The Fundraising Unicorn Myth (and What Nonprofits Actually Need)

Dear Board Members,

Stop looking for a fundraising unicorn.

The number of times I’ve been asked to join a board and “help with fundraising” for free is astronomical. And honestly, a bit outrageous. Can I sit on a board and write a few grants a year? Sure. But if that’s what you’re relying on to keep your organization afloat, you have a much bigger problem than you think you do.

To be fair, this approach can work at a very early stage. If you’re a small startup growing from $20,000 to $100,000, having someone step in and support across multiple areas can make a meaningful difference. But once you’re operating at $500K, $1M, or beyond, the expectations change. Fundraising becomes more complex, more competitive, and far more relationship-driven. At that level, relying on one person, especially in an unpaid or loosely defined role, is not a strategy. It’s a risk.

There’s a common belief in this sector that one person can do it all. Write grants, run events, build donor relationships, create strategy, manage campaigns. Sometimes all under one role. Sometimes unpaid. On paper, it sounds efficient. In practice, it’s unrealistic.

Expecting a board member or volunteer to carry that level of responsibility without proper compensation or support is not sustainable, and it’s not fair. I make a living doing this work because the need is real. Fundraising, when done properly, is strategic, layered, and ongoing. If you want real results, there has to be some level of investment.

That said, I understand the hesitation. What if you invest in fundraising and it doesn’t work? What if the funding doesn’t come in? What if that money feels wasted?

Here’s the truth. If you hire the right person, it is never wasted.

Even in scenarios where immediate funding isn’t secured, you gain clarity. You learn what doesn’t work, which is one of the most valuable lessons an organization can have. You gain structure, templates, and positioning. You learn how to frame your programs, your ask, and your impact. And perhaps most importantly, you begin building visibility.

Even a declined application can put your name on a funder’s radar. And that matters more than most people realize. Because when funding becomes available for a specific cause, funders don’t always start from scratch. They often return to organizations they already know and trust.

This is also why I tell every client the same thing. You should be talking to funders before you apply. Every time. It helps you understand how much to ask for, what their current priorities are, and whether your work is actually aligned. Yes, some of this is on their website. But priorities shift. Conversations give you context that a website never will.

When your application lands, it should not be the first time they’ve heard your name. It should feel familiar. Thoughtful. Aligned.

Now let’s talk about the part that makes people uncomfortable.

Why do we keep adding more and more onto someone’s plate just because they’re capable?

This is where things quietly cross into exploitation. Not in the most extreme sense, but in a very real and normalized way in this sector. The people you’re relying on care deeply. They want to help. They will overextend themselves without saying anything.

And just because someone isn’t speaking up does not mean they aren’t overwhelmed.

Eventually, they burn out. And then you lose them. Your board member, your volunteer, your staff.

If you personally could not juggle everything you’re putting on someone else’s plate, what makes you think they can? Even if it is their area of expertise. In fact, they’re likely putting more time and effort into each task because they know what quality work actually looks like. Adding more simply because “they can handle it” doesn’t lead to better outcomes. It leads to breakdown.

There’s another side to this that also needs to be addressed.

Sometimes organizations do invest. They hire a consultant or bring in a fundraiser expecting that “unicorn” level of performance. And then things fall flat. This is where fear starts to build in the sector.

But here’s the reality. Fundraising comes with rejection.

You will receive declines. Let me say that again… You will receive declines.

If anyone tells you they can guarantee a win without an insider connection, they’re lying. I say this often. If someone guarantees a win, run. Those are often the same people who say all the right things, overpromise results, and position themselves as the solution to everything. They get hired as the “unicorn,” and when it doesn’t work, it reinforces the belief that fundraising itself doesn’t work.

That’s not the issue. The issue is expectation.

Real fundraisers don’t sell certainty. We sell strategy. We tell you upfront that there will be no’s alongside the yes’s. Because that is how this works.

If I told you that for every three declines you’d get one strong yes, how quickly would you move through those applications? Exactly.

Some things will always be out of your control. A funder may have already allocated their budget. Board priorities may shift. Alignment may not be as strong as it looked on paper. Timing might simply be off. That doesn’t mean the work failed. It means you’re operating within a real system.

There’s also another mistake I see organizations make.

They start shaping their programming around available funding.

They create new initiatives, shift priorities, or stretch their work just to fit a grant opportunity. That is never the strategy.

Strong fundraising aligns with your mission. It doesn’t redefine it.

We don’t chase money at the expense of clarity. We build funding around work that already makes sense. Real fundraisers know this.

And yes, there are incredible tools available now. Platforms like Grant Connect, CharityCAN, Instrumentl, and CauseVox have made access to information easier than ever. AI tools are helping organizations move faster and produce stronger outputs.

But tools don’t remove the work. They raise the baseline.

Everyone now has access to better templates, better language, and better starting points. So you’re no longer competing on access. You’re competing on clarity, strategy, storytelling, and execution. The human side of the work is what stands out.

Fundraising is not easy. It is one of the most critical functions in your organization. Because without funding, your programs don’t exist. What you do in this space matters. Now more than ever.

So if you want strong results, you need strong structure. And if you want strong fundraisers, you need to hire them and pay them.

This is also a call out to the sector.

If an organization is paying a fundraiser and still struggling to make ends meet, something is off. Either the fundraiser is not the right fit, or they are not being properly supported. A strong fundraiser should be able to contribute to covering their role, support operations, and help grow the organization over time. Not just maintain it. Grow it.

And that requires investment. Because fundraising is not something you figure out on the side. It is a professional skillset that needs to be developed, supported, and respected.

At the end of the day, the goal is not to find a unicorn.

The goal is to build something sustainable. Something that doesn’t rely on one person to hold everything together. Something that doesn’t collapse when someone leaves. Something that can grow with you.

Build the structure. Invest in the work. Respect the people doing it.

Everything else follows.

If this sounds familiar, it’s likely not a people problem. It’s a structure problem.

At Advocate Fundraising, we work with organizations to move from reactive fundraising to clear, sustainable strategy.

You don’t need a unicorn.
You need the right approach.