EOFY fundraising pressure: Are nonprofits properly resourced for modern campaigning?

As the end of financial year approaches, fundraising teams across Australia are entering one of the most important — and often most intense — periods of the year.

EOFY campaigns remain a critical revenue driver for many nonprofit organisations, but conversations across the sector suggest this year feels different.

Donor expectations continue to evolve. Acquisition costs remain elevated. Competition for attention is increasing. Teams are being asked to deliver more with the same — and in some cases fewer — resources.

In recent conversations with nonprofit leaders and through insights shared at the recent Fundraising Institute Australia Conference, one theme surfaced repeatedly:

Fundraising has become significantly more complex, and many organisations are questioning whether their current team structure and capability are keeping pace.

As organisations push toward campaign targets and begin planning for FY27, perhaps the bigger question is no longer simply “Will we hit our fundraising goal?”

It may be: Do we have the right fundraising capability to succeed in the years ahead?

The fundraising environment has changed

For many years, fundraising growth could often be achieved by doing more of what had worked before.

More acquisition.
More appeals.
More channels.
More activity.

Today, the reality looks different.

Fundraising leaders are increasingly navigating a more sophisticated and demanding environment, balancing short-term revenue pressures with long-term sustainability.

Some of the themes emerging across the sector include:

• Rising donor acquisition costs
• Greater competition across digital channels
• Increased focus on donor retention and stewardship
• Higher expectations around supporter experience and personalisation
• Growing reliance on data, reporting and insights
• Increased pressure to demonstrate ROI
• More board and executive scrutiny of fundraising investment

At the same time, demand for services across many nonprofit sectors continues to rise.

Success is becoming less about campaign volume and more about building the capability to deliver sustainable growth.

Donor acquisition is harder — and teams are carrying more

One of the strongest themes emerging from sector conversations is the ongoing pressure around donor acquisition.

Traditional acquisition channels are delivering lower volumes than they have historically. Digital remains essential but increasingly competitive. Community fundraising continues to perform well for some organisations — but not universally.

And donor expectations continue to evolve.

Importantly, acquisition challenges do not exist in isolation.

When acquisition slows:

• Future donor retention is impacted
• Regular giving pipelines become narrower
• Major donor pathways shrink
• Long-term fundraising sustainability becomes harder to maintain

Many organisations are asking:

Are we investing in the right channels?

But another equally important question is emerging:

Do we have the right people and capability to optimise those channels?

Fundraising roles themselves are evolving.

Today’s fundraising professionals are increasingly expected to operate across campaign strategy, digital marketing, CRM and data capability, donor stewardship, supporter journeys, analytics, board engagement and operational leadership.

The fundraiser of today looks very different to the fundraiser of ten years ago.

Likewise, Heads of Fundraising and Fundraising Directors are increasingly expected to lead growth agendas, influence executive teams and communicate fundraising outcomes in more commercial and strategic terms.

Team capacity is becoming a strategic conversation

One of the less visible themes emerging across the sector is team capacity.

Fundraising conversations often focus on channels, campaigns and performance metrics.

Less often do organisations ask:

• Do our people have the bandwidth to execute the strategy?
• Are roles designed for today’s fundraising environment?
• Are capability gaps beginning to emerge?

Fundraising teams are often highly resilient and deeply committed to purpose.

But resilience and sustainability are not the same thing.

Increasingly, organisations are recognising that capability planning is not simply a people issue — it is a fundraising strategy issue.

Some of the shifts we are seeing across the market include:

• Investment in specialist digital fundraising capability
• Strengthening philanthropy and major gift functions
• Introducing supporter experience and stewardship roles
• Increasing leadership depth
• Reviewing team structures and spans of control
• Greater focus on succession planning

These decisions are rarely about increasing headcount for growth’s sake.

They are about ensuring fundraising capability can support future impact.

At the same time, fundraiser retention is becoming an increasingly important conversation.

High-performing fundraising leaders remain in demand, while organisations balance budget constraints, leadership succession and changing workforce expectations.

The organisations retaining strong fundraising talent are often those that create clarity, invest in leadership, empower decision-making and recognise fundraising as a strategic capability.

How Johnson Recruitment can support the fundraising and philanthropy community

The conversations emerging across the sector leave us optimistic.

Yes — the challenges are real.

But there is also enormous innovation, ambition and momentum across fundraising and philanthropy.

Organisations are becoming more sophisticated in how they think about growth, capability and long-term sustainability.

And importantly, more conversations are beginning around capability — not simply activity.

At Johnson Recruitment, we partner with nonprofit organisations across Australia to recruit fundraising and philanthropy leaders who can navigate this evolving landscape.

Whether organisations are reviewing fundraising structure, investing in specialist capability, planning leadership succession or preparing for the next phase of growth, we support our clients to build teams that create long-term impact.

Because while fundraising strategies and donor behaviours will continue to evolve, strong fundraising outcomes are ultimately built by strong fundraising teams.

If these themes resonate with your organisation, I’d welcome a confidential conversation.
Contact Lisa Pratt at lisa@johnsonrecruitment.com.au or 0493 632 441.