What do we do if our main funder leaves?

This year we heard the same question from organizations in several countries: what do we do if the funder that keeps us going leaves? In some cases it's a large foundation that decided to change focus. In others, it's international cooperation pulling out of the region. The cause changes; the anxiety is the same.

When the big fund pulls out

The first thing we see is that almost no organization planned for it. While the big fund was there, the whole team worked to deliver for that funder: its reports, its indicators, its deadlines. Looking for other sources felt like a luxury for when there was time.

Three paths we see being explored (and what we don't know yet)

None of these paths has clear results yet in the organizations we work with. We share them for what they are: explorations in progress.

What didn't work: more updates isn't more donations

A commerce platform tied to social causes in Chile tried something that seemed obvious: sending its users real-time impact updates. The idea was that, seeing the results, people would buy or give more. Few people engaged with those updates, and there was no increase in repeat purchases or donations.

The lesson isn't that telling your impact is useless. It's that informing doesn't replace the relationship. A mass update doesn't change what a donor does; a conversation at the right moment does.

Ask according to your stage

Another pattern: organizations applying to funds designed for a stage they haven't reached yet. They lose on fit, on how they manage their finances or because they can't show measurable results. And every lost application costs the team weeks.

An alternative we're discussing with several organizations is asking for funding in stages: a small first amount tied to a milestone that can be measured, and the next one when that milestone is met. For the funder it's less risk; for the organization, a way to build trust little by little.

If the plan changes halfway through, say so early

With the funds that do arrive, something happens that isn't talked about much: the plan changes. In a group of organizations funded by the same corporate foundation, several modified their pilot mid-execution. Each change opened a full review, with more paperwork and more time.

Changing the plan isn't the problem; real programs change. The problem is the funder finding out late. Telling them about the change early, with the reason and what you'll measure now, turns an alert into a conversation.

Where to start

• List your sources of income and what share comes from each. If a single one is more than half, that's your main risk.
• Pick just one new path to explore this year, not three. Test it small and measure whether it works.
• Review which funds you apply to: do they fit your stage, or the stage you aspire to?
• If your program is going to change, tell your funder before they discover it in the report.