The Funding Secret – How to Make Funders Chase You
Edward Jengo
You’re doing it backwards – writing proposals to strangers with 5% success rates while some organisations get calls from funders asking if they need support.
The difference? They stopped chasing. Funders started calling.
How Funders Really Find Grantees
Funders are terrified of bad bets. Before issuing RFPs, they ask around:
- “Who’s doing good work in maternal health in Kenya?”
- “Who would you trust with $500K?”
Organisations named in these conversations get funded, often before applications open.
Four Moves That Make Funders Chase You
1. Be Impossible to Ignore in One Thing
Funders remember “the climate-education people” or “the ones with insane M&E”, not generalists.
Do this:
- Publish THE definitive guide on your approach
- Speak at every relevant conference
- Show up first on Google for your issue
- Get other NGOs citing your methodology
Example: One organisation became “the” solar clinic authority. Published their manual as open source and trained others. Now, funders call them first.
2. Make Funders Look Smart
Funders buy data for their boards, publications to share, and case studies for reports.
Do this:
- Generate quotable data: “85% attendance during climate shocks”
- Co-author reports with funders
- Provide spokespeople when journalists call
Example: An NGO sent quarterly “funder-ready” briefs – two pages with pull-quotes and charts. Their funder used these in board presentations. Renewal was automatic. Three peer funders reached out.
3. Build on the Network that Builds Itself
Funders trust referrals more than proposals.
The network:
- Peer NGOs – Help “competitors” and they refer funders to you
- Government – Ministry endorsements create instant credibility
- Researchers – When Stanford publishes your evaluation, funders Google you
- Past funders – One good experience creates three new conversations
Example: One organisation hosted quarterly “open learning” calls, sharing M&E with competitors. Within a year, 12 organisations and three firms were referring them.
4. Demonstrate Inevitability
Show you’re growing with or without them:
- “Three ministries adopted our approach”
- “We’ve secured $1.2M from five funders”
- “Fifteen NGOs are implementing our model”
Example: One organisation announced a $5M commitment. Three other funders reached out within weeks.
Actions That Trigger Funder Outreach
- Publish something remarkable (one evaluation led to six inquiries)
- Win an award (creates “someone vetted this” shortcut)
- Get government praise
- Speak at conferences that funders attend
- Be quoted in media funders read
- Host THE convening
The Uncomfortable Truth
This requires giving away your “secret sauce.” Organisations that funders chase are radically transparent. They publish manuals, share frameworks and train “competitors.”
What’s the ONE thing your organisation does better than anyone else? If you can’t answer in ten words, that’s your first problem.
(Edward Jengo is a Ugandan fundraising expert, and Chief Executive Officer of Bright Path Consult)
