When President Trump signed several executive orders in 2025 ordering the pause of federal funding streams, many nonprofits were left wondering what this meant for the future of their existence. Some had to close up shop, while others had to make drastic cuts and changes to their programs simply to stay afloat. 

In an environment like this, how is a nonprofit supposed to ask for support? 

There are a variety of approaches to this problem, but today I want to focus on two tactics you can try when you need to ask your donors for more funds than usual. One of them addresses today’s gap, while the other helps prevent tomorrow’s. 

Ask for Unrestricted Funding

When we make it clear to our donors that unrestricted gifts can serve as a lifeline when the unexpected occurs, we teach our donors that even the strongest nonprofits are not immune to external factors impacting the long-term viability of our organizations. 

If your organization is facing an immediate shortfall, consider putting together a small, highly curated list of extremely engaged donors who have the capacity to make substantial gifts. Individually tailor your outreach so that each person feels like you’re talking directly to them. 

For example, if you’re sending letters, make sure to use anything you know about them to make the letter personalized. When I do this, I like to write most of the letter, but leave space here and there for a couple sentences that can be customized for each donor. I try to make the opening sentence something very personal so that the donor knows right away that I know who they are and why they support us. Capture their attention using an approach that you think will most resonate with each individual.

If you’re curating your list correctly, you’ll know each of them well enough to come up with your own anecdotes or details. If you’re writing for a specific fundraiser, board members, or your CEO, they should be able to assist you in filling these in. Here are a few examples to spark your creativity. 

“Your gift last year in support of the Reading In the Rain program has already provided more than 100 umbrellas, 50 pairs of rain boots, 25 raincoats, and 100 books to children around Seattle.”

“It was so wonderful chatting with you at our Gala about your vision for ensuring families have access to the programs and services they need. We share that vision, and it was so meaningful to get your ideas and insights.”

“We’re so grateful that you’ve been giving to us for 30 years. I remember speaking with you a few years ago about why you were such a consistent supporter, and your story really put our work into perspective.”

Ask for Multi-Year Commitments

When donors make their annual gifts, even the largest ones, sometimes they’re just checking an item off their to-do list. It’s not that they aren’t passionate about your organization or the work you do, but they know you well enough to know that you do good work and trust you to use the money wisely. So when you’re asking for funds to bridge the gap or prevent a program from ending, multi-year gifts are a powerful tool. 

Multi-year giving isn’t just a financial ask. It’s a confidence ask, and confidence is the actual currency many nonprofits are short on right now. Donors who commit to these kinds of gifts are saying, “I trust this organization will still be doing good, relevant work in year two and three, and I trust them to steward my money responsibly over that longer window without me checking in annually.”

For the donor, it means they feel like they’re making an even bigger impact, or are drawn in even closer to the organization (think special access, newsletters, or events). For your organization, it means you’ll be better equipped to weather short or one-time funding shocks like the loss of federal grants. 

In your communication with your donors, spend a little time outlining the benefits of multi-year gifts, such as budget predictability, the signal effect, and better program design (not just program funding).

Budget predictability means your organization can operate a little more evenly and be less susceptible to one-off shortfalls. 

The signal effect happens when a donor makes a large multi-year gift and they allow you to publicize it. By sharing stories of this donor and their gift on your social media, homepage, or in other communications, it helps build confidence in other donors that you’re a solid organization worth committing larger sums to.

Better program design (not just program funding) means you can build your programs more ambitiously, rather than being stuck managing them year-to-year. When you know the funding will be there, you can plan more complex systems and programs, tackle greater challenges, and hire more staff. You’re building better, more sustainable programs, rather than hoping the funding continues. 

What are your thoughts? What’s worked for you?

These are just two tactics you can use when asking donors for additional or larger gifts during uncertain economic times. There are limitless ways to approach this, and what’s most important is that you identify what feels right for your organization and donors. 

What are some ways your nonprofit has adjusted its fundraising approach in recent years?