18 Barriers to Building Effective Relational Fundraising

When I’m in a conference room, sitting around the table with an organization’s leadership and fundraising team, I like to ask a simple question: “How many of you would like to put up a barrier that doesn’t allow your donor to move through your donor pipeline as easily as possible?”

To nobody’s surprise, NO one raises their hand.

Yet, every non-profit is putting up a barrier in some shape or form, preventing their donors from freely giving, and finding joy in that giving.

Here’s a list of common barriers I've encountered throughout my time in the non-profit sector:

1. No donor acquisition strategy.
2. A poorly developed donor cultivation strategy that encourages fundraisers to buy into the idea of an annual fund or appeal, but donors rarely get asked for a gift.
3. No monthly sustainer program.
4. Not a mid-level program in sight.
5. An unstructured major gift program with no strategy.
6. No planned giving program.
7. A development program structure where Marketing oversees Development.
8. A membership or event department that’s separate from fundraising.
9. Lack of investment in personnel.
10. A poorly set-up back office that doesn’t receive or thank donors in a timely manner.
11. No infrastructure set up with programs and finance to report on donor impact.
12. A lack of inspiring donor offers with different “price points.”
13. A CEO who won’t ask donors for gifts and sees fundraising as a necessary evil.
14. A board that has not been educated about fundraising and the importance of donors.
15. Not seeing donors as part of your mission.
16. Paying your staff below market value but expecting them to work over 40 hours a week.
17. Not taking donors to the scene and connecting the donor to the community.
18. KPIs that reward you for keeping donors from moving up the donor pipeline.

The truth is, most of these barriers aren’t intentional. They’ve developed over time—often out of habit, fear, or simply not knowing there’s a better way.

But here’s the good news: you have the power to change this. Every step you take to remove these obstacles makes it easier for donors to engage, give joyfully, and deepen their commitment to your mission.

So, take an honest look at your organization. Where are you unintentionally making it harder for donors to move through your pipeline? What’s one barrier you can start dismantling today? Your donors want to give. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to help them do it.