What comes first programming or fundraising?

Dear Diary,

I believe people have given up on the question: What came first the chicken or the egg? So, today I want to pose a new question: What comes first in your organization, programming or fundraising? And which one is relied on the most?

Keep in mind, programs are the services offered by an organization to its community or constituents. Fundraising is the act of seeking financial support by an organization or person(s).

I was introduced to Fundraising through a Development internship in which an unforgettable statement was made by a coworker, "Development is the backbone of all organizations, so without it the lights don't stay on." At the time and currently, this statement resonates because I work in this field, and it is a strong representation of how important fundraising is. But when I decided to write this entry, I said to myself “Well Joan, without programming, fundraisers would have nothing to raise money for. And would essentially hold up a lifeless body”- if we want to continue with the skeletal analogy. Therefore, programming must come first, right?

Some say, that to make an impact you need to fundraise therefore it always comes first. And some say that without programming there is nothing to financially support.

I think each side is right so we are back to square one.

Let’s get two perspectives from professionals who work interchangeably with programming and fundraising.

Ramya Kumaran is an Assessment Evaluation Specialist at IU School of Medicine, and has worked for nonprofits and evaluation consulting agencies conducting program evaluation, data management, and grant writing and reporting.

Ms. Kumaran: I think with any organization you need a strong program model that highlights its services. When a nonprofit begins, it must have programming if it wants to have funding, and if it wants to know what to ask funding for.

In terms of the chicken or egg debate, programming would come first because a nonprofit needs to have a solid idea and vision. And when it is trying to scale and maximize there is a need for fundraising, but it must be driven by programming.

In some sense, it is like a balancing scale in which they interplay with eachother- when seeking funding the focus should be on the vision, logic model, mission, and having everything align to that for expansion versus funding. Because if an organization just expands with just the availability of funding, then the new program will not be aligned.

Funding is important but an organization should not expand solely based on their funding.

Kandace Davis Farrar serves as the Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Access Programs. Her fundraising focuses solely on programs that advance educational equity and promote college access at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ms. Farrar: I believe fundraising comes first. Even if you haven’t fully developed the program or services you are “selling” to the donor, a good fundraiser can paint the vision and inspire a donor to invest in what’s to come. Programming is obviously still important. It plays a vital role in stewardship and demonstrating to the donor the impact of their investment. It also provides something to build upon. Data demonstrating the success of a program may inspire others to give and generate momentum. The more gifts you receive, the more funds you can pour into the programming, enabling you to carry out the core mission of the organization or program you’re championing.

Thank you, Ms. Kumaran and Ms. Farrar.

This topic excites me because there is no right or wrong answer to the conflicting reliance on either programming and fundraising. However, we have to consider the negative and positive impact such one-sided motivation can have on staff, output, the organization’s future, and (dare I say it) constituents.

As we work at nonprofits and public institutions, we have the power to make-up the answer to this question every day thanks to internal and external factors. So, I open the discussion up to you, my readers, and hope you share this with colleagues.

Until next time, December 15th!