A Candid Conversation With a Career Fundraising Professional

Ask. Thank. Report. Repeat.

It’s a simple enough model. And whether you’re applying for grants, or growing a donor base, the approach works. But nonprofits juggling limited time and lean staffing sometimes don’t, or won’t, invest in systems that create predictable revenue.

“Everybody wants fundraising for free,” Pamela Grow shares, reflecting on her career. “They think ‘we do good work — people should want to give us money.’ But they don’t realize they need to make a case for support.”

Grow has helped raise hundreds of millions through her consultancy, Basics and More Fundraising, transforming nonprofits from exhausting and inconsistent results to streamlined, efficient, and effective fundraising efforts.

And with the Trump administration slashing grant funding, and general uncertainty in the economy, her expertise is more important than ever.

Lessons From Inside the Connelly Foundation

Pamela started her career at a family foundation in Pennsylvania, where she quickly learned the best-written proposals don’t always win.

The best stories win.

“There was this organization that helped women and children,” Grow remembers. “When they applied, they’d tell the story of a woman who went through their program. It was so good, our office manager would make four or five copies, because everyone in the office would want to read it.”

There’s a reason that advice — tell a good story — gets shared so often. Yet organizations still regularly submit proposals that ignore it.

“I can still remember our vice president of programs coming in with a big, thick proposal in hand, saying, ‘I don’t know what they do. There’s just so much jargon.’”

Her final reflection from her time in grantmaking emphasizes the importance of relationship building, and persistence. “I can’t tell you how many organizations we’d decline and never hear from them again. But believe it or not, oftentimes, the third time’s the charm.”

Connecting Donor Dollars to Impact

After seven years of foundation work, she moved into fundraising. She’d always been interested in the other side, and since individual giving dwarfs private foundations, there was plenty of opportunity to do good.

She started by raising money for a nonprofit ambulance service.

“The first thing I had to do was find out why people gave,” she explains. “It was funny. These guys loved their trucks. Their old mailers were these big, glossy, full-color pieces all about their equipment, but I knew people didn’t give because the ambulances were so pretty.”

So, how do you figure out why donors give? It sounds basic, but Pamela just asked.

“Easy, easy, easy stuff. I pulled everyone who’d given $250 or more, sent letters thanking them, introducing myself, and asking why they gave. One guy wrote back and said, ‘You can save a life.’ Another said he’d fallen on Montgomery Avenue and couldn’t get up.” 

Turns out, her instinct was right. People didn’t give because of state-of-the-art ambulances. They gave because the service had rescued them, or could rescue someone else.

What Holds Some Nonprofits Back?

Over the years, Grow picked up on a common theme: nonprofits sometimes see fundraising as a role anyone can do.

“Everybody thinks they’re a fundraiser,” she says. “But they don’t seem to realize this is a profession. There are best practices. There’s an art and a science to this.” 

It’s not necessarily their fault. There’s an incredible amount of turnover in nonprofits, and it’s hard to build consistency when your organization is constantly starting over.

But other times, fundraisers are denied the tools to succeed in the first place. Grow shares an example: “A major gifts fundraiser signed up for our program, and he wasn’t even allowed to attend board meetings. And that’s not uncommon! We’re always shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Transforming Nonprofits: Basics and More Fundraising

Grow offers a mix of courses, coaching, and hands-on fractional fundraising support for nonprofits interested in building simple systems that save them time and grow their donor base.

She focuses on the basics — donor communication, compelling appeals, and thoughtful reporting. “Ask, thank, report, repeat. It’s the same cycle you follow when you’re going after foundation grants,” she explains.

After working with her, organizations discover they can raise more with less stress.

“I once helped a nonprofit nursing home. They were fundraising through nine exhausting events a year. They started with our classes, and fast forward ten years, they’ve cut out all events. Instead, they send just four donor newsletters a year. And just recently, they even received close to a million-dollar legacy gift.”