You're carrying the weight of fundraising alone, and it's not sustainable.
You're not failing. The system is broken.
You know your organization needs to raise more money. Your board knows it too - they remind you at every meeting. But you're already doing five jobs. You're the ED, the lead fundraiser, the grant writer, the donor relations person, and the strategic planner.
You've thought about hiring, but you can't afford senior-level talent, and you don't have capacity to train someone junior.
Small nonprofits with budgets under $5M often can't afford full-time senior fundraisers, but they desperately need that expertise.
Even larger organizations may struggle to afford a Director of Development because they don’t have much unrestricted revenue.
So, the work falls on EDs who are already stretched impossibly thin. It's not sustainable, and it's keeping your organization from the financial stability your mission deserves.
That's why we created our fractional fundraising service.
You get a senior fundraiser embedded in your team - someone with 10-25 years of experience who handles both strategy and implementation. You show up for a weekly check-in. We handle everything else. No hiring. No training. No project management on your end.
Just real, sustainable growth in your fundraising.
What is Fractional Fundraising?
Fractional fundraising is when a senior fundraising expert (10-25 years experience) works with your organization part-time—typically 7-12 hours per week—as an embedded member of your team, not an outside consultant.
Think of it as having a Chief Development Officer's expertise and execution for 20-30% of the time and cost.
What makes it different:
NOT part-time staff (you're not managing someone junior)
NOT a consultant who gives you a plan and leaves (we implement with you)
NOT something you hand off and ignore (it's a partnership)
Here's what working with a fractional fundraiser actually looks like
Month 1: You hand over your donor spreadsheets, past campaigns, and annual reports. We analyze everything while you focus on running your organization. Then we meet to walk through what we found and map out your top 2-3 revenue opportunities. You leave with clarity you haven't had in years.
Month 4: A donor emails asking about a larger gift. Instead of scrambling, you forward it to us. We draft the response, prep you for the meeting, and create the follow-up plan. You show up as the leader; we handle the fundraising mechanics.
Month 7: Your board asks "how's fundraising going?" You show them the report we created: new CRM fully adapted, three new grants secured, year-end campaign already scheduled. They stop asking if you've thought about hiring someone.
Month 12: You have systems that work. Email templates. A grants calendar. Donor journeys that run automatically. Board members who know how to make asks. And you're not lying awake wondering how you'll handle that donor meeting.
You've probably tried other solutions.
This is different.
You tried cobbling together part-time or volunteer help
Nobody sees the big picture and you're still the conduit.
➔ One person owns your entire strategy.
Your dedicated consultant makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.
You thought about hiring but the math doesn't work
A senior fundraiser costs $90K-$140K. Plus then they need 3-6 months to learn your organization.
➔ You pay $66K annually total.
No benefits. No learning curve. Senior expertise from day one.
You tried DIY fundraising from webinars and blogs
You learned a lot, but you don't have time to implement any new ideas.
➔ We do the project management and implementation.
You approve it, we execute it.
You hired a consultant who gave you a great fundraising plan
It was thorough, but it hasn’t been used because you don't have capacity to execute.
➔ We create an actionable work plan you can actually understand.
We break down the required tasks month-by-month.
The pattern: You've been given advice, strategies, and good intentions. What you haven't had is someone who shows up consistently and does the work with you. That's what fractional fundraising is.
How we work together
What you do:
Week 1:
One 90-minute onboarding call where you tell us everything
Weeks 2-52:
One hour-long check-in every week
As needed:
Review drafts, approve campaigns, show up to donor meetings we've prepped you for, and help with stewardship
That's it. That's your time commitment.
What we do:
Months 1-2: Strategy and Foundation
Analyze your donor data and past campaigns
Interview key people - volunteers, staff, board, etc.
Identify your top 2-3 revenue opportunities
Build your 12-month fundraising plan
Set up or optimize your CRM
Months 3-10: Implementation and Growth *
Write and schedule all your campaigns
Research and write grants
Set up automated donor journeys
Conduct prospect research and prep donor meetings
Build board fundraising training
Report on impact to funders and donors
Create templates and systems you'll use beyond our engagement
Months 10-12: Optimization and Transition
Analyze what's working and adjust strategies
Document everything
Train your staff on the systems we've built
Plan for sustainability
The key difference: You're not managing us. We know what needs to happen and we make it happen. You focus on leading the organization. We focus on building your fundraising infrastructure.
Your weekly check-in isn't just project management; it's thought partnership. "Should we pursue this opportunity?" "How should we handle this donor situation?" "What's our priority if capacity gets tight?"
* Please note: Every organization has its own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These are tasks we may take on at your organization, depending on your nonprofit’s capacity and unique top revenue priorities.
The investment
Fractional Fundraising partnerships are $5,500/month for 12-month commitments.
That's $66,000 annually for:
✅ A dedicated senior fundraiser (10-25 years experience) embedded in your team
✅ Complete strategy development and implementation
✅ Weekly accountability check-ins and thought partnership
✅ Campaign writing, grant writing, and reporting
✅ CRM setup and optimization
✅ Board and staff training (included free)
✅ All templates, systems, and documentation
For context: An entry-level fundraiser costs $65K+ in salary and benefits—all before equipment, management time, or the 6-month learning curve. More than that, there is also the opportunity cost. We make sure you use your resources as efficiently as possible and don’t leave any money on the table.
Here's how to know if we're your people
This is probably a good fit if:
✅ You're an ED carrying fundraising on top of everything else.
✅ Your budget is between $500K and $5M—big enough to invest in fundraising but too small to hire multiple senior staff. Fractional fundraising is also a good fit for larger organizations with stable funding, but limited unrestricted support to hire staff.
✅ You've tried other solutions (webinars, consultants, asking your board) and they haven't worked.
✅ You're looking for someone to actually do the work, not give you ideas.
✅ You're ready to invest in building systems that last.
✅ You believe (or want to believe) that fundraising can align with your values around equity and justice. You believe in the values of Community-Centric Fundraising.
This probably isn't the right fit if:
❌ Your budget is under $500K. You might be better served by our Fundraising Plan service ($15,000).
❌ You have a significant operational deficit or need immediate cash. Fundraising builds sustainable revenue, but relationships take time to build.
❌ You only want grant writing without broader strategy. If you are unsure if you need a grant writer or a fractional fundraiser, check out this article.
❌ You're looking for guarantees on specific revenue numbers. There are too many variables beyond our control.
Still not sure? That's what the discovery call is for. We'll be honest about whether this will work for your situation. You can book a call with our team here.
Not ready for fractional fundraising?
Here's what to do instead.
If your budget is under $500K: Consider our Fundraising Plan service. You get strategy, templates, and frameworks for $15,000—your team implements.
If you need immediate guidance: We offer coaching sessions to guide you. $1,000/month gets you regular support as you implement your own work.
If you need to convince your board: Download our proposal template to share with decision-makers.
If you're just not sure: Sign up for our monthly newsletter with free fundraising strategies. When you're ready, we'll be here.
If you want to learn more: Listen to episodes of The Small Nonprofit Podcast where we share practical advice for organizations like yours.