NPO FUNDING PITCH DECK
A complete 22-slide PowerPoint presentation template structured for institutional donors. Covers governance, financial transparency, theory of change, and worked impact examples.
Download .PPTX Template →Turning Point Chartered Accountants
IFC
Fundraising Resources, Tips and Guides for IFC attendees.
Are you actually ready to start effective Fundraising Campaigns? take the test and see where you stand
Cape Town · 2026
NPO Fundraising Resource Hub
BUILD A STRONGER FUNDRAISING FOUNDATION.
Practical tools and guidance to help your NPO understand where it stands, identify what may be holding it back and strengthen the foundations behind future funding opportunities.
What supports fundraising readiness?
Funding
READY?
PURPOSE
Can you clearly explain what needs funding?
EVIDENCE
Can you demonstrate the impact of your work?
FINANCIALS
Can you show how funds are managed and reported?
GOVERNANCE
Are your compliance and controls in order?
The journey
FUNDRAISING READINESS DOESN'T
HAPPEN IN ONE STEP.
Fundraising readiness is a progression. Assess where you are, understand what may be limiting you, prepare the organisation, and then move forward from a stronger position.
01
ASSESS
Understand where your organisation currently stands.
View breakdown →
02
UNDERSTAND
Learn why particular gaps may affect fundraising readiness.
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03
PREPARE
Strengthen the areas that need more attention.
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04
MOVE FORWARD
Approach opportunities with a stronger organisational foundation.
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Explore by need
WHAT DO YOU NEED HELP WITH NEXT?
These pathways are temporary while the individual fundraising resources are developed. Each can later become its own tool, guided resource or dedicated page within the fundraising hub.
PREPARE YOUR ORGANISATION
Future tools designed to help an NPO understand what should be in place before approaching potential funders.
Explore this pathway →BUILD FUNDER CONFIDENCE
Future guidance around accountability, reporting, governance, financial management and the information funders may rely on.
Explore this pathway →LOOKING FOR MORE NPO RESOURCES?
Fundraising is only one part of running a strong NPO. Explore our wider resource library for practical guidance across financial management, compliance, reporting and more.
Fundraising Readiness Journey
×
01
ASSESS
Start by getting an honest picture of your NPO as it exists today. The goal is not to prove that everything is perfect. It is to know what is already strong, what is incomplete and what could weaken a future funding approach.
What this means
Review the organisation from a funder's point of view: what you need funding for, how clearly that need is defined, whether your finances and governance are current, and whether you can show what previous funding achieved.
Why it matters
Without a clear baseline, NPOs can spend time chasing unsuitable opportunities or discover missing information only after a funder asks for it. Assessment gives the team a realistic starting point.
What to focus on
Funding priorities, current budgets, recent financial information, governance records, donor history, reporting quality, programme evidence and the team's capacity to respond to opportunities.
WHAT SHOULD YOU ASSESS?
- What exactly do we need funding for, and how much do we need?
- Are our budgets and financial information current and credible?
- Can we show how previous grants or donations were used?
- Are our governance, tax and compliance records in order?
- Can we demonstrate programme results or measurable impact?
- Do we know who will own the application, reporting and donor relationship?
Want to go deeper? The full Assess guide will walk through a practical pre-funding review, what evidence to gather and how to identify your most important readiness gaps.
Read the full guide →
Fundraising Readiness Journey
×
02
UNDERSTAND
Once you can see the gaps, understand what they mean for fundraising. Not every weakness has the same consequence, and fixing documents simply because they are missing is less useful than knowing why a funder may care about them.
What this means
Connect each readiness issue to the question behind it. A funder may be testing financial discipline, governance, delivery capacity, credibility, sustainability or whether your organisation can account for the money after it is received.
Why it matters
Understanding the consequence helps your team prioritise. It also prevents fundraising from becoming a checklist exercise where documents are gathered but the underlying weaknesses remain unchanged.
What to focus on
Ask what each gap signals to an external funder, how serious it is, whether it can prevent an application from progressing and which gaps have the highest practical impact on donor confidence.
QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE GAP
- What would a funder reasonably conclude from this missing or weak information?
- Does this gap affect credibility, compliance, delivery or financial accountability?
- Could it prevent us from qualifying for certain opportunities?
- Can we explain the issue honestly if a funder asks about it?
- Is this a document problem, or evidence of a deeper process problem?
- Which gaps should be addressed first because they affect fundraising most?
Want to go deeper? The full Understand guide will unpack how common readiness gaps affect funder confidence, eligibility and decision-making.
Read the full guide →
Fundraising Readiness Journey
×
03
PREPARE
Preparation is where insight becomes action. Strengthen the information, processes and responsibilities that a funder will rely on, so the organisation does not have to reconstruct everything under the pressure of an application deadline.
What this means
Close the highest-priority gaps, organise your core information, clarify who is responsible for what and make sure the story your proposal tells is supported by the organisation's budgets, records, governance and evidence of impact.
Why it matters
Good opportunities often arrive with fixed deadlines. An NPO that is already prepared can spend its time building a stronger case for support rather than scrambling to find documents or correct internal information.
What to focus on
Build a reusable funding pack, strengthen budgets and reporting, confirm compliance, organise programme evidence, document responsibilities and make sure your funding request can be supported by reliable information.
GET THESE FOUNDATIONS READY
- A clear funding need with a realistic, supportable budget
- Current financial reports and relevant statutory records
- Governance and compliance information that is easy to retrieve
- Evidence of programme activity, outcomes and previous delivery
- A consistent organisational description and case for support
- Clear ownership of applications, finance, reporting and donor communication
Want to go deeper? The full Prepare guide will turn these priorities into a practical funding-readiness plan your team can work through.
Read the full guide →
Fundraising Readiness Journey
×
04
MOVE FORWARD
A stronger foundation allows your NPO to become more selective and deliberate. The objective is not to submit as many applications as possible. It is to pursue the opportunities that genuinely fit your organisation and manage those relationships well.
What this means
Use your improved readiness to screen opportunities, tailor stronger applications, communicate clearly with funders and remain capable of delivering, tracking and reporting on the funding once it is secured.
Why it matters
Better-fit opportunities are more sustainable than chasing every available grant. Consistent reporting and responsible management can also support renewals, referrals and longer-term donor confidence.
What to focus on
Match opportunities to strategy and capacity, maintain current information, learn from unsuccessful applications, manage successful funding carefully and treat readiness as an ongoing organisational discipline.
BEFORE YOU PURSUE AN OPPORTUNITY
- Does the opportunity genuinely match our purpose and programmes?
- Can we deliver what the funder expects within the available budget?
- Do we understand the reporting and compliance obligations attached to the funding?
- Can we demonstrate why our organisation is a credible choice?
- Do we have the capacity to manage the relationship after funding is secured?
- What will we learn and improve whether the application succeeds or not?
Want to go deeper? The full Move Forward guide will show how to screen opportunities, approach funders more deliberately and manage the relationship after funding is secured.
Read the full guide →