Ecosystem Analysis

One of the most important things to us at Donor Organizer Hub is that we share our learnings from thousands of hours of training, coaching, and convening donor organizers. Here are some patterns we witnessed in 2025: what brought in more donors and volunteers, and what didn’t?

What Worked

Building efficacy to build skills and leadership.

• Efficacy is the feeling that one’s actions matter and make a difference. Increasing someone’s efficacy motivates them to join your cause, grow their skills and leadership, and build your team’s capacity over time.

• Allowing volunteers to develop their “hero’s journey” keeps them in the movement with us for the long haul. This means supporting and empowering volunteers to take on projects just outside their comfort zone and actively celebrating their wins large and small.

Valuing volunteers for their insight, not just the dollars they raise.

• We often ask donors and fundraisers to take a back seat to people doing “the real work”—but without a sense of ownership, fundraisers burn out, and “the real work” can’t last.

• Show volunteers they’re valued holistically for what they bring to the table: for example, invite them in for meaningful feedback on programs and messaging, or ask for their advice on how to engage new volunteers!

Community and connection that centers volunteers building skills, relationships, and strategy.

• What we hear over and over is that the spaces Donor Organizer Hub hosts—convenings, trainings, and communities of practice—don’t exist for volunteer fundraisers. Volunteers are leading our movements! We’re here to provide the resources and community to support them.

• We encourage others to incorporate skill-building and relationship-building for volunteers where they can: for example, “watch one do one teach one” or intros to people with skills and resources they’re seeking.

Clearly defining roles and asking for commitment.

• Staff and volunteer leads are often hesitant to name specifics, afraid of turning away volunteers with too big of an ask. But volunteers need clarity to feel supported.

• People step up to the plate when asked to commit—if not, it may have been the wrong ask, and you’ve avoided a future flaky volunteer! Example: “Would you be willing to commit to hosting one house party this year with a fundraising goal, and afterward coaching someone else to do the same?”

Structuring teams with clear decision-making and norms.

• Decision-making and norms can often feel like extra bureaucracy for overstretched volunteers. But lack of clear alignment among team members can waste precious energy and turn fundraising into a drag.

• In times of conflict, clear decision-making and norms remind teams of their shared values and ground a path forward. In times of alignment, they help volunteers to develop and achieve ambitious goals.

Collaborating with staff that are “too busy.”

• When staff aren’t responsive, volunteers become disheartened–and take their energy elsewhere!

• Instead: As a staff member: to build a successful, ready-to-scale volunteer program, your organization should be ready to dedicate at least 2 hours a week of staff time. As a volunteer: seek to connect your efforts with organizations that are ready to build a relationship.

Volunteers without team support, fundraising alone.

• We recommend identifying 3-5 leaders to form a fundraising team. But people often come to us feeling like they don’t have any options in their networks. That’s a recipe for burnout.

• Instead: When fundraising for a cause or coaching someone who is, your very first step should be to find a team, even if others’ roles are small to start. A team is more than the sum of its parts. The strongest volunteer teams keep each other motivated, hold each other accountable, and bolster each others’ leadership over multiple fundraising campaigns.

Lack of leadership transitions/opportunities for emerging volunteers.

• Staff and/or long-time volunteers sometimes have a tough time letting go, or don’t even realize that they’re holding potential new leadership back by staying along without a succession plan!

• Budding fundraisers feel like there’s no opportunity for them to grow their skills or be recognized for their participation, so they often slowly back away.

• Instead: Develop a clear plan for how long leadership roles are held, how they’re selected, and how they’re passed from person to person.

Only having one role available—asking your networks for money.

• People can generally only tap their networks 1-2x per year. Once that happens, what else can they do that keeps them engaged with your cause? How can they (and the people in their network) feel less like ATMs and more like agents of change?

• Instead: Once someone has tapped their networks, ask them to take on another role, like joining your thank you team or coaching a new fundraiser. If someone really pushes back on asking their networks but offers to support your team on something else, like data analysis, find some flexibility to create a clear role for them.

Handing volunteers a toolkit and expecting them to magically raise money.

• Toolkits for party planning, fundraising asks, and so on are helpful! But absent relationships and teams, they generally don’t motivate action.

• Instead: Offer training and coaching to build efficacy, time-bound campaigns to create urgency and shared experiences, and teams for ongoing support!