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Beyond the Horizon: Breaking Free from Short-Term Thinking in Nonprofit Fundraising

Last updated: January 23, 2025

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It’s January, and I can already feel the pressure mounting in development offices across the country. New goals are being set, targets are being raised, and fundraisers everywhere are feeling that familiar squeeze: deliver more, faster, now.

I’ve been there. As a fundraiser, I’ve sat in those meetings where the focus is entirely on next month’s revenue target, where long-term donor relationships take a back seat to immediate needs, where the tyranny of metrics forces us to prioritize quick wins over lasting impact.

But what if there’s a better way?

The Trap We’ve Built for Ourselves

Let’s be honest about something: we’ve created a system that’s burning out our donors, our staff, and ultimately, our missions. When 60% of donors never give again, we’re not just losing money—we’re losing relationships, trust, and the opportunity to create lasting change.

I recently spoke with a development director who summed it up perfectly: “I know these extra year-end pushes are hurting our donor relationships, but I don’t know how to stop. The board wants to see those numbers, and December giving is our lifeline.”

This is what I call the tyranny of metrics, borrowing from Jerry Z. Muller’s insightful work. We’ve become so focused on measuring what’s easily countable that we’ve lost sight of what truly counts.

Rethinking How We Set Goals

For years, we’ve relied on SMART goals because they’re, well, smart. But what if our addiction to specificity and measurability is actually part of the problem? What if our timebound targets are creating artificial pressures that hurt more than help?

This is why I’ve started advocating for WISE goals in addition to SMART goals. Let me share a story that illustrates the difference.

A few years ago, I worked with an organization that transformed their typical year-end goal from “raise $100K in December” to something more thoughtful: “design a sustainable year-end strategy that strengthens donor relationships while meeting our funding needs.” The shift in thinking was subtle but powerful.

Instead of focusing solely on the dollar amount, they started asking better questions:

  • How can we make this campaign energize rather than exhaust our donors?
  • What would make our donors excited to participate again next year?
  • How can we use this campaign to deepen relationships?

The result? They not only met their revenue goal but saw a 30% increase in donor retention the following year. More importantly, their staff reported feeling more fulfilled and less burned out.

The WISE Approach in Action

WISE goals take a different path. They look at the Whole, considering every part of your fundraising ecosystem including your staff, donors, and community now and in the future. They’re Iterative, building in learning and adaptation. They’re Sustainable, focusing on long-term value. And they’re Evidence-based, using data to inform rather than dictate decisions.

This holistic view is particularly important when we think about how quickly we tend to abandon promising tools and approaches. I see it all the time: An organization invests in new technology, gets frustrated when it doesn’t immediately transform their fundraising, and starts looking for the next solution before they’ve given the current one a real chance to succeed. Or they hire a consultant, expect immediate results, and end the engagement just as the groundwork for real change is being laid. 

Now I’m not saying that we should go around chasing shiny new technology or a consultant with the best marketing sizzle but if you’ve done your due diligence and this choice is the WISE one for your organization, you owe it yourself to see if it truly doesn’t work. 

Let’s talk about ROI and timelines in a way that might feel familiar. Imagine going to the gym on January 2nd (because let’s be honest, January 1st is for recovering from New Year’s Eve), working out for an hour or even a few days, and then checking the mirror expecting to see dramatic changes. Sounds ridiculous, right? Yet somehow, we expect our fundraising transformations to happen just as quickly.

I recently spoke at a conference where a development director CEO came up to me frustrated that their new consulting partner wasn’t producing “immediate results.” They’d invested in bringing in expertise to help transform their major gifts program, but after just three months, they were already questioning the value. “We’re spending all this money,” they told me, “but we haven’t seen any major gifts yet.”

I had to smile because it reminded me of something a mentor once told me: “Expecting immediate results from a major gifts consultant is like expecting to harvest tomatoes the day after you plant the seeds.” The reality is that building a major gifts program typically requires multiple cycles of cultivation, each building on the lessons of the previous ones.

Think about what needs to happen in just one cycle: identifying prospects, making initial contacts, having discovery conversations, understanding donor interests, developing proposals, making the ask, and stewarding the gift. And that’s assuming everything goes perfectly (spoiler alert: it rarely does). Each of these steps takes time, and more importantly, each cycle teaches us something new that makes the next cycle more effective.

