In a fiercely competitive nonprofit landscape, securing funding is beyond writing compelling proposals, it builds relationships, fosters innovation, and provides long-term impact. With funding environments shrinking and competition intensifying, business development officers seek to understand how nonprofits can stay afloat and thrive. APHRC’s fundraising journey offers powerful lessons. From securing transformative multi-year grants to nurturing innovation through preparatory funding for “big ideas,” APHRC has redefined how nonprofits approach sustainability.
Traditionally, fundraising solicits financial support but can also involve donating goods and services for transformational projects. Non-profit organizations rely on funding from various funders to run their day-to-day activities. Without adequate funding, organizations face the risk of losing business continuity. It is no wonder that organizations do all they can to attract financing by hiring competent and top-notch writers who can develop proposals, establish and maintain relationships with funders, and implement systems that help with grant management. While funding may be considered ‘free money,’ funders require that organizations deliver on the outputs and achieve the outcomes promised in their proposals.
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)’s 2022-2026 Resource Mobilization Strategy outlines the systematic and well-coordinated approach to acquiring and managing organizational resources, including short-term and long-term measures for optimal cultivation, enhanced success rates, appropriate expenditure, and funder’ retention. The measures cover restricted and unrestricted funding; both are essential for long-term financial sustainability. Program teams are encouraged and supported to forge strategic relationships around ideas and as a pathway to individual capacity strengthening towards independence as researchers.
APHRC’s emphasis on multi-country, multi-year, and high-value grants has been transformative in prioritizing strategic opportunities and securing high-value awards. For the last five (5) years, the Center has pursued such grants, which has led to a remarkable growth trajectory, securing approximately US$40 million in successful and confirmed proposals in 2024, compared to under US$10 million in 2020. In addition, the Center has prioritized donor diversification, leveraging longstanding relationships and new partnerships with funders like the Hewlett Foundation, Gates, IDRC, Sida, and the Conrad Hilton Foundation.
This approach has reduced over-reliance on one funder to cover all the projects, which can disrupt project activities whenever there is a shift in the funder’s interests or organizational policy. Non-profit organizations work in the interest of under-served communities that face many challenges that could cause suffering or, in extreme cases, depending on the project, death if the project is halted on account of inadequate funding or lack thereof. The center has developed an innovation fund to fund pipelines and big ideas in line with individual capacity strengthening on fundraising. The big ideas are awarded US$50,000 preparatory grants to refine further and develop ideas for funder engagement and/or submission. The pipeline ideas target early-to-mid-career and non-research professionals who would like to build their niche and/or innovate within their area of expertise with a budget ceiling of US$10,000, resulting in a rich bank of ideas that the center taps into for funder cultivation and pitching.
Achieving sustainability in non-profit organizations through fundraising requires adaptability to the dynamic changing funding environment. Organizations must think beyond immediate project outcomes and consider how they will maintain momentum and effectiveness over time, demonstrating projects’ sustainability well beyond their end dates. Funders would like to see their investments stand the test of time and align with the broader goals of social responsibility and community empowerment. Organizations with a proven track record of sustaining projects after their official completion are better positioned to retain current funders and attract new ones. Additionally, robust systems and capacity-building initiatives establish the necessary foundations for sustainability. For example, APHRC’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform has streamlined grant tracking and enhanced compliance and efficiency. Similarly, the strategic mentoring of researchers to lead proposals ensures a talent pipeline capable of sustaining the organization’s fundraising efforts. APHRC has also built sustainability into its proposals through co-creation with funders and partners and embedding systemic capacity strengthening within the projects. If they envision their organizations’ sustainability, non-profit organizations must invest in innovation and capacity building to future-proof fundraising, strengthen systems, and embrace donor diversification and relationship management to navigate funding shifts.