, monthly report, visibility)
Lead capture: partner application form.

More Examples

Founder Brainstorm Worksheet (Do this first)

Do this separately for Individuals, Businesses, and Grantors.

What does this audience already care about that connects to our mission?
What outcome do they want to be associated with?
What is a simple “first step” they’d take (download, survey, RSVP, pledge)?
What can we offer that feels valuable to them (guide, checklist, invitation, assessment, story report)?
What channel will we use to place it in front of them (LinkedIn, events, email, community partners)?
How will we collect their name and email?
What is our follow-up sequence once they opt in? (even if basic)

Write your answers first.

Part B: AI Prompts (After You’ve Done Your Brainstorming)

They will paste:

Their target audience (from Step 1)
Where to find them (from Step 2)
Their mission statement
Their Step 3 brainstorm answers
Then AI will produce sharper, more executable attraction strategies.

AI PROMPT 1: INDIVIDUALS

You are a senior nonprofit audience-growth and fundraising strategist.
Your job is to help us design attraction-first strategies that build trust and grow a prospect list of ideal individual funders BEFORE any fundraising ask.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE MISSION STATEMENT]
Individual target audience (from Step 1): [PASTE INDIVIDUAL FUNDER PROFILES]
Where to find them (from Step 2): [PASTE WHERE TO FIND THEM]

Below are the exact questions we used to brainstorm attraction, followed by our answers.
You MUST use these questions as constraints to narrow and sharpen your ideas, and to identify gaps in our thinking.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

What does this audience already care about that connects to our mission?
Answer: [paste answer]
What outcome do they want to be associated with?
Answer: [paste answer]
What is a simple “first step” they’d take (download, survey, RSVP, pledge)?
Answer: [paste answer]
What can we offer that feels valuable to them (guide, checklist, invitation, assessment, story report)?
Answer: [paste answer]
What channel will we use to place it in front of them (LinkedIn, events, email, community partners)?
Answer: [paste answer]
How will we collect their name and email?
Answer: [paste answer]
What is our follow-up sequence once they opt in? (even if basic)
Answer: [paste answer]

YOUR OUTPUT REQUIREMENTS

First, identify gaps or weak logic in our answers (per question).

Then propose 10 attraction-first ideas specifically for this individual audience, and for each idea include:

The “care connection” angle (what they already care about)
The identity/outcome association (what they want to be known for)
The offer (lead magnet, survey, RSVP event, story project, toolkit, briefing)
The first step (exact action they take)
The channel(s)
The lead capture method (exact fields to collect)
A simple 3-touch follow-up sequence (Day 0, Day 2, Day 7) with message intent
Recommend the top 3 ideas based on: speed to launch, audience precision, and list-building power.
Provide a 14-day execution plan with daily actions for ONE chosen idea.

Output format:
Gap notes (by question)
Strategy table (10 rows)
Top 3 ranked
14-day plan

AI PROMPT 2: BUSINESSES

You are a nonprofit–business partnership and audience-growth strategist.
Your job is to design attraction-first strategies that build a prospect list of business decision-makers BEFORE any partnership ask.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE MISSION STATEMENT]
Business target audience (from Step 1): [PASTE BUSINESS FUNDER PROFILES]
Where to find them (from Step 2): [PASTE WHERE TO FIND THEM]

Below are the exact narrowing questions we used, followed by our answers.
You MUST use them as constraints and point out gaps.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Identify gaps in our thinking (per question), especially where we’re not clear about decision-makers.

Propose 10 attraction-first ideas tailored to businesses, such as:

employer insight surveys
industry briefings
closed roundtables
benchmarking reports
co-learning sessions
“community intelligence” updates
(Do NOT include sponsorship or donation asks. Attraction only.)

For each idea include:

Business incentive/care connection
Desired outcome association (reputation, workforce stability, trust, community leadership)
Offer + first step
Channel(s)
Lead capture fields (name, email, role, company size, sector)
A simple 3-touch follow-up sequence (Day 0, Day 2, Day 7)
Rank the top 3 ideas and provide a 30-day execution plan for the best one.

Output format:

Gap notes (by question)
Strategy table (10 rows)
Top 3 ranked
30-day plan

AI PROMPT 3: GRANTORS

(Grantor attraction is different: it’s credibility signals + relevance, not mass lead magnets)

You are a nonprofit grant strategy and funder-relations advisor.
Your job is to design attraction-first strategies that increase grantor familiarity and receptiveness BEFORE any application or ask.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE MISSION STATEMENT]
Grantor target audience (from Step 1): [PASTE GRANTOR PROFILES]
Where to find them (from Step 2): [PASTE WHERE TO FIND THEM]

Below are the exact narrowing questions we used, followed by our answers.
You MUST use them as constraints and point out gaps.

QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS

Identify gaps in our thinking (per question), especially where grantor behavior differs from individuals.

Propose 8–10 attraction-first ideas that grantors actually respond to, such as:

outcome snapshots / learning briefs
community needs intelligence
practitioner roundtables with published insights
pilot learnings with clean reporting
partnerships that signal credibility
public-facing one-pagers aligned to their priorities
(No “ask” language. Attraction only.)

For each idea include:

Care connection + outcome association
The asset we create (brief, dashboard, insight report, learning note)
Where it will be placed so they actually see it
The first step a grantor would take (download, RSVP, reply, referral, intro)
The lead capture method (email list, RSVP list, inquiry form)
A simple follow-up sequence focused on relationship building
Rank the top 3 ideas and provide a 60-day execution plan for the best one.

Output format:

Gap notes (by question)
Strategy table (8–10 rows)
Top 3 ranked
60-day plan

The Attraction Scoring Rule

(So You Don’t Choose the Wrong Tactics)

Before you commit to any attraction idea, you must score it.

This rule exists for one reason:
Fundraising that never launches raises $0.

Big ideas that never get executed are worse than small ideas done consistently.

The 4-Point Attraction Score

Closing Step 3: Locking in Your Attraction Strategy

By the end of Step 3, you are not trying to raise money yet.
You are building the conditions that make fundraising possible.

If you’ve completed this step properly, you should now have:

A clear understanding of what your ideal funders already care about
A specific outcome they want to be associated with
One or two attraction ideas that feel natural to them, not forced
A clear “first step” that invites engagement without pressure
A simple way to collect names and emails
A basic follow-up sequence that continues the relationship

If any of these are missing, pause here. Do not move on.

Your Step 3 Output (Non-Negotiable)

Before proceeding to the next step, you must be able to answer the following clearly for each funder type (Individuals, Businesses, Grantors):

What is the one attraction idea we are starting with?
Why does this idea matter to this audience specifically?
What exact action do we want them to take first?
Where will this live, and how will they find it?
What information are we collecting?
What happens in the first 7 days after they opt in?
If you cannot answer these without hesitation, the strategy is not ready.

Go To Step 4