The same principle applies across our sector. I’ve seen organizations abandon promising initiatives far too quickly, not realizing that true transformation requires patience and persistence. Consider:

  • Donor Management Systems need several cycles of all-hands-on-deck effort to reveal their true value
  • Donor journeys require multiple campaigns to optimize and understand donor behavior
  • Stewardship programs need several touchpoints to build meaningful relationships
  • Volunteer management systems require multiple cycles to show their full impact
  • Wealth screening tools need both time and intentionality to optimize gift asks

And that’s just the basic stuff. It’s like expecting to become a master chef after cooking one meal, or thinking you understand marriage after one successful date night. (Spoiler alert: You don’t.)

Consider some non-fundraising examples that illustrate this point perfectly. Amazon lost money for its first four years as a public company. Netflix spent years building its streaming infrastructure before it became the powerhouse it is today. Even Google’s famous search algorithm needed multiple iterations and years of refinement before it became the verb we all use today. 

Here’s a truth bomb that might sting a little: Most of us are trying to evaluate marathon strategies using sprint metrics. “Revenue gets you through the month, retention gets you through the years.” Let that sink in for a moment. I’ll wait. I’ve got time. Unlike your year-end campaign deadlines.

In the corporate world, companies often use the Rule of Seven Touches in marketing, suggesting it takes seven interactions before a customer makes a purchase. In fundraising, our relationship cycles are often even longer and more complex. It’s not just about the number of touches—it’s about building trust, demonstrating impact, and creating a genuine connection. 

You can’t microwave trust; it’s marinated and smoked low and slow. 

That’s not happening in a single giving cycle, no matter how many emojis you use in your email subject lines.

Here’s a framework I use when evaluating new initiatives. Instead of asking “Is this working?” (which often leads to premature abandonment), ask these questions:

  • Are we seeing incremental improvements cycle over cycle?
  • What insights are we gaining that we can apply to the next iteration?
  • How is this changing our relationships with donors (even if we can’t measure it in dollars yet)?
  • What unexpected benefits or challenges are emerging that we need to consider?

One development director I worked with has a great way of explaining this to her board. She says, “If we’re building a cathedral, we can’t evaluate our progress using the same metrics we’d use to build a shed.” When board members press for immediate results, she reminds them that their own business investments often took years to mature. “Remember how long it took your company to become what it is today?” she asks. 

You can’t rush growth, but you can create the conditions that make it inevitable.

Here’s what this looks like in practice: Instead of setting a goal to “acquire 1,000 new donors by Q2,” a WISE goal might be “develop a donor acquisition system that aligns with our retention capacity and creates lasting value for our mission.”

Notice the difference? The first goal might drive you to make compromises that hurt long-term sustainability. The second encourages you to think about the whole system and build something that lasts.

Making the Shift: Practical Steps Forward

I know what you’re thinking: “This sounds great in theory, but my board still wants to see those numbers.” You’re right. This is where the art of fundraising meets the science of metrics.

Start by having different conversations. When your board asks about monthly numbers, share those—but also share stories about donor engagement, retention trends, and relationship depth. Help them see the fuller picture of fundraising health.

One organization brought me in to work with their board on fundraising and becoming an ambassador include a “relationship strength indicator” in their board meetings. They tracked things like donor meeting quality, response rates to communications, and multi-year giving patterns. Over time, the board began asking different questions—less about immediate numbers and more about sustainable growth.

The Path Beyond the Horizon

This shift to long-term thinking isn’t just about changing our metrics or our goals. It’s about changing our entire approach to fundraising. It’s about recognizing that revenue gets you through the month, but relationships get you through the years.

As you move forward in your fundraising journey, remember this: Beyond the horizon is where your mission’s true impact begins. Every time you resist the urge to push for immediate results at the expense of relationship building, you’re investing in what’s beyond what you can immediately see at that horizon.

Are you ready to think bigger? To plan longer? To build something that lasts? The future of fundraising—and the impact we can create—depends on it.

Want to continue this conversation? Connect with me on LinkedIn!


Cherian Koshy

Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP® is Vice President at Kindsight and has spent over two decades helping nonprofits build sustainable fundraising practices. He serves on the AFP Global Board and regularly speaks about fundraising innovation and donor engagement.

